Intro: For a week in the capital of communist Laos, Vientiane, I met a small circle of lesbigays whose lives centered around restaurants, friendships and different relationships that were romantic, poignant yet cheerful. Also see: Story: Gay Luang Prabang 2010 Story: Gay Vientiane 2010 Gay Laos News and Reports Laos Photo Galleries By Richard
Afghanistan
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Burma
Cambodia
China
East Timor
Georgia
Guam
Singapore – City: (2)
Singapore is one of three remaining true city-states in the world. It is the smallest nation in Southeast Asia. It is the 6th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita. The population of Singapore is approximately 4.6 million. Though Singapore is highly cosmopolitan and diverse, ethnic Chinese form the majority of
Gay Thailand–Phuket in 2007
The week I arrived in Phuket to research a new story about local gay life in Phuket, this story appeared in the Phuket Post. It nicely usurped my intentions and added, no doubt, more depth and undestanding than I might have found. I am pleased to present it here, written by reporter Aparna Raut Desai.
Gay Vietnam (Hanoi): Crouching Love, Hidden Passion
Hidden in the tightly woven fabric of conservative northern Vietnam culture, gay men seek out love and life using high tech Internet and low tech T-rooms. Among the beauty of the coastline and the rugged high mountains, most lesbigays are married and deny their secret. But romantic truth for younger gays is slowly emerging into light and warmth.
Gay Afghanistan: Homoeroticism Among Kabul’s Warriors
Afghan men skating along the edges of gay life Last fall (2004) I found myself in Afghanistan, a nation at the center of the upheaval and change roiling the world. There I found Afghan men skating along the edges of gay life. I’ve had a curiosity about Afghanistan since childhood that began with the 1979
Bangladesh – Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard
Along the southeast coast of Bangladesh is the Mohsin ship breaking yard where immense ocean freighters and tankers are torn apart by hundreds of gritty, lean, strong, bronze-skinned, men–by manual labor. Using blow torches, sledgehammers and wedges they carve the mammouth steel whales into chunks just off shore. After the huge pieces crash into the
Cambodia-Sex and Politics
Intro: After his release from four months in jail for alleged pedophilia–a charge that was found later to be fraudulent–Dr. Gavin Scott wrote this commentary about age-of-consent and it manipulation by foreign NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in the fractured legal system in Cambodia. Also see: Gay Cambodia Stories Gay Cambodia News & Reports 2004 to present
Gay Hong Kong
The financial powerhouse of Hong Kong is home to a confident gay community who have become even more politically and socially active since Britain handed over control to China in 1997. Presented here is a ‘longitudinal’ story, from 1997 to present reviewing the scene in this most progressive of Chinese cities.
India – Hampi
Hampi was once the capital city of a Hindu Vijayanagar empire in the 15-16th centuries. The vast area of temples and shrines, markets and roads covers 43 square kilometers. Hampi is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Possibly predating the city of Vijayanagara, this village continues to be
Gay Indonesia-Sumatra (Medan)
Intro: Far from the economic and political vortex of Jakarta, the city of Medan (and its environs) hustles and bustles with the business of a major metropolis. It is Indonesia’s third largest city with a population of about 2.2 million, The Asian gay travel site Utopia-Asia playfully suggests "that’s about 90,000 Utopians" (gay people). Perhaps.
Gay Pakistan – A Complex Society
Introduction Three native Pakistani men write about living inside their sexually ambivalent culture where gay men live behind masks and love in secret. There is a gay subculture in Pakistan but it is virtually invisible and exists only by word of mouth and in furtive situations–in nighttime parks, discrete parties and in one’s imagination or
Gay Rights in Thailand 2007
In searching for human rights activity in Thailand it’s easy to be distracted by the sexy flash and booming discos of Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai, which to many visitors and reporters appear to present an exciting ‘liberated’ face of homosexuality in Thailand. However, the reality is quite different the longer one stays or
Gay Vietnam is Quiet and Alive – Saigon
Introduction: Life in bustling Saigon, a city of eight million people and six million motorbikes, is colorful, ambitious, old and modern. Gay life barely shows its face against conservative traditions. The scene is small, unorganized and subdued (non-existent in the eyes of the government). Outside Saigon and Hanoi there are little pockets of LGBT expression in the smaller cities like Hoi An and Hue. This story is followed by a News Report that further informs about the meager LGBT life in Vietnam.
Afghanistan – Faces and Countryside
Afghanistan is a culturally mixed nation, a crossroads between the East and the West, and has been an ancient focal point of trade and migration. It has an important geostrategical location, connecting South, Central and Southwest Asia. During its long history, the land has seen various invaders and conquerors, while on the other hand, local
Bangladesh – Chittagong City
Chittigong city is Bangladesh’s second largest metropolis with about four million people. For tourists there are only a few sights such as the War Cemetery, the Zia Museum, Shahi Jama-e mosque and a market. Not mentioned in guidebooks is the huge and haunting ship-breaking yard just north of the city. Photos 2-5 below reveal a
Hong Kong – City and Lantau Island
Hong Kong (photos 1-22) is a Chinese territory located on China’s south coast on the Pearl River Delta. It has a population of about 7 million people and is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Renowned for its expansive skyline and natural setting, Hong Kong is one of the world’s leading
India – Vijayawada-Pondicherry-Trichy
Vijayawada and Pondicherry and Tiruchirappalli in southeast India offer places of history, spirituality and commerce, as well as colorful friendly people. Just outside Pondicherry is the international city of Auroville–started in 1968–intended as a place of "human unity". At the center of the commune is the huge round meditation globe known as the Matrimandir, pictured
Indonesia – Java and Bali
Random images from two islands in Indonesia – Java and Bali Java is an island of Indonesia and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. Once the centre of powerful Hindu kingdoms and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, Java now plays a dominant role in the economic and political life of Indonesia.
Gay Life in South Korea
Introduction: a Shifting Paradigm South Korea has been one of the most ambitious and progressive countries in Asia in the last fifty years. It’s ancient culture has assimilated, for better or worse, many western ideas and systems. Along with the changes in commerce have come alterations in human behavior and attitudes, including a recent softening
Bangkok’s Third Gay Pride Festival November 2001
Also see: Gay Thailand Stories Gay Thailand News & Reports 2000 to present Gay Thailand Photo Galleries By Richard Ammon November 2001 (981 words) Glitter and Change Fringed by a huge storm cloud thundering in the high horizon, Bangkok’s third annual Gay Pride Parade nevertheless kicked off (dry) on time and in place November 4th.
Vietnam – Hanoi and North
A two week drive around the northern third of Vietnam brought us to Hanoi, Halong Bay, the northwest mountains, Dien Bien Phu and Sapa. This abridged gallery does little justice to the beauty of the land and the variety of hill tribes in these areas. Read the stories about gay Vietnam
Bangladesh – Dhaka City (1)
Dhaka is the capitol of Bangladesh with about 11 million people. Every form and level of life is here, from upscale mansions and privileged kids playing cricket to impoverished manual workers tearing down buildings with sledge hammers as well as women picking through garbage. Traffic is intense and dense; bicycle rickshaws by the thousands clog
Cambodia – Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat Gallery
India – Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin)
At the southernmost tip of India is the city of Kanyakumari with its variety of sites including a busy fishing port, a mahatma Gandhi memorial, extensive bazaars, pilgrimage temples and offshore monuments to the spiritual guru Vivekananda and the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar. Read the stories about gay India
Indonesia – Sumatra – Lake Toba
The village of Tuk Tuk on the eastern shore of Samosir Island in the middle of Lake Toba is a real getaway place that hardly exists. A handful of shops, hotels and eateries cluster along the water’s edge offering little to do but breathe in the beauty of nature. At the small Juwita cafe Hedi