LGBT Bhutan holiday advice

Attitudes towards LGBT people in 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. While Bhutan remains deeply religious, Buddhism does not actually condemn homosexuality. Bhutan is also less conservative than many of its neighbours, with many young Bhutanese starting to have sexual relationships in their teens, and no stigma attached to marrying a woman who is not a virgin. Divorce is also not uncommon. However, Bhutan is strongly attached to its traditions and national identity, an identity which has been preserved through its cultural isolation from the rest of the world. Television was not broadcast until 1999, and although the internet was installed in the same year, barely 14 percent of the population had access to it. By 2016 that figure stood at just 37 percent^[1].

For most Bhutanese, then, there is little access to the world beyond their own communities. Many don’t realise that LGBT people exist, and even those that do, often believe that they don’t exist in Bhutan. It is simply not part of the Bhutanese identity. In this isolated country, anything unfamiliar is considered to be ‘Western’, non Bhutanese, and perhaps even harmful to the people’s much cherished happiness^[2].

But, of course, gay, bisexual and transgender Bhutanese people do exist. Many struggle to forge their own identities in a kingdom with no representation of LGBT people and little sense of an LGBT community. While they may not be harassed or attacked as happens elsewhere, Bhutanese may be reluctant to come out as they fear rejection, a sense of shame, and humiliating their families. In this traditional society, marriage and family is hugely important – and it is perhaps this, rather than their sexual identity, that stigmatises LGBT Bhutanese. Many marry, due to tradition and social pressure, but also to hide their sexuality. There are reportedly high levels of mental illness and depression amongst the gay and transgender community, with over a fifth of gay and bisexual men admitting to having attempted suicide more than once according to a 2016 survey^[3]. The same survey also revealed high levels of drug and alcohol use.

But attitudes do seem to be changing rapidly. With the spread of the internet and social media, LGBT activists have set up Facebook pages which act as a shared space for the LGBT community, and are also used to campaign for greater recognition.