When we told fellow travelers about our plan to find LGBT people in the northern, frosty reaches of the Mongolian steppe, many of them expressed their doubts about our mission.

A few months back my partner and I set off on a trip in search of LGBT communities around the globe. We were curious about the range of experiences for our LGBT brothers and sisters, and we simply wanted to educate ourselves – and those following our journey – about gay, bi and trans lives around the world.