Why is it only Thailand has male go-go bars?

[moistmango]

When I was younger, the male equivalent was present in USA big cities (NYC, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Ft Lauderdale, orlando, Philadelphia) now largely or completely gone. pushed out by local laws/religion (I mean NYC in the 70's was awesome sleeze, now is disney and starbucks). Stripper, whores, sex shows... orgies in adult book store dark areas, sauna that were awesome. I saw it all. now largely gone.

Yeah, even as a foreigner living there in the 2000s it was pretty dismal. Or wonderfully safe and livable for a big American city, depending on which side of the debate you fall on. I found it awful - Starbucks, D'Agostinos, Kinko on every other block. Haven't been back since I left the country; apparently it's all million-dollar condos in Park Slope now. (???) When I hear stories like maump's, I get nostalgic for times I never had the pleasure to experience.

[Armando]

If workers from Laos and Cambodia could no longer come to Thailand, I wonder if the go go scene would survive? or the commercial sex scene generally?

An interesting question that I missed earlier. We know that in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, gogo boys in Thailand came almost without exception from within the country. Most unskilled boys seemed to come from Isaan where it was either work on the farm, in the rice paddies or go without an income. The Asian Economic crisis which started in Thailand in July 1997 only made everything worse, thereby hastening a flood of boys from the countryside desperate for bar work.

The Thaksin government re-energised the economy which had been staggering as a result of crippling IMF sanctions. After all, the corrupt and incompetent Chavalit government had spent all the country's foreign exchange reserves fighting off an earlier attack on the baht by speculators in the spring of 1997. Thaksin ensured cash went to each town. How much was creamed off in corruption can only be guesswork, but presumably some found its way to the villagers and townsfolk. With the economy starting to boom, not even the 2008 world financial crisis had much effect on employment and I assume this was because the tourist sector had really started to take off in a big way.

Add to that the quite severe fall in the birth rate which dropped by around 35% between 1985 to 2000, improved education, a much improved awareness of the effect of HIV/AIDS and greater work opportunities, and a significant reduction in the supply of boys to work in the bars was inevitable. Take away those from neighbouring countries now working in bars and what is left? A vastly reduced bar scene for sure.

I get the impression that there has been no such fall in the number of girls working in the straight gogo scene. Add in the rise of better quality gentlemen's clubs where the ambience is more like a VIP Club, the girls as attractive if not more so, entertainment is more professional, and like Japanese geisha the girls are better conversationalists if only because most will speak reasonably good English.

https://bangkoknightlife.com/best-gentlemen-clubs/

Would such clubs for gay men work economically? For all I know, they already do exist but only for Thais. So my guess is there will always be a commercial gay sex scene but it is likely to be far less for expats and tourists. The halcyon days of the 1980s and 1990s are never going to return, sadly.

[pong]

IMHO its mostly the stark falling birth nrs plus also the stark rising level of education that minimizes the nr of Thai working guys in the scene. And its also not just this branch of work-many others of low paid work now also rely a lot on foreign workers. Same-same as f.e. here in Germany where I happen to be now.
Back to original Q: I think it should be best frased as: why has this branch of economy survived in TH and died in other countries? Amsterdam/NL once has at least 2 well-known such venues. And again Germany must also have had several.
And as so very often the gay scene simply mirrors the str8 such: gogo places with females also survive a lot in TH. I have no idea how they cope with probably also falling nrs of females wanting to work there.

[Oliver2]

An excellent analysis, Amando.
When families were trying raise six or seven children, the levels of poverty were extraordinarily high. It was , in all likelihood, the last couple of children born who made the journey to Bangkok or Pattaya.

Widely-available birth control changed all that. And there was no Catholic Church or deranged US evangelicals to stop it.
Thaksin had his critics but I changed my views about him when I met my future partner. It was Thaksin's administration that produced improvements in health, education and the environment. Many homes did not even have electricity before this. P remembers trying to do his homework by candle-light.

The right-wing/military/royalist coups, ironically, also benefited from Thaksin's premiership in that it had prevented possible civil unrest that may have threatened the generals. Just as the Red shirts did until the Bangkok massacre.

I have watched with interest the changes though the prism of his family. Material progress yes ,but also the advancement of life chances. For example his nephew, now twenty, is at university and living in Kampaeng Phaet. I compare that to P, trying to do his homework in a leaky, wooden hut, and despite being a good student, finding only menial labouring jobs. Including rice-farming.

Until Pattaya in 2002....but that's another story.

[Dodger]

IMHO its mostly the stark falling birth nrs plus also the stark rising level of education that minimizes the nr of Thai working guys in the scene.

You could be right, but I haven't the foggiest clue what you're talking about.

Too many nrs's and nr's.

[latintopxxx]

I blame MTV and the associated globalisation...omce the locals have seen how we live and tasted McDonalds & coke...no way was life knee deep in a paddy field the future...
I di miss soi twilight in BKK, on a good night there would have been at least 300 "dancers" to choose from and full on sex shows in every venue...and lots of eye candy...could while the evening away sitting outside watching the activities...
But as with everything progress marches on...and online shopping has crept into our world...there is a huge variety available online...but somehow its a bit like drinking aloine...not as vibrant as drinking with friends in a crowded bar heaving with talent.

[latintopxxx]

Tawan bar in BKK I believe....enjoyed lots of good shows there...not really porn so hopefully the moderators will not ban......

The link in this post was removed under rule 3.2.3 (5). An unexpurgated copy of the post can be found in the members’ only Holding Room by clicking on the following link: https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showt...ale-go-go-bars


Jellybean
Moderator

[latintopxxx]

i need to find this holding room

[francois]

You could be right, but I haven't the foggiest clue what you're talking about.

Too many nrs's and nr's.

I think he may referring to numbers? Why make it easy when you can make it difficult?

[Jellybean]

i need to find this holding room

It is easy to find, latintopxxx, it is located below the Feedback, How To, forum's FAQ forum. See photo below:

Holding Room.jpg