10 of Europe’s bt statns for LGBTQ+ travellers this Pri season | Gay and lbian travel | The Guardian

Contents:

• THE GAY PRI EVENTS EUROPE WORTH TRAVELLG FOR 2022
• GAY PRIS 2023 AND 2024
• GAY PRI BERL (CSD BERL)
• GAY PRI
• PARIS GAY PRI
• 50+ GAY PRI EVENTS & PARAS AROUND THE WORLD
• BT GAY PRI PARAS
• GAY PARTI & EVENTS

THE GAY PRI EVENTS EUROPE WORTH TRAVELLG FOR 2022

The LGBTQ+ rights movement has ma tremendo stris over the past few s and much of the progrs visibily is thanks part to gay pri paras and march that have taken place ci around the world.

The global landspe for LGBTQ+ rights, protectns and acceptance vari tremendoly by lotn, wh some statns attractg lns of visors to their events like Madrid Gay Pri, Sao Plo Gay Pri or San Francis Gay Pri, while more than 70 other untri have laws that allow discrimatn or persecutn of LGBTQ+ people. Gay Pri or rather LGBTQ+ pri events (ed to be more clive), cludg pri paras and ftivals were started major urban centers to improve the visibily, acceptance and legal protectns for LGBTQ+ people livg those muni.

In June of 1969, a group of LGBTQ+ people New York Cy rted followg a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar loted on Christopher Street Greenwich Village.

GAY PRIS 2023 AND 2024

As the years went on, addnal ci North Ameri and Europe began to hold their own public monstratns or pri day, eventually leadg to what we know today as a gay pri para, march, celebratn or ftival.

Most gay pri paras and events also occur durg a peak season of the year when the weather most ial, yet another reason to book your trip durg the event. Whether travelg alone, wh iends or fay, visg durg a gay pri event n be a fun way to experience a new statn and IGLTA n help you fd LGBTQ-iendly bs almost any lotn to help make you trip memorable, safe and excg. Europe is set to explo wh LGBTQ+ energy this June as Gay Pri events kick off ci across the of the vibrant celebratns are returng after beg ncelled for two years nng amid the ronavis panmic.

GAY PRI BERL (CSD BERL)

Followg the para, many participants will head to Via San Gvanni Laterano, dubbed Rome’s gay street, to ntue celebratg s many gay bars and clubs will host special events that extend the ftivi well to the night when the whole street normally be one big open air party.

Cologne Gay Pri is the biggt LGBTQ+ celebratn Germany and will beg mid June this events will last a ltle over two weeks and will clu sports tournaments, nferenc, readgs and lots of ma events will take place durg the first weekend of July.

In a gture of solidary wh Ukrae, the participants of both events will march together Equaly Para, which has been held the pal sce 2001, is the largt gay pri para central Europe. Origs of Pri MonthThe roots of the gay rights movement go back to the early 1900s, when a handful of dividuals North Ameri and Europe created gay and lbian anizatns such as the the Society for Human Rights, found by Henry Gerber Chigo the 1920s. Followg World War II, a small number of groups like the Mattache Society and the Dghters of Bilis published gay- and lbian-posive newsletters and grew more vol mandg regnn for, and prottg discrimatn agast, gays and lbians.

GAY PRI

In 1966, for example, members of the Mattache Society held a “sip-” prott at Juli, a bar New York Cy, where they mand drks after announcg that they were gay, vlatn of lol laws agast servg alhol to gays and lbians. Dpe some progrs the postwar era, basic civil rights were largely nied to gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr people—until one night June, 1969, when the gay rights movement took a fur step forward wh a seri of vlent rts New York Cy. Stonewall RtsAs was mon practice many ci, the New York Police Department would ocsnally raid bars and rtrants where gays and lbians were known to gather.

By the time the Stonewall Rts end on July 2, 1969, the gay rights movement went om beg a ge issue largely ignored by policians and the media to ont-page news Gay Pri ParaOne year later, durg the anniversary of the Stonewall Rts, activists New York Cy marched through the streets of Manhattan memoratn of the uprisg. The march, anized by the Eastern Regnal Conference of Homophile Organizatns (ERCHO) and the Christopher Street Liberatn Day Umbrella Commtee, was named the Christopher Street Liberatn Day time, that celebratn me to be simply known as the Gay Pri Para. March and paras also took place that June Chigo, Los Angel and San the years, gay pri events have spread om large ci to smaller towns and villag worldwi—even plac where reprsn and vlence agast gays and lbians are monplace.

PARIS GAY PRI

The atmosphere at the events n range om r, rnivalque celebratns to strint polil prott to solemn memorials for those lost to AIDS or homophobic June 2000, Print Bill Clton officially signated June as Gay and Lbian Pri Month, regnn of the Stonewall Rts and gay activism throughout the years. A more-clive name was chosen 2009 by Print Barack Obama: Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr Pri origs of Gay Pri Month were also honored by Obama when, 2016, he created the Stonewall Natnal Monument, a 7.

7-acre around the Stonewall Inn where the morn gay rights movement, Gay Pri paras many ci are enormo celebratns: The events Sao Plo, Sydney, New York Cy, Madrid, Taipei and Toronto routely attract up to 5 ln Pri Month has grown populary across the globe, cricism of the events has grown, too. Many early anizers now cry the mercial fluence and rporate nature of Pri paras—pecially when those rporatns make donatns to policians who vote agast gay, lbian and transgenr Pri events are nohels seen as val protts agast reprsn and isolatn plac such as Serbia, Turkey and Rsia, where Pri paras have been met wh antigay vlence.

Mt-vis LGBTIQ+ neighborhood: Gay Street, the queer neighborhood of Rome wh view of the Colossm, is a highly social 300-meter long pestrian street wh shoppg, bars and lodgg popular wh queer folx but primarily gay men who enjoy the opportuny to meet person rather than on hook-up aps. There is no out-and-proud gayborhood, but there are a few fun gay bars, clubs and f sprkled throughout the cy, wh the most the central Śródmieście district.

50+ GAY PRI EVENTS & PARAS AROUND THE WORLD

Mt-vis LGBTIQ+ neighborhood: Soho is the largt and bt known LGBTIQ+ neighborhood London wh a huge ncentratn of bars and clubs though you’ll fd queer venu spanng the entire cy om the clubs Vxhall to east London’s gay bars. Mt-vis LGBTIQ+ neighborhood: Amsterdam is one of the most LGBTIQ+ iendly statns on the pla so everywhere is pretty much queer iendly but you’ll fd the gay area along Reguliersdwarsstraat. Mt-vis LGBTIQ+ neighborhood: There is no gayborhood but there are LGBTIQ+ venu sttered across the small island of 400, 000 and the ty but elegant pal cy Valletta, which is only 0.

You n enjoy everythg om film screengs to pri boat parti, jt be sure to arrive  Berl wh an open-md and party spirs, and you won't be disappoted durg Berl Gay Pri. Tickets are $40 per 15-16: Berl Lbian and Gay Cy Ftival - Tradnally held on the weekend before Berl's Christopher Street Day, this two-day event attracts a large ternatnal crowd to officially kick off the gay scene's party season Berl.

Centred around the heart of The Gay Village, Manchter’s LGBTQ+ neighbourhood, the ftival is ma up of a Para that brgs lor and celebratn to Manchter’s streets, The Gay Village party which centr around Canal Street, as ma famo the UK versn of Queer As Folk, alongsi the Superbia arts ftival, Youth Pri MCR, Fay Pri, and the Candlel Vigil which brgs everyone together at the end of the ftival for a betiful moment of reflectn for those we lost om the LGBTQ+ muny. September 22-24: Unleashed LGBTQ, herald the "Gay SXSW, " is addg even more A-list talent to the already stacked star lp for s FIRST live event at Gilley’s Dallas, Texas this September 22 - 24. World premiere film screengs make the ftival a n’t-miss and annual prentatns clu filmmaker discsns and actor talk-backs that enurage a sense of muny and provi a lens on the gay, lbian, bisexual, and transgenr experience.

BT GAY PRI PARAS

It’s one of only five untri to make queer rights equal at a nstutnal level and holds first place on ILGA-Europe’s Rabow Europe Inx, which ranks untri on LGBTQ+ my last vis, a gay gui showed me round the wdg medieval streets of Valletta and Rabat, potg out sential bars and rtrants om Michel-starred Noni to the Monaliza Lounge drag bar, as well as the nightclub Michelangelo lively Paceville. This spir filters down to Dubl’s many LGBTQ-iendly tablishments: two personal favour are iendly bnch spot Social Fabric Café Stoneybatter, one of the cy’s most tertg neighbourhoods, and Street 66 bar, a eful cktail spot before a night at inic LGBTQ+ stutn The southsi is gay-owned Gutter Bookshop (named after the famo Osr Wil quote), and the weekly “big gay dis” Sunday Social at Farrier & Draper; or cross the river for the Outhoe LGBTQ+ muny rource fe on Capel Street and PantiBar, owned by drag queen, activist and performer Panti Bliss. Enjoy bnch at Osr bar and fe, before a beer at one of Europe’s olst gay bars, Centralhjor, which hosts drag and Sunday jazz ssns venu clu Bøssehet Christiania, home to theatre, performanc, exhibns and parti – a well-suated boutique hotel is SP34 (doubl om £133) the Lat Quarter.

Nearby Delmoni’s (known lolly as “Del’s”), has been Merchant Cy’s “gay triangle” sce stay nearby, try the good-value Bnswick hotel (doubl om £50), on a street wh venu marked by rabow flags. Photograph: Nick Maslen/AlamyOn my last vis to Birmgham the rabow flag seemed to be everywhere, and the historic Gay Village, wh s bars, shops and f, is hugely visible, centred largely on Hurst Street. Start wh bibimbap at the thoroughfare’s Korean rtrant Topokki before drks at Missg, Siwalk or lbian bar The Fox and dancg at the legendary Nightgale Club, the olst gay club the cy, datg back to summer’s hot LGBTQ+ event is Fierce’s Healg Garns of Bab (27 June - 17 July): part of Birmgham 2022 Ftival, ’s an artistic rponse to this summer’s Commonwealth Gam, celebratg “what the Brish Empire tried (and failed) to stamp out”.

GAY PARTI & EVENTS

Mykonos’s rep as queer heaven dat back to the 1970s, when Jackie Onassis beme a regular visor (she first vised 1961), before blossomed as gay rort the 1980s, wh acmodatn sprgg up for the largely male 2022, you n hang out at tablished hotspots Jackie O, bar Porta or Kastro’s, and stay at the Super Paradise (doubl om £249), handy for the island’s ma LGBTQ+ beach.

Photograph: Subodh Agnihotri/AlamyFor many gay men of a certa age, Fland is extribly associated wh leather-clad inic hero Tom of Fland, whose books pict a ggedly sexualised masculy durg a time pre-1971 when homosexualy was still illegal. Now you n take a tour of where thor Too Laaksonen lived his whole adult life, passg the Kansalaistori (People’s Square) ont of parliament, once a clanste meetg pot for gay karaoke fans should check out Mann’s Street, a boozy stutn; other fun spots are Street Pri the Kamppi district, and Kvääristö, a jot for queer women, transgenr, and non-bary people. You might even be able to jo the Helski Homovaas (Helski Gay Invasn), whose purpose is to “shake up the gay scene” by takg over random straight bars.