Gay forum topic -- Do you consider anti-gay laws when choosing travel destinations?

[Jingthing]

Traveling to places where homosexuality is illegal: a guide (advocate.com)

Quote

Should LGBTQ+ travelers visit places where homosexuality is outlawed? It's complicated

 

 

I'm sure many of you have travelled to places with anti gay laws including being criminalized. I certainly have. You may have (or probably have) broken the laws there as well. It wouldn't be prudent for me to comment further on that. But, there are other very good reasons to travel to countries other than the gay aspect. However, if you're travelling with a boyfriend or same sex spouse, it's a real sticky wicket and better not book a one bed room. I wouldn't travel to any country with the death penalty for gay stuff but on the other hand I had a very unpleasant experience with homophobia in a country with OK laws. Namely in Mexico, namely in Puerto Vallarta a very gay popular resort but at a very wrong hotel.

 

So what are your experiences and feelings on this issue?

Edited July 17 by Jingthing

[KhunLA]

43 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Traveling to places where homosexuality is illegal: a guide (advocate.com)

 

 

I'm sure many of you have travelled to places with anti gay laws including being criminalized. I certainly have. You may have (or probably have) broken the laws there as well. It wouldn't be prudent for me to comment further on that. But, there are other very good reasons to travel to countries other than the gay aspect. However, if you're travelling with a boyfriend or same sex spouse, it's a real sticky wicket and better not book a one bed room. I wouldn't travel to any country with the death penalty for gay stuff but on the other hand I had a very unpleasant experience with homophobia in a country with OK laws. Namely in Mexico, namely in Puerto Vallarta a very gay popular resort but at a very wrong hotel.

 

So what are your experiences and feelings on this issue?

I'm not sure I would travel to any country that has anti gay laws, If I was aware of, on principle alone.  Don't think I have in the past.   

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I'm not sure I would travel to any country that has anti gay laws, If I was aware of, on principle alone.  Don't think I have in the past.   

Interesting.

If you travel a lot it would be hard to avoid.

Have you been to Malaysia or Singapore?

I think Singapore changed their law though. Malaysia got worse.

Edited July 17 by Jingthing

[KhunLA]

9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Interesting.

If you travel a lot it would be hard to avoid.

Have you been to Malaysia or Singapore?

I think Singapore changed their law though. Malaysia got worse.

No, neither.  Although back in the 70's, had problems traveling in the south/USA.  My bud carried a bag before it was fashionable.  We both had long hair, and I'd wear 'flower / bird', bright shirts.   And my voice is about a gay as it can be, when slightly 'excited',   No rooms when vacancy sign was on, and no cars in the lot.  Geez .. I wonder 

 

Got chased off a Uni in TX, actually went there to get some weed.  Think it was a ROTC college or something, seemed like every one had a boot camp cut, and they told us fags to leave .. or else 

Edited July 17 by KhunLA

[onthemoon]

12 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Interesting.

If you travel a lot it would be hard to avoid.

Have you been to Malaysia or Singapore?

I think Singapore changed their law though. Malaysia got worse.

I've been to gay bars in Malaysia (in the 1990s) and Singapore (earlier this year with my husband in a one-bed room) and wasn't even aware that I was acting illegally in any way. All seemed to be relaxed.

[Jingthing]

On 7/18/2024 at 9:49 AM, onthemoon said:

I've been to gay bars in Malaysia (in the 1990s) and Singapore (earlier this year with my husband in a one-bed room) and wasn't even aware that I was acting illegally in any way. All seemed to be relaxed.

I'm pretty sure Singapore liberalized fairly recently and Malaysia got more severe fairly recently too so your reports may be irrelevant.

People should check current laws before traveling.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I would not limit my decisions on that subject to just "places where homosexuality is outlawed," but would cast a broader net.

 

I'm not gay, but I firmly support gay and other so-called minority group civil rights.

 

So places that are strongly antagonistic to those core principles and values would be off my travel to-visit list, including places in the U.S. like the DeSantis-headed state of Florida.  Never been, and have always wanted to see DisneyWorld etc., but ain't gonna happen as long as he's running the show there and his policies prevail.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/07/10/desantis-controversial-policies-spark-florida-convention-cancellations-as-tourism-shows-signs-of-slowing/

 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/06/economy/florida-convention-business-cancellations/index.html

 

 

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I would not limit my decisions on that subject to just "places where homosexuality is outlawed," but would cast a broader net.

 

I'm not gay, but I firmly support gay and other so-called minority group civil rights.

 

So places that are strongly antagonistic to those core principles and values would be off my travel to-visit list, including places in the U.S. like the DeSantis-headed state of Florida.  Never been, and have always wanted to see DisneyWorld etc., but ain't gonna happen as long as he's running the show there and his policies prevail.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/07/10/desantis-controversial-policies-spark-florida-convention-cancellations-as-tourism-shows-signs-of-slowing/

 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/06/economy/florida-convention-business-cancellations/index.html

 

 

Interesting. 

I definitely don't feel that strongly.

You can learn so much by traveling.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Interesting. 

I definitely don't feel that strongly.

You can learn so much by traveling.

 

We each set our own standards... I find his various policies in Florida extremely offensive, and obviously, I'm not the only one.

 

I guess I can always go to San Francisco instead... 🙂

 

 

Edited July 21 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Jingthing]

Just now, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

We each set our own standards... I find his various policies in Florida extremely offensive, and obviously, I'm not the only one.

 

I guess I can always go to San Francisco instead... 🙂

 

 

Case by case.

No desire to go to Florida but might be interested in going to Turkey again.

[Hummin]

On 7/17/2024 at 3:56 PM, Jingthing said:

Interesting.

If you travel a lot it would be hard to avoid.

Have you been to Malaysia or Singapore?

I think Singapore changed their law though. Malaysia got worse.

I had a Muslim Malaysian girl friend who I travelled around with alone,  which is illegal to not being married due to Sharia law. 

 

However if my gf was not Muslim, she would not be ounder sharia law, same as gay foreign non Muslim couples would not be charged ounder sharia law.

[Jingthing]

26 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I had a Muslim Malaysian girl friend who I travelled around with alone,  which is illegal to not being married due to Sharia law. 

 

However if my gf was not Muslim, she would not be ounder sharia law, same as gay foreign non Muslim couples would not be charged ounder sharia law.

Its not only about Sharia for gay.

It's national law for all.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Malaysia

 

...

Malaysia is one of the most homophobic countries in the world.

 

--

Oddly Malaysia is also one of the most homophobic countries too.

[Juana Tenderloin]

Post violating gay forum code of conduct and replies removed.

[onthemoon]

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I'm pretty sure Singapore liberalized fairly recently and Malaysia got more severe fairly recently too so your reports may be irrelevant.

People should check current laws before traveling.

I was talking about my experiences, not laws.

[Juana Tenderloin]

Post removed for discussing moderation.

[BritManToo]

As a typical western tourist, I never expected to have sex on holiday, so it didn't bother me.

[Jingthing]

13 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

As a typical western tourist, I never expected to have sex on holiday, so it didn't bother me.

Question the word typical in the context of this topic.

 

Say a single gay man travels to Puerto Vallarta. 

 

It would be atypical for him not to.have sex on such a holiday.

 

Or perhaps a married gay couple travels to a country where gay sex is illegal.

 

If they weren't in a sexless marriage they would typically want to have sex with each other on holiday.

 

I had a funny experience in San Francisco. A tourist from Japan apparently a gay virgin contacted me seeking sex telling me that having gay sex was one of the tourist must dos in San Francisco just like riding a cable car. Hard to argue with that.

 

 

Edited July 22 by Jingthing

[BritManToo]

26 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I had a funny experience in San Francisco. A tourist from Japan apparently a gay virgin contacted me seeking sex telling me that having gay sex was one of the tourist must dos in San Francisco just like riding a cable car. Hard to argue with that.

Slightly off topic,

I used to go on holiday regularly with a gay pal from work.

One year we went ski-ing at Lake Tahoe, flight and car hire into San Francisco.

While in SF he wanted me to go with him to a gay club, I said 'as long as we do a nude female show first'.

He wouldn't go, so we didn't, another night sitting on pier 39 eating clam chowder.

I enjoyed SF (parking was terrible), and Lake Tahoe.

[Jingthing]

13 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Slightly off topic,

I used to go on holiday regularly with a gay pal from work.

One year we went ski-ing at Lake Tahoe, flight and car hire into San Francisco.

While in SF he wanted me to go with him to a gay club, I said 'as long as we do a nude female show first'.

He wouldn't go, so we didn't, another night sitting on pier 39 eating clam chowder.

I enjoyed SF (parking was terrible), and Lake Tahoe.

Not sure what year that was but there was a famous club there catering to both of you.