Queer Asia Quick List

- 3 mins read time

This is an archive of a list I’d made back in 2016 of queer events and communities in Asia. Things have gotten better and worse in many places since. Many community groups organize on social media, so your best bet is not Google, but places like Facebook, WeChat, or Line depending on where you are.

LGBTQ / Pride Events

Some places wait once a year for that awesome crowd at Pride in June or August, but it’s about time to come join the parties here in Asia. Pride is relatively new to Asia compared to the Stonewall Days, but they’re not too shabby for size.

Best of all, the Asian parties are spread throughout the year. Groups (mostly the guys) will also travel to annual events that aren’t explicitly LGBTQ just to have a good time too!

All the Gaycation options:

Places to Go / Groups:

Asian governments may seem pretty cold to same-sex issues, but in general, they also have a hands-off policy. This means that many places have a decent or even outright vibrant underground scene. Below are some tips:

Queer Culture:

For a seemingly conservative place, East Asia has a lot of queer content. Much of it is in mainstream media such as movies with sex-changing kungfu heroes, tabloids reporting on billionaire’s gay daughters, and Mainland Chinese media creating bromances for straight actors.

In Japan, Yaoi (boy’s love) and yuri (girl’s love) are major genres in Japanese pop culture often written and consumed by straight people.

Check the media content from:

LGBTQ Media & Event Sites:

Japan:

Taiwan:

China:

Search Douban 豆瓣, Sina 微博 for groups

Join Weixin 微信 public channels and groups

Hong Kong: