Vietnamese mature gay men videos
They both have really dark pasts, and they are still using drugs for example, but they are the most loving people I have ever met. But it’s a case of juxtaposition with them in general. They are both big, strong-looking men, covered in tattoos, but their house is this really romantic, nest-y space covered in floral patterns and flowers. And on special occasions, like the lunar New Year, the three families always get together and celebrate, which I just think is fantastic.Īnother thing I love about them is their appearance, which clashes so badly with their general aesthetic. Their families know about their relationship with each other now, and even though they live with them, they also have a space of their own. There are these two guys, who are both married with children and are also HIV positive. Is there one couple you are particularly fond of? But turns out everyone was very welcoming people would actually approach me and ask me to take pictures of them with their partners in their rooms. So I went there, and at first I took great care to only take general pictures of the hotel because I wasn’t sure how welcoming the patrons would be. I had been in touch with ICS, which is the only agency for LGBT rights in Vietnam and it was through them that I found out about this gay and lesbian-only hotel in Hong Kong. How did you go about finding your subjects in the first place? No gays at the flower market? That's weird. A crowd gathered around us, and people kept pointing and saying, “No, you cannot do this here.” For instance, I went to the flower market with this couple I was photographing, and they were just walking around holding hands and flowers, and everyone went berserk. Nothing too aggressive, but it is still impossible for a gay couple, especially if they are men, to engage in the simplest displays of affection without passers-by pointing at them. Have you ever witnessed any expressions of homophobia against your friends or subjects? And they have known from an early age, and they are trying to live their lives as openly as possible. When it comes to movies, homosexuals are either idealised or, again, presented as sexual deviants. And those stories are almost always to do with drugs, AIDS or some sort of sexual scandal. For example, every time a story about a gay couple is in the press or on TV, either the faces are blurred or they pose with their backs to the camera. People like to say they are open-minded but they don’t act like it.
This would make Vietnam the first Asian country to do so, so it’s a big deal, but I don’t see it happening any time soon. Well, the thing is people in Vietnam there is talk of legalising gay marriage. Why is that an important enough subject to photograph so extensively? So, tell me about your project: Gay people in Vietnam. Okay, I hate bureaucracy too, so I forgive you. Which I should have expected but… anyway. I got up this morning to go to the UK Embassy and sort out a visa – I’m visiting in a few days to prepare for an exhibition – and ended up spending the whole day there. VICE: Hey Maika, why did you stand me up? She sort of stood me up on the day of the interview, but that's OK because she's the sweetest Vietnamese with a mushroom haircut I've ever met. I thought so, which is why I got in touch with photographer Maika Elan, who spent last year photographing Vietnam's gay couples in their most intimate moments.