PATTAYA, Thailand – Jomtien Complex’s 30 gay bars have adopted huge wings in the latest logo which also sees prominence given to the title Walking Street. The latter name, a conscious imitation of nearby Pattaya’s historic icon of night entertainment, has been used previously in the Complex but not dominantly.
The feathers, which represent power, are a new reflection of the use of monsters in gay iconography via movies going back to Frankenstein and Freddy Krueger. More recently, the 2014 supernatural horror movie The Babadook was listed as a LGBT film by Netflix. But the roots go back to ancient Greek mythology. The Furies were winged-creatures which preyed on the living and the Greek poet Sappho wrote that the erotic god Eros could fly.
Jomtien’s Walking Street is rather more conservative than Pattaya’s heterosexual version, even though the latter has been tamed down in recent years. Jomtien does not offer gogo bars and there are no obvious retail outlets selling weed. Apart from the bars, there are several restaurants, massage parlors, small hotels and venues offering professional drag cabaret shows. Weekly trivia quizzes, eyes-down bingo and regular birthday celebrations are also on offer.
Although the number of gay bars has declined internationally, thanks largely to the advent of the universal internet, Pattaya and Jomtien have maintained a fairly large structured scene. Gay businesses still rely on a western clientele, mostly retired, which prefers a traditional and familiar setting based on alcohol, snacks and companionship. “There are millions of Chinese and Indians visiting Pattaya and Jomtien, but we don’t see them here,” according to motorbike taximan Pom who has been based at the Complex for 20 years.
