Reader’s Question:

My boyfriend and I have been planning for the longest time to go to Thailand for an exotic Southeast Asian experience. But recently, we saw on the news that there’s something going on in there right now. Can anyone suggest another destination for us? Are the islands of the Philippines gay friendly?

Mickey

St. Paul, MN

Mickey, too bad Thailand is not going to be a choice for you since it is indeed great there and the gay scene is fabulous. Though, you should not worry. There are a lot of other gay-friendly Southeast Asian countries. I suggest that you go to the islands of the Philippines.

I have been there a lot of times, and I just keep on going back there whenever possible. Since the country of the Philippines is composed of a lot of islands (it is an archipelago of more than 7,000, as I have heard), it is practically a tropical paradise for anyone.

The main island is Luzon where the country’s capital, the city of Manila, is located. All throughout the metro, you would find a lot of clubs that cater to the LGBT community. The most popular are the clubs in the Malate district (like O bar, Chelu’s and Bed) in the city of Manila. The streets of J. Nakpil and Orosa are the target destinations because you will find here a mixed crowd, but this strip is actually most popular for its gay nightlife scene. The Malate district is also the location for the annual pride march parade. You can try out other clubs in other parts of the metro, (like Government in Makati, Palawan and Fahrenheit in Quezon City) but I still say that the district of Malate is the best choice because partying does not cost as much here and at the same time, you get to pick from various choices.

Also, the Philippines is entirely surrounded by water. So, this means that you can choose where to go among the 7,000 plus islands. There’s the world-famous island of Boracay. But there are also other popular destinations like Cebu, Bohol, Camiguin, Palawan and a lot of other uncharted islands. You just have to do your own research on these places and other places in the Philippines because the choices are endless.

But for me, the best part of it all, it’s that almost everyone speaks English. So, it is not difficult to communicate with the exotic and beautiful people of this country.

Tags: gay friendly island