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Thailand, apart from its sex tourism
involving women and children, is also known for
tolerance towards gay people and transgender (
Thailand
Ladyboys ). Thailand
is knowned as a ‘gay paradise’. Apart from
the beautiful destinations, exquisite
natural beauty, delicious food and friendly
people, Thailand also offers a congenial
atmosphere for gays and lesbian travelers.
Despite their traditional and religious
culture, natives of Thailand have a relaxed
attitude towards gays.
Bangkok has around 60 gay bars and several
other gay establishments. The hotels in the
capital have a liberal attitude towards gays
and lesbians. Gay sex tourism invites huge
revenue for the Thai government. The gays are
known for earning huge amounts of money and
spending a major portion of it for travel. Thai
tourism has developed diverse facilities in
order to tap this revenue. There are various
online portals publicizing exquisite
infrastructure. Bangkok particularly has
numerous massage parlors, clubs, spas,
galleries, restaurants, cafes and shopping
venues permitting entry of gays.
Inspite of a large gay and lesbian
population, there are no registered unions in
Thailand to fight for protecting the rights of
these people. The major issue of concern
involved in the gay sex tourism is the spread
of HIV/AIDS epidemic. An astonishing increase
in the incidence of the disease has been
observed from 17 percent in 2003 to 28 percent
in 2005. According to Associate Director of
Science at HIV/AIDS Collaboration Dr. Frits Van
Griensven, around 16,000 Thais are infected
with HIV/AIDS, out of which one third are
supposed to be gays. Particularly, men below
the age of 21 are at a major risk. The prime
reasons for this is lack of scientific
education and infrequent use of condoms and
lubricants.
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