Gay Travel in Thailand

Overview

It is the opinion of many, countries like Thailand are hard to compare with when it comes to the rights of individuals and the freedom of expression that many Thais are fortunate enough to live with on a daily basis.  While Thailand may not be a supporter of gay marriage, there is no where else in the world where people can be the person who they want to be. Furthermore, no where else in the world have I seen so many gay and lesbians living in the one city!

An example of the level of individual freedom can be seen anywhere along Bangkok’s MRT or BTS, where transsexual passengers use to get around and travel to work.  Moreover, do you think anyone cares?

No, no one batters an eyelid. I struggle to think what would happen if at 5pm on a Saturday afternoon after a game of AFL in Melbourne, when a passes Richmond Station and a whole crowd of screaming, half-tanked bombers fans boarded.  It would be pretty messy if you ask me, to say the least.

It is this level of acceptance that has makes Thailand a cut above the rest when it comes to the levels of acceptance towards the gay community.

One of the reasons for this high level of acceptance of sexual individuality is the Buddhist religion.  While it may not be strictly tolerated, the Buddhist method of dealing with these individuals is to pity them, as they may have done something negative in a past life.  On the other hand, countries that are brought up on the fundamentals of Christianity influencing the legal system and morals of society treat individuals that deviate away from what is considered “normal” as outcasts, which is one of the reasons for anti-gay violence that exists in our society.

While many Thai gays may have resorted to working for country’s sizeable commercial sex trade, homosexuality and lesbian is now very similar to the west.  While the commercial sex industry is still quite visible around Bangkok’s Surowong Road and various Sois in Pattaya, it is a drop in the ocean when taking into account all the gays in Thailand.  In fact, Bangkok’s gay community spreads far beyond the likes of Silom Road and Babylon.  In fact, Bangkok would have approximately 30 gay saunas, which I would say is more than any other city throughout the world.  Additionally, the vast majority of Thai’s who attend these saunas are not after money or status.  The truth is they are looking for other Thais, and possibly being gay is considered fashionable by some of the Thai youth of today.

Having said this, Thailand still is an incredible playground for travellers to meet some unique and incredible people, and listed some of the best venues around for gay travellers to Bangkok.