Looking for a Suzuki Caribian

[jazzed]

My impression is that most retirees to Chiangmai, Korat, Isaan etc are men... and I have met many wonderful guy friends on our few visits, gay and straight.

But now we (my partner and I) are considering a possible move to Chiangmai. And we would love the support of a womyn's community to hang out with once in awhile. When we search gay listings we note that most owners are, once again, men. Where are the women?

Finally I would ask this forum, would my partner and I be welcome in Chiangmai? Is it still the cool, open place we fell in love with all those years ago as teenagers?

Thank you and wishes to all

[p1p]

You would certainly both be welcome. I am afraid I do not know of any commune for women but I have met several gay women residents here.

There is a posted list of Women's Organisations in the sub forum.

[jazzed]

Thank you p1p. I surely don't wish to only hang out with gay women. I don't believe in "ghettos" of any category. But just as my straight guy friends have their "men's nights playing poker or getting together to watch a game" -- and I don't mean to stereotype, merely using it as an example -- it IS nice to have some womyn's space now and then, specially when new to a place.

I feel encouraged. Thanks again.

[Ulysses G.]

Finally I would ask this forum, would my partner and I be welcome in Chiangmai?

You seem quite open-minded, but the spelling, "Womyn" is usually associated with Femi-Nazis and puts some people off. You might try just spelling it correctly!

[sylviex]

There is a Gay & Lesbian Friends Group (see chiangmaiexpatsclub.com/groups.asp for email address).There are more than likely some informal expat groups/meeting places, too, and the same would surely apply to Thai groups.

[jazzed]

>> "Womyn" is usually associated with Femi-Nazis and puts some people off.

Gosh really? Sorry I don't mean to offend anyone. It's used by the gay women's community to mean 'lesbian women'. That is the impression I get from books, periodicals, websites and other media. Oh dear I shall be more discreet then. Apologies again.

[ricklev]

From Wikipedia:

Arguments for

Feminists who prefer to use these words feel that the terms "woman/women" relate to the historical and ongoing social subordination of women, since the word "man" is seen as an exclusively male term, implying that women are a subset of men, or a deviation from the norm. Those who argue in favour of the terms "womon/womyn/womin" contend that they have the right to choose how a term referring to them is spelled, rather than be compelled to use words that evolved in what they see as a patriarchal society. Some feminists further argue that "womyn" is based on a medieval spelling of the word,[citation needed] and that returning to the old model of waeman and wyfman meaning man and woman, respectively, would be more egalitarian. Feminists in favor of the modification argue that language is a powerful tool that shapes the way people perceive their surroundings, and even how they understand gender and gender roles (see Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). They also feel that the current form of the words does not value women. Therefore, some feminists see these changes as part of a movement to correct what they consider inherent biases in language.

Arguments against

Usage of "womon/womyn/womin" and related terms is essentially nonexistent outside of some segments of feminism. Opponents of it see it as unnecessary, and argue that it is based on a misinterpretation of the words "man"/"men" and "male." They cite the etymology of the terms "man" and "woman," and note that both the origin and current usage of the two words are already gender-specific[citation needed]. Furthermore, since "womon/womyn/womin" terms have not been accepted as standard English words, using these terminologies outside of the small circles that have universally adopted them will often be seen as grammatically incorrect or semantically meaningless, and therefore those who choose to use the terms will often be taken less seriously and credibly by serious academics and common people alike.

Other opponents of the terms see the adjustments as an example of excessive political correctness. Still others note that, since the word "man" was originally gender-neutral, the word "woman" is not sexist to begin with[citation needed], unnecessarily eliminating "men" from it exhibits an anti-male gender bias or outright misandry. Further, many feminists themselves object to using "womon/womyn/womin," noting that it serves as an unnecessary distraction from what they consider more important feminist goals.

[gpdjohn]

So,

Can I be a manist?

Runnerist?

Scooterist?

Drunkist?

Why is it always placed in your face, what sexual preference you prefer..

Who cares?

"Lesbian women"- Must be Greek, from the island of Lesbos ( and I hear a lawsuit is in the Greek courts over this one..)