ELSKA Magazine and the Boys of Bangkok ……

It may have taken Liam Campbell the Editor In Chief of ELSKA some years to get there, but he finally made it to Bangkok in Thailand to create the latest issue (and 41st edition)  of his fab queer photo-zine.  Inside readers can get to know a cross-section of ordinary men from the LGBTQ community of what is perhaps Asia’s queerest city,

Campbell told Queerguru it was a city he has always wanted to feature but it wasn’t until he polled readers to nominate any place around the globe that Bangkok was resoundingly their first choice.  Campbell also confessed to us that he had been stuck on stereotypes of the Thai capital as some kind of paradise of debauchery, a city of heathens when rather it was a city of angels.

If only he had checked ii with us as we are probably one of the very few queer Western-based blogs that have our own Bangkok Correspondent Glen John .

Campbell added that he was surprised to find that the local gay men were overall more reserved and demure than he has expected and the issue turned out refreshingly different than he had expected.

Each man has been photographed in the streets of Bangkok addressed in their own style, as well as at home with fewer clothes (or sometimes entirely without clothes), the goal being to allow readers to get to know these participants at their most open with each also writing  a personal story, penned themselves in either English or Thai

‘Elska Bangkok’ is 180 pages and is available from a select group of shops around the world as well as for order online from the Elska website. In addition, the comparison zine. ‘Elska Ekstra Bangkok’ is available, including hundreds of pages of outtakes, behind-the-scenes tales, extra boys, and extra stories. The list of stockists and details of the subscription service can also be found on the Elska website: www.elskamagazine.com.