What's the gayest or most bisexual country in the world?
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Zuma (
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February 1st, 2010
Where does homosexuality seem 1) most accepted, 2) most prevalent? In some cultures there is no strict dichotomy between “gay” and “straight.” For example, in certain macho cultures only the passive-receptive party is considered homosexual.
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Anything that isnt the US OF A!
Most Scandinavian countries are more relaxed about all sexual issues than we are here in the States.
If there was any more press on this, the answer would be the US.
Isn’t San Francisco a country?
@dpworkin I agree with you about scandinavian countries. But it is hard to gauge this in statistics because of the nature of the topic. There are people in the middle east which have different orientation but they will not tell anybody for fear of their life. So again, its hard to really get an accurate sense of what country has a greater population of “non straight” people.
mykonos where i am from?!!!!!!
Mykonos is an island where i believe ANYTHING goes…gays, straight, trans….
It is also an island that way early on the locals here accepted this and never seemed to have a problem with it even though Greek people (especially the older generation) firlmy believe in marraiage between a man and a woman and Christianity…
It is one of the free (est) places I know and feel….
@partyparty Can you elaborate? What are the attitudes there? Is there a strong distinction between “gay” and “straight” or do people have both kinds of partners. What percentage would you say have same sex partners? Do you know this from having been/lived there?
@Zuma: Thailand’s got a hell of a history in the sex industry and with sex in general. See what I mean? The most basic search pulling in the most results gets you that. I’m not saying all of Thailand participates, but every Thai person I’ve known has at some point mentioned how happy and tolerant Thai people are of each other, I imagine that attitude plays a part in letting people do a lot of what they want.
I don’t know for sure, but I’ve read that there is a great deal of exploitation of young people in prostitution there? That doesn’t sound so happy and tolerant to me.
And what people will do for money doesn’t really indicate what they actually like to do.
@janbb: There’s human trafficking and prostitution everywhere, Thailand has a particular problem with it, but I was speaking merely of their attitudes towards others proclivities – not suggesting they actively support pedophilia or outright exploitation.
And merely speaking, as I said, on the information gathered from my friendship with Thai people.
@Zuma – Oh for sure – I was questioning the suggestion that it was such a tolerant place.
@asmonet Also agreed, but I’ve read (i.e., Nicholas Kristof) that Thailand has particular problems with it. I get what you’re saying about the attitudes of the people, though.
@janbb: Gotcha. I think we’ve all read about Thailand or seen something on TV about it, it’s sad.
Thailand, the Phillipines, or Fire Island.
Just naming the name of a country doesn’t really convey anything. Please elaborate on what the scene is in these countries. And/or why you think it is “gayer” than somewhere else. How else are we to determine from these nominations which is the gayest?
I really don’t think Thailand or Nepal or the Phillipines are it, that’s for sure. Neither is it the U.S. Imo, it’s either Canada or Spain.
@Zuma I think it goes without saying that Thailand has, with good reason, a reputaton for ‘anything goes’. It doesn’t really matter what sex you were born, or indeed what your sexual preferences are, anything and everything is tolerated.
@asmonet Yes I agree entirely with what you say
@cyndihugs Have you seen the movie Before Night Falls? Apparently, Cuba was very tolerant of gays and gay culture right after the revolution but then there was a period of extreme repression. Has it changed back in recent years?
I would have to say Europe would be the most Tolerant, Hands down
Another vote for the Phillippines; I went there as a youngster with family for a reunion, and remember my mom talking to us about it on the airplane trip. She said that over there, the culture is such that gays and the vision of transvestites is not looked down upon but rather, viewed almost with a sense of mysticism, as if those people who lived that way were more in touch with both sides of feminine and masculine, and that was something that was not shameful but respected. We did see a lot of openly gay and transvestite (and perhaps transgendered) there but even as a kid I was at ease with it because everyone around me thought nothing of it.
In that regard, for all of their economic and technological shortcomings, I was appreciative and actually considered their culture more “sophisticated.”
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Holland. They have a very permissive and tolerant attitude toward sex, which they view as not a big deal. Gay marriage is legal and the times I was there, no one batted an eyelash at gay couples holding hands in the street.
@zaphod I was going to say that!!!
I learned about that island back in 9th grade :P
@MissAnthrope It’s true that it’s generally not a problem here, but to say most tolerant would be pushing it a bit I think. For example, had I been gay, I wouldn’t really have been comfortable to say that among my football teammates. I recall someone on my team a few years ago who was bisexual, and he did get some remarks about it. (Then again, he was a little bit nasty, turned out he showed his precious parts to some young kids through the webcam…)
On a lighter note, one of my housemates is gay, and everybody’s fine with that, but still you need to be able to not really mind having a lot of stereotypical remarks thrown at you (even though of course nobody believes them to be true, just funny). Then again, this might be because he can handle them so well.
Anyway, regarding Thailand, a gay friend of mine went to Thailand last year for half a year and blogged about it, and one thing that struck him was that gay boys over there were almost immediately assumed to be transsexual. Homosexuality was not looked upon weird, but if you were one, you would be kind of expected to wear girls’ clothes if you’re a boy.
@LethalCupcake Ever looked at Poland?
FRANCE! Definitively France. Look at the way they walk!
Real answer: USA
@mowens If the USA is the country in the world that is the most accepting of gays, G-d help us!
@mowens If the USA is the country where people think someone’s walk is about their sexuality, it’s not the correct answer.
I had an acquaintance from Costa Rica who said that while everyone is officially straight, most young people had both boyfriends and girlfriends, sometimes at the same time. Even the most effeminate queens reportedly had girlfriends. And this was confirmed by other people that have lived and traveled there. Brazil, from what I understand is similar.
I used to know Joe Currier, a gay anthropologist who studied the scene in Mexico and the barrios of LA. And he told me that in Mexico, if a young boy does not look like he’s going to be acceptably macho, his father rejects him and he tends to become feminized by his mother and sisters. This marks him as a sexual target for his brothers, cousins, young uncles, and others in the neighborhood who turn him out, so to speak. These “passivos,” as they are called, seem to get quite a lot of action. In interviewing a small group of these boys, Currier found that when they compared notes, these boys had had sex with something like 27 males in just the houses immediately contiguous to theirs.
Despite the high prevalence of homosexuality extrapolated from these figures, there was still quite a bit of stigma to being a “passivos” and almost none at all for the “activos.” So, while homosexuality is not officially approved of or socially tolerated, what goes on behind closed doors seems to be shrouded in hypocrisy and denial, but is largely guilt-free.
In America, it depends on where you live i guess… And the people you surround yourself with.
But personally I think Canada! :D
@Zuma The Joe Currier description sounds more abusive and oppressive than homosexual. Am I missing something?
I’d imagine it’s Holland….. I think it’s actually compulsory there!
@liminal The point is that there can be quite a bit of homosexuality in a culture, even if it is stigmatized and not out in the open.
@Zuma When I think of homosexuality I think of non-coercive mutually agreed upon relating. The behaviors of “rejecting”, “turning out”, incest (Currier mentions uncles and brothers), and “sexually targeting” sound like behaviors shrouding pedophilia, rape, coercion, and abuse.
I do agree with you that, as you say, “there can be quite a bit of homosexuality in a culture, even if it is stigmatized and not out in the open.” I don’t think that Currier offers the best example.
Sweden, Germany, Netherlands
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