We knew that Jamaica's bad rap was going to come back to haunt it sooner or later, and it's already happened! Joel, an enthusiastic reader from the Dominican Republic, wrote in to tell us all the reasons why gay vacationers should head to his beautiful island (that happens to be just as conservative and homophobic as the other islands, but with fewer highly-publicized head-bashing incidents in the last year) instead of Jamaica, St. Maarten, or the Bahamas.

Among the gay draws he describes are dance clubs, a bath house, gay hotels, and "very hot men." And if that doesn't convince you, then check out Monaga, where you can see the (ample) attractions of the Dominican Republic right on your screen.

It all sounds nice to us, but you'll probably still find us in Puerto Rico, not getting killed.

Read Joel's full letter after the jump.

Hey guys!!!

I'm a fan of Queerty, I enjoy reading your blog rather than going thru the same old news.

I'm a 25 y/o graphic designer from the Dominican Republic, an island (shared with Haiti) located in the middle of the Caribbean, in between Cuba and Puerto Rico.

It's so sad to hear about those gay bashings in those stupid countries like Jamaica, etc. and how that is deteriorating the image of the Caribbean as a destination for gay people. Fortunately there's light at the end of the
tunnel, here in the Dominican Republic we have all the same attractions that any of those islands have plus many other features that are quite appealing to the gay audience. Although we are a catholic conservative nation with
it's share of homophobia, there's quite some tolerance for the gays, we have a couple of gay bars and dance clubs, a bath house, some gay hotels around the island and very hot men. So instead of overlooking the Caribbean on your next vacation, try to check out other options like ours, you'll never
regret it.

Best regards,

Joel