Thailand
has one of the most tolerant cultures in the world towards
homosexuals. Gays and lesbians are pretty much accepted, providing
general Thai social mores are observed, and there's no anti-gay
establishment.
Tom-Dee
Thai
lesbians choose to call themselves 'tom' and 'dee',
roughly corresponding to the western terms 'butch'
and 'femme'. 'Tom' comes from the term 'tomboy',
while 'dee' is a short form of 'lady'.
Thailand
has a thriving gay and lesbian bar scene, which attracts tourists
from all over the world. In Bangkok, the gay bars are concentrated
along Silom Soi 2 and Soi 4, with Soi 2 being considered 'more
gay'. Slightly seedier bars can be found off Surawong Road,
along Soi Anuman Rachathon and Soi Tawan. Other bars can be
found sprinkled along Sukhumvit, especially Soi 23, and Tanao
Road in the Banglumpoo area. All of these bars cater to males
only.
While
the male gay scene is very much in your face, the lesbian
scene is less evident and the venues much more dilute. The
scene centers around groups of friends with no specific lesbian
areas in the city. The main organization offering information
and guidance for lesbians is Anjaree.
