Due to its vibrant gay scene, the international LGBT community voted Bangkok the second-most gay-friendly city in Asia, while Tel Aviv, the Israeli city famous for its Pride Parade, has won the top spot for the continent overall.
According to a survey by German housing platform Nestpick, Bangkok placed 61st in its ranking of the world’s 100 best LGBT destinations despite the fact that it has not held a pride parade in 11 years and same-sex marriage remains illegal.
Bangkok is one of only five cities on the continent to make it to the list alongside Tel Aviv (4th), Hong Kong (83rd), Shanghai (89th), and Beijing (100th).
The ranking was concluded based on surveys in 80 countries where respondents rated each city’s LGBT dating scene, nightlife, openness, safety, and legal rights. Over 2,500 LGBT people from the selected cities participated in the lifestyle rating, and then the list was cut short to 100 cities.
It was noted that thousands of cities were considered in the data development.
The lifestyle score was then combined with public data from the police for the safety category, while the LGBT rights score was based on an in-depth review of national legislation that affects the community in each country.
Globally, the USA and UK dominate the ranking—each having ten cities that made the total list, but it could also be that the company chose to include more cities in those two countries.
Here are the top ten LGBT cities in the world:
- Madrid, Spain
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Toronto, Canada
- Tel Aviv, Israel
- London, UK
- Berlin, Germany
- Brighton, UK
- Barcelona, Spain
- New York City, USA
- San Francisco, USA
