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LGBTQ+ Bhutan vacation advice

In this formerly closed country, mindsets have taken a while to shift. But times are changing, with Bhutan’s LGBTQ+ community gaining more rights and visibility in the last decade. Activists, lamas and politicians are calling for acceptance, and LGBTQ+ travelers in Bhutan should not face discrimination or harassment.

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LGBTQ+ Bhutan vacation advice

Tolerance is not a good thing. If you are tolerating this, it means you think it's something wrong that you will tolerate. But you have to go beyond that – you have to respect.

– Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Buddhist Lama and filmmaker from Bhutan

Bhutan famously created the policy of Gross National Happiness, whereby the country’s wellbeing is measured by the contentment of its people, rather than its financial wealth. With this in mind, you would expect Bhutan to have made life as comfortable and accepting as possible for all of its citizens regardless of gender, sexual orientation and marital status.

To a certain extent this is true. Although Bhutan is deeply religious, with almost 75 percent of Bhutan’s population practicing the state religion of Buddhism, those philosophies do not condemn LGBTQ+ people. Bhutan is also less conservative than many of its neighbours. Many people speak openly about sex, and the government promotes safe sex.

However, Bhutan is still strongly attached to its traditions and national identity – an identity which has been preserved through its cultural isolation from the rest of the world. Bhutan was the last nation in the world to broadcast television in 1999, and although the internet was installed in the same year, access was not widespread until 2020.

For most Bhutanese, then, there has been little access to the world beyond their own communities. Many don’t acknowledge that LGBTQ+ people exist, and even those that do often believe that they don’t exist in Bhutan. In this isolated country, anything unfamiliar is often considered to be ‘Western’, non-Bhutanese, and perhaps even harmful to the people’s much cherished happiness.

But, of course, LGBTQ+ people do exist in Bhutan – and representation and rights are improving.

Attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people in Bhutan

The 21st century had been a pivotal moment for LGBTQ+ rights in Bhutan, moving from invisibility to acceptance in less than a decade.

With the spread of the internet and social media, LGBTQ+ activists have set up Facebook pages which act as a shared space for the LGBTQ+ community and are also used to campaign for greater recognition. In 2020, both houses of Parliament overwhelmingly supported repealing a line in the penal code that criminalised same-sex sexual activity. It was signed into law in 2021. In 2022, Tashi Choden Chombal became the first openly lesbian woman to be crowned Miss Bhutan.

High profile Buddhist teachers as well as politicians have spoken out in support of the LGBTQ+ community too. In this video the filmmaker and Buddhist lama Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche speaks about going beyond tolerance, and declares that: “Your sexual orientation has got nothing to do with understanding or not understanding the truth. You could be gay, you could be a lesbian, you could be straight… we never know which one will get enlightened first.”

It’s taken a long time to get here, of course, and there’s a long way to go. There is no legal recognition of same-sex couples and no legal protections for transgender people.

And while LGBTQ+ people are less likely to get harassed than in neighbouring countries, Bhutanese may be reluctant to come out as they fear rejection from their families. In this society, family is hugely important – and it is perhaps this, rather than their sexual identity, that stigmatises LGBTQ+ Bhutanese. Many marry due to tradition and social pressure, but also to hide their sexuality.

Still, in this tiny country of close-knit communities, word travels fast – and so does momentum. The election of a more progressive government in 2018 has given hope that more rights will be enshrined in law, with Prime Minister Lotay Tshering confirming that legalising same-sex marriage could be the next step towards equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community in Bhutan.

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LGBTQ+ travel in Bhutan: tips & advice

LGBTQ+ travelers in Bhutan should not experience any discrimination or harassment. In general, couples should be fine to request double rooms, but do check with your tour operator to ensure that they are recommending the most welcoming accommodation they can.

Public displays of romantic affection are not common in Bhutan, so all travelers – regardless of gender or sexual orientation – should avoid these out of respect. However, you will see plenty of affection and physical contact between groups of friends of all genders. All travelers should also cover arms and legs when visiting religious sites such as monasteries.

There is no publicised gay scene in Bhutan and no LGBTQ+ venues or events such as Pride. The number of grassroots organisations are increasing, though, such as the Rainbow Bhutan network, Pride Bhutan and Queer Voices of Bhutan.

While all the partners we work with describe themselves as LGBTQ+-friendly, it is worth asking questions to learn more about how this is put into practice in their Bhutan vacations. It will be relatively straightforward to find open-minded hotels and tour guides in Thimpu and other larger cities, but how about in more conservative areas? Will there be any issues during community tours or homestays?

Responsible tour operators should be able to share information about customs and beliefs, not just for Bhutan as a whole, but for individual regions and cultures across the country. We always do our best to call out discriminatory or other unethical behaviour within the tourism industry, but we also recognise that there is a very fine – and at times blurred – line between expressing your identity (whether on the grounds of sexuality, religion or political beliefs, for instance), and being respectful of local customs as a responsible traveler.

We update this guide regularly, but do check sites like Human Rights Watch for the latest news.