Gay asia.
Utopia was founded in 1994, by Singaporean, American, and Thai partners, with the goal of creating positive social alternatives for gays and lesbians in the Asian region.
Utopia opened Southeast Asia’s first male lover and lesbian center, located in Bangkok, featuring a homosexual gift and guide shop, café, mixed gay/lesbian pub, and guesthouse. The center went on to host author readings, women’s workshops, AIDS/HIV education and fundraising, and Bangkok’s first International Lesbian and Gay Film/Video Festival: Hearts of Bright.
On December 13, 1995 we launched the Utopia-Asia.com website, the first portal providing up-to-date pan-Asian information in a non-pornographic format. An archive of the Utopia website is available from 1996 onwards. Our website went on to garner recognition from TIME Magazine, Lonely Planet, Yahoo!, Gay Times, Advocate and BBC Planet Service.
Utopia was a founding sponsor of the first Bangkok Gay Festival in 1999, the first Pattaya Gay Festival in 2001, and the Thailand Alternative Travel Association. We also sponsored the Phuket Gay Festival and are an active member and media partner of Bangkok Pride.
An annual Utopia Awar
Asia
State
Domestic law[*]
Penalty
Ratified International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)[†]
Ratified Optional Protocol to ICCPR[†]
Bangladesh
“Whoever voluntary has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with man, woman, or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section.”
6 Sep 2000
–
Brunei
“Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman, or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may increase to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine. [S 12/97]
Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described
Asia offers so much for gay travellers. Whether you’re looking for rich cultural experiences, magnificent natural wonders or exciting gay parties, Asia’s got it all.
We’ve put together all our experiences and adventures from our travels in Asia including travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway through Russia, camping with Mongolian nomads in the Gobi Desert, hiking with Sherpas in the Himalayas of Nepal, partying in the amazing gay bars of Bangkok, trying fried scorpions and tarantulas in Cambodia and standing in awe at the Great Wall of China outside of Beijing.
Is Asia safe for homosexual travellers?
Asia is generally a very conservative continent and not as gay approachable as Europe and America. It therefore pays to be careful in Asia, particularly in countries where homosexuality is illegal (like in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia) or it’s such a taboo that being open can get you into a lot of trouble (like in Indonesia and Russia).
On the whole, we generally found Southeast Asia to be more welcoming towards LGBTQ travellers, with pockets of fabulousness in East Asia (like Japan and Taiwan) as well as in South Asia (like Nepal and India)
We’re here to facilitate gay, bisexual and same sex attracted men from Asian cultural backgrounds seize control of their health.
We provide knowledge on relevant health issues, and we offer a range of specific and general services delivered by caring people who genuinely perceive the health issues affecting Asian same-sex attracted men.
Our Work With Asian Gay Men
We’re here to support gay men from Asian cultural backgrounds take control of their health by providing a range of programs, workshops, resources and events.
We’re committed to:
- Understanding and reducing the impact of HIV and STIs among Asian gay men in NSW
- Understanding and addressing health and wellbeing issues which are specific to Asian gay men in NSW
- Strengthening the collective networks for Asian gay men in NSW by partnering with groups and organisations which help them
For further data, please contact: asia@acon.org.au | 02 9206 2080 | 0419 714 213
Follow and like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ACONAsianGayMensHealth
Belonging and Becoming
同志101工作坊 / Originate Making Sense Mandarin
ConversAsians
ConversAsians is a peer-led discussion group based in Sydney. Our vision is to engage an