Lives of/options for gay over-18 year old Thais.

[latintopxxx]

on same subject but going way back have just started reading " A class apart-The private pictures of Montague Glover".....how I wish I lived in 19th century England..

[joe552]

Oh come on, latin, nobody is going to believe you actually read books! So you want to live in the 19th century? Two words - Oscar Wilde

[RonanTheBarbarian]

I remember that Montague Glover book, and from what I recall, it was mostly pictures, so I believe Latin may be actually reading (wanking over) it.

If I remember rightly old Montague was a rather posh English guy who took loads of pictures of his labourer boyfriend wearing tight trousers with an obvious bulge...a lovely little book, really!

[joe552]

Haha, that sounds more like it Ronan

[latintopxxx]

I was going to point out that as outlined in that very fine book that a large driver of rent boy trade was driven by economic needs, so the situation obviously is not limited to Thailand. As Thailand slowly creeps up the economic ladder the MB sex trade will slowly diminish.
Same situation is encountered world wide, vast majority of MB are driven by lack of regular opportunities.

[joe552]

I hate it when you make sense, latin

[arsenal]

It seems to me that there is actually no shortage of boys to work in the bars. Looking at the new bars that have opened recently such as Winner Boys, New Cupidol, 360' Degree Bar, Prisma all of them have been able to find plenty of boys to work there both straight and gay. It's only the lack of customers that means the supply dwindles down. If they were full of customers they'd be bursting at the seams with boys. Take Prisma, Toy Boys and Scandic all together and you've got over 60 available boys just from those three places.

[kkjason]

It seems to me that there is actually no shortage of boys to work in the bars. Looking at the new bars that have opened recently such as Winner Boys, New Cupidol, 360' Degree Bar, Prisma all of them have been able to find plenty of boys to work there both straight and gay. It's only the lack of customers that means the supply dwindles down. If they were full of customers they'd be bursting at the seams with boys. Take Prisma, Toy Boys and Scandic all together and you've got over 60 available boys just from those three places.

This is very true. The money, if you can command it, is still quite good. It still amazes that some of the boys working in Family Mart or 7-11 make roughly 40 baht an hour. And those guys work their ass off. It must be difficult to hear from their friends who spend the night drinking, on our dime, and get paid for it at the same time. Just one off a week would net them more money than they would make in an ordinary week somewhere else. Now, let's also talk reality - The bar scene is not for everyone, nor should it be. I have lived in Northeastern Thailand since 2008. I love the laid back life here. You don't need much here to be comfortable beyond your wildest dreams. Many of these boys live very simple lives - and they love it. They don't need more than a few hundred a baht to not only survive, but thrive in their village. As the OP has stated, there are loads of opportunities springing up all around the Northeast. While it does not net the possible thousands of baht one can make on a good night in Bangkok or Pattaya, many of these boys no longer want it.

I really think the lure of the big city is slowly giving way. I remember in 2008, when I went to my now husband's home in the village, we could barely get a signal with AIS. No other mobile service would even work out there. Today, we have Fiber Optic Internet out there that is actually faster than at our home in Khon Kaen - go figure. I guess what I am trying to say is that times are really changing in Thailand and the boys are realizing that they no longer need the bar scene to be happy. I am happy to see that. Hope it all makes sense - Perhaps I'll start posting more - I sure enjoy the new 'feel' to reading the posts now being made by civil people who love this country - Good on you all!

[Oliver]

Don't forget the pleasure the working guys derive from their friendship groups. It's not unusual for a group to arrive together in Pattaya as old friends from school, or the village or even as family members. There is a sense of camaraderie amongst them; a guy who has a successful night will treat his friends to dinner, or help with the rent. They will sometimes share a room, particularly in their early days, and enjoy social activities together.
Retired guys will speak of the pleasure it gave them to be in groups-particularly gay ones- after a degree of isolation at home. And of course, Pattaya, with all its faults, was an thrilling, vibrant environment for those coming from a small village in Isaan.

[a447]

I think you're spot on, Oliver.

My Pattaya regular moved there with his brother and a group of friends from the same town. They all work in the sex business, share rooms and hang out together. And they look after each other, sharing offs amongst themselves - "Can you take my brother instead? He hasn't had a farang this week" - and, of course, help each other out when times are tough.

And they also work at the same bar. When one changes, the others follow.