Co-organised by Mplus, a local foundation working on sexual health of gay men and the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, Chiang Mai’s first international gay gathering saw around 150 people from all over Asia attend a conference which ended in a small and cheerful parade down the Night Bazaar. You see, one year before, a wonderful, if small, gathering of LGBT activists had descended upon Chiang Mai. Leading up to the date, members of Chiang Mai’s LGBT community were giddy with excitement and pride. February 21st 2009 was a day of ignominy for Chiang Mai, which should be marked down in history to be studied and remembered for years to come.
