by gaytravelocity on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 | No Comments »
I remember the first time I went to Guerneville. I was young, naive, and–perhaps most relevantly–freshly out of the closet. After a month-long road trip up to Washington and Canada, my then-girlfriend Amanda and I were hauling back down to our home turf in Los Angeles. We drove through thousands of miles of unknown, un-gay terrain. Amanda peeled the rainbow sticker off the bumper of her Saturn, and we both sunk low into our seats and tried to look less gay. It was in this manner that the two of us rolled up to a quaint but otherwise nondescript town on the banks of Northern California’s Russian River. Needing a quick pick-me-up, we stopped at a café–and, lo and behold, we started seeing gay people. Lots of them. Everywhere. We saw multicolored rainbow flags, bear flags, and even risqué leather pride flags. Naughty, naughty, naughty! Where were we? Turns out we had stumbled upon Guerneville, a gay-friendly vacation spot just 70 miles north of San Francisco. Although Amanda and I had no idea we were so close to the Bay Area (often lovingly, and somewhat appropriately, called the “Gay Area”), most San Franciscans, gay or not, are somewhat acquainted with the area. The Guerneville Visitor & Business Directory has an extensive “Gay Travel” section on their site, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone of the gay,lesbian, bisexual, or transgender persuasion in San Francisco who hasn’t visited–or at least thought of visiting–this charming gay getaway at least once. If you’re straight, though, never fear–Guerneville also serves up plenty of fun for everyone, regardless of your orientation. Things to do in or around Guerneville include hiking in the scenicArmstrong Redwoods State Reserve, whale watching, hot air ballooning, and visiting the Hallberg Butterfly Gardens. That’s if you’re not too busy swimming or kayaking in the river, checking out the local bars and cafés, or taking a leisurely stroll down Guerneville’s main street. Guerneville is also in Russian River Wine Country, so there are plenty of wine tasting opportunities in the area as well. I’ll be heading out to Guerneville tonight to celebrate my anniversary with my partner, Julia. Seven years after my first Guerneville experience, I can’t think of a better way to say “I’m happy to be gay”! Story by Jessica Tyler
by gaytravelocity on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 | No Comments »
San Francisco–check. Provincetown, Mass.–check. Miami–check. Gay and lesbian travelers have an increasingly broad–and exuberant–array of gay-friendly U.S. destinations to pick from. Internationally, we’ve also got “gay” Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Amsterdam, Canada, and more. But tilt the globe in an entirely different direction, and the average lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) person might have no clue where to get their gay on. Seeking outside-the-box destinations that are also easy on the dollar, many savvy American travelers have recently made Thailand their getaway of choice. But how do gay and lesbian travelers rate this tropical nation? I asked openly gay friends and colleagues James Harris and Mario Diaz for their thoughts on their recent Thailand trips. Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member nova_chic. The Window Seat: Tell me about your trip to Thailand. What did you do, and where? TWS: Did you go to any LGBT-friendly establishments? TWS: Were you “out” while you were there? TWS: Did you notice other LGBT people? If so, how could you tell? TWS: Is safety an issue for LGBT people there? Did you or other “out” people feel safe, accepted, or comfortable? TWS: Did you notice any difference between LGBT culture in cities like Bangkok versus in more rural areas? TWS: Do you feel that Western culture has had an impact on LGBT culture in Thailand? TWS: Did you notice any difference between how gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, or transsexuals were treated? TWS: Would you recommend Thailand as a destination for other LGBT travelers? Check out James’s photographs here, on his IgoUgo profile.
James: I went to Bangkok on business–it was great.
Mario: I was in Thailand for five weeks total. I volunteered for four weeks teaching English in a village in the Isaan province. I lived with a Thai family, and was able to travel during the weekends. For one week at the end I visited places like Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai, Phimai, Ayuthaya, and Bangkok. It was an amazing experience, to say the very least!
James: Yes, in Bangkok. The area I went to was called Silom, which hosted two main streets, Soi 2 and Soi 4. It’s one of about four or so total gay areas in Bangkok. It was really easy to get around, because a lot of people speak English, and street signs are often in both English and Thai. It’s a very open city; everyone is really welcoming.
Mario: No, but Thailand in general tends to be very LGBT-friendly.
James: Not particularly, but I didn’t hide it.
Mario: I was not openly “out”–but that doesn’t mean people couldn’t figure it out on their own! The Thai, aside from being very friendly, tend to be very tolerant and respectful of others. I was never intimidated by the fact that they might suspect I was gay.
James: It’s hard to tell, especially as an outsider. The world is also changing–people are beginning to blend together and gay ghettos are becoming more disseminated.
Mario: Well, some of the boys tended to be very flamboyant. No questions there. Some transgender people were harder to identify, until I heard them speak.
James: Completely. I felt totally comfortable, and I felt like others did too.
Mario: Absolutely! From my experience, Thailand is way ahead of its time in terms of LGBT issues. The Western world has a lot to learn from them.
Mario: I, personally, did not. Before I went to Thailand, I read that you don’t necessarily find the same openness toward LGBT people in rural areas that you do in Bangkok or other large cities. However, that didn’t seem to be true in the village that I was living in. I saw teenage boys that left no doubt as to their sexuality, and they seemed very comfortable with themselves. Despite their flamboyance, even other, presumably heterosexual teenage boys seemed comfortable around them, too.
James: The clubs and bars I went to in Bangkok were definitely Western-influenced. When you visit Mexico, you get a lot of Latin music in clubs and bars. But in Thailand, Western music, such as house music, is everywhere.
Mario: No, and I hope it never does. On the contrary, my hope is that Thailand will have more of an impact on Western cultures when it comes to sexuality. We’ve got a lot to learn.
James: I did see quite a few transgender people outside of gay areas. They seemed to be more evident, and possibly more accepted, than any other LGBT people I saw.
Mario: Looking back, gay men were a lot more noticeable–but I think that’s usually true in most places around the world. I occasionally did see transgender people, and they seemed well integrated, just as the gay men were.
James: Absolutely! I loved Bangkok. The food is amazing, the hotels are phenomenal (especially Lebua and the Millennium Hilton), and you absolutely must take a ride in one of their water taxis. I would also definitely recommend traveling outside of Bangkok, since Thailand has so many beautiful beaches and Buddhist temples.
Mario: This goes without saying–yes! I would recommend Thailand to anyone and everyone! There is no other place like it.
