The Philippines is one of the most gay friendly places in Asia.
It may sound bold, but we say that for good reason. The Philippines is a country we really fell in love with. Yes, it’s got some of the most beautiful beaches in the world as well as lots of natural beauty, but the real gem of this gorgeous place is the people.
Why?
The Filipinos are extremely warm-hearted. They are super friendly. They want to welcome you. They want you to love their country. And bloody hell they nail it! But most importantly of all, they’ll love you whether you’re straight or gay.
As a gay couple travelling in the Philippines we felt the Pinoy love. We never felt like we were being judged. We felt completely welcome everywhere we went and never experienced any issues. This is also surprising (and quite refreshing) when you realise this is a staunchly religious country with around 80 million practising Catholics.
Discover Gay Manila
Whilst the Philippines was good to us as foreigners, we wanted to get the lowdown of what life is really like for LGBTQ locals. We were able to discover gay Manila with local journalist Rione who agreed to give us this interview about what it was like for him growing up gay in the Philippines and his take on how LGBTQ friendly the Philippines really is!