30 Jun 2017

Asian Cities Falter in LGBT-friendliness Index

Survey ranks Bangkok, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing in the world’s top 100 LGBT friendly cities.

Asian cities have faired poorly in a list of the world’s best LGBT cities compiled by German housing platform Nestpick, with just five cities making it into the top 100.

Thailand’s Bangkok ranked highest in the list as the 61st most LGBT-friendly city in the world closely followed by Tokyo at 70.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing also made the list, with China’s capital just sneaking in at 100.

Netizens were keen to question the absence of Taipei on the company’s index—home to Asia’s largest LGBT pride parade and set to be the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.

Nestpick conducted polls in 80 countries using social media and other polling tools, and asked 2,500 participants from each city to rate it on openness of its citizens, LGBT nightlight, and the dating scene, according to their website.

These were added to data from police on reported hate crimes in 2016 and LGBT rights according to national legislation.

Madrid, Amsterdam, and Toronto were awarded the top three places respectively, with Tel Aviv, London, Berlin, New York, Barcelona, San Francisco, and Brighton also making the top ten.