LGBT

Chiang Mai’s LGBT community, since 2019, wears its colours with a pride parade every February; organised by a core group of increasingly passionate and vocal activists who are fighting for a variety of rights and changes.

A rare and dark incident occurred in 2009 when politics resulted in violence to stop a gay pride parade. The result was the cancellation of the event for a decade. Happily, its revival in 2019 was met with widespread support throughout the entire city. People came out onto the streets with many more waving from doorways and windows as the parade passed.

In general, discrimination is not something many members of Chiang Mai’s LGBT community face. Many businesses, actively cater to the community which is considered by the vast majority as part of the rich, diverse mix of the people that live here.

The LGBT culture here in Chiang Mai is vibrant with all sorts of outlets for expressions as art exhibitions, theatrical performances and special occasions are put on to celebrate, discuss and educate on various aspects of the culture. There are also non-profit foundations working on various issues around the LGBTQ community, especially with the youth and migrants.