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

Contents:

• THE 20 MOST AND LEAST GAY-IENDLY UNTRI THE WORLD
• GAY HELSKI TRAVEL GUI
• 10 GAYT COUNTRI EUROPE
• THE BEST FLAND GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS FLAND
• GAY HELSKI
• GAY IENDLY HOTELS CENTRAL FLAND
• GAY-FRIENDLY TOURS FLAND
• GUI TO GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS ROVANIEMI FLAND (2023 UPDATED)
• A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.

THE 20 MOST AND LEAST GAY-IENDLY UNTRI THE WORLD

Homosexualy has been legal Fland sce 1971 and was taken off the list of registered illns 1981, which was a siar time to other European untri. In 1999 there was a revisn of the Crimal Co rultg the same age of nsent for homosexual sex as for heterosexual sex and the prohibn of “promotn of homosexualy” was removed.

Although an ial bill was voted down 2013, an amendment to the nstutn meant that cizen’s iativ wh at least 50 thoand signatori had to be nsired Parliament – so when a civil mpaign lled Tahdon2013 (“I do 2013”) got over 100, 000 onle signatur on the first day, the way was paved for the legalizatn of gay marriage. It’s worth notg, however, that gay upl still nnot technilly be married a church, although some prits the Lutheran church are fyg the bishop’s stance.

GAY HELSKI TRAVEL GUI

On Pla Romeo’s Gay Happs Inx Fland ranked as the twelfth happit untry for LGBT people and life generally for members of the gay muny is safe and fun. Dpe unpleasant attacks on the 2010 Helski Pri and further attacks on the HeSeta offic, the LGBT rights anisatn Seta’s Helski branch, the majory of people Fland support gay rights.

10 GAYT COUNTRI EUROPE

The fluence of the Evangelil Lutheran Church also seems to be wang wh numero people leavg the church due to s unwaverg stance agast gay marriage. In a untry where ‘even the stamps are gay’ (one of the most famo erotic artists is a Fnish natnal in and his Tom of Fland work is often ed for bed lens or towels), ’s unsurprisg that you n be as open about your sexualy as you want to be. Although more ral areas tend to be more nservative the world over, here Fland they are still very progrsive – travellers will simply fd fewer all-night gay dance clubs the small, isolated villag, as you might image!

THE BEST FLAND GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS FLAND

Of urse, ’s also always worth visg the magil area of Lapland – gay, straight, unirn, everyone will appreciate the wild mystery of this northern pot.

Gay travellers won’t need to do excsive rearch or shell out lots of money orr to ensure they’re stayg somewhere that they’ll be accepted; there’s a warm wele and non-prejudiced service everyone. In Helski, for example, hotels the Kall District will be close to all the attractns of the gay scene so travellers will fd a higher proportn of fellow gay travellers there.

Explorg the many areas of natural bety, partyg the ci or hopg to experience the Northern Lights Lapland – the are jt a few of the credible activi that gay travellers n enjoy Fland. There’s also a gay film ftival held annually Helski, a yearly Drag Battle and (our favoure) a Drag Bear Race Helski every Sunday.

GAY HELSKI

Of urse many ci, like Rovaniemi and Oulu Lapland, don’t have many gay bars – but that’s more a statement about how welg every bar and club is Fland, so everyone n be themselv everywhere. Fland is also famo for s sna culture, although gay travellers should note that there is only one explicly gay sna Helski and overtur tradnal snas will not go down well; addnally, gay snas are not the most popular cisg spots Fland. If travellers do want to ensure a holiday romance or two, gay hook-up apps are monly ed and a great way to meet people to show visors to Fland all the bt of the gay scene.

We Speak Gay Communy is a muny of pani and events that are vg to LGBTQ ctomers creatg a safe atmosphere which you n feel valued and rpected. " The 37, 653 who took part the survey rpond wh "Y, " "No, " or cled to untri wh the hight percentage of "Y" or "No" vot show which untri are the most and least tolerant of the survey certaly leav out some of the world's most and least gay-iendly natns, a trend do surface wh the data. Gay uple Kai and Michael Korok and their dghter Jana, 4, attend the openg of Germany's first gay parent unselg center on March 15, 2013 Berl, Germany.

Two men kiss durg a monstratn support of the legalisatn of gay marriage and LGBT parentg France at the Plaza Francia Buenos Air, on January 27, 2013. Italian gay rights supporters take part a ceremony to prott agast an creasg number of homophobic attacks throughout Italy ont of Rome's Colossm, on September 4, 2009. Supporters take part an annual gay pri march llg for equal rights for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people Manila on December 3, 2011.

GAY IENDLY HOTELS CENTRAL FLAND

People leave after listeng to a statement livered by Mlim relig lears at Cheikh Oumar Foutiyou Tall mosque Dakar on April 29, 2009 cricizg the liberatn on April 20 of 9 men allegedly jailed on charg of homosexualy and announced the creatn of Islamic ont for the fence Islamic valu. A man looks on December 11, 2012 at an advertisg by mpaign group Avaaz the state-owned Ugandan newspaper The New Visn, prottg agast an anti-homosexualy bill.

A member of Hizbuth Tahrir Indonia attends a prott agast sexual viant acts which they believe to be acts such as homosexualy, bisexualy, loose sexual morals, and transgenr, Jakarta on December 1, 2010. In Kenya, homosexualy is regard as a crime and though a growg phenomenon, the movement is still secretive and the subject of numero discrimatns. There’s even an entire muny of pani and events that are welg to LGBTQ people lled the We Speak Gay Communy – a muny that is mted to cln and diversy, and creatg safe spac which members of the LGBTQ muny n feel valued and rpected.

It was the first untry to tablish a Natnal Associatn for Gays and Lbians 1948, durg a time when homosexualy was still nsired a crime many wtern untri. CopenhagenDenmark’s pal cy, Copenhagen, is so acceptg of LGBTQ folks that was rated number one on Lonely Pla’s list of The Most Gay-Friendly Plac on the Pla. One of the world’s most LGBTQ-iendly ci where anyone is always wele anywhere, there may be no greater cy the world for the LGBTQ+ muny to vis than Copenhagen thanks to s tolerant and open muni and vibrant gay scene.

GAY-FRIENDLY TOURS FLAND

Pri flags fly om flagpol and buildgs across the entire cy, and is immediately apparent that lol gays by no means lim themselv to any one area. Explore the extravagant queer spir of Gay Copenhagen but don’t fet that the entirety of this edgy yet functnal cy is your playground. NorwayNorway was among the first untri the world to give equal rights to everyone no matter whom they love, and the untry was among the first to enact anti-discrimatn laws agast gays and lbians.

GUI TO GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS ROVANIEMI FLAND (2023 UPDATED)

If you are visg gay Oslo around December, we particularly remend checkg out Oslo Fagottkor – the gay choir of Oslo – which hosts ncerts and celebrat the holiday season. There are many anizatns today that specializ gay travel; the lol scene is velopg quickly, and there is a whole range of events terg specifilly to queer people and alli. The attus were further reflected when Iceland beme the first natn wh an openly gay lear; Jóhanna Sigurðardottir was elected Prime Mister 2009.

Regular performers on the downtown scene, such as Jonathan Duffy, a gay edian, and Skaði and Mighty Bear, genrqueer punk micians, are beg more and more known throughout the cy. The first time the pri was held, some 1, 000 gay, lbian, transgenr, and bisexual people and supporters took part the para wh floats and flags the cy’s center. ” However, even though there are still some ntroversi about , many untri have regnized gay people’s rights, givg them the same treatment as to straight people.

A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.

We unrstood the ncept of “gayt” as the gay-iendlit untri, and therefore the maral stat is somethg that is not only important to gay people but to humankd general: to love and to be loved. 10 Countri wh the Biggt Gay Populatns the World15 gayt untri the world per pauntri that allow same-sex marriaggay marriage Belgiumgay marriage Denmarkgay marriage Flandgay marriage Francegay marriage Maltagay marriage Netherlandsgay marriage Norwaygay marriage Portugalgay marriage Spagay marriage UKgayt untri EuropeGermany is the "queert untry" Europeis Belgium gay-iendlyis Denmark gay-iendlyis Fland gay-iendlyis France gay-iendlyis Malta gay-iendlyis Netherlands gay-iendlyis Norway gay-iendlyis Portugal gay-iendlyis Spa gay-iendlyis UK gay-iendlyis Uned Kgdom gay-iendlyLGBT rights BelgiumLGBT rights DenmarkLGBT rights FlandLGBT rights FranceLGBT rights MaltaLGBT rights NetherlandsLGBT rights NorwayLGBT rights PortugalLGBT rights SpaLGBT rights UKLGBT rights Uned KgdomLGBTI muny and their rightsLGBTI people’s human rightsLGBTI rightsLGBTI rights EuropeLGBTQ-iendly untri EuropeList XFancemarriage equaly per untryStland is the most gay-iendly untrySlishowTop 15 Gayt Ci In The WorldShow ls. Homosexual activy Fland is It was not until 1980s that homosexualy was not treated as an illnsIllegal (imprisonment as punishment)Before 1971, homosexualy was illegal and punished by prisonSame-sex marriage Fland?

LegalAfter var referendums that asked the Fnish public on gay marriage, they fally cleared the last referendum the 22nd of Febary, and gay marriage was fally allowed sce this date.

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.

The cy’s olst gay bar The Waterloo dat back half a century, while another classic spot is the Unrground bar, equally fun for drag or karaoke. 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”. 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. 5ln people each year, cludg 300, 000 overseas self is one of the most LGBTQ-iendly untri the world: same-sex sexual activy was ma legal 1979, and was the third untry to legalise gay marriage, 2005. First stop has to be Chue, Madrid’s “gaybourhood” wh bars and venu dotted around Plaza Chue (also don’t miss the recently refurbished Merdo San Antón for tasty food stalls and a rooftop terrace).

Bear Park Cafe at Karhupuisto (Agrilankatu 13), May to September summer gay fe ksk, closed on ray days, ice cream, ffe, teas, soft drks, sandwich, k, h baked cnamon buns and pastri, German-style breakfasts. Café Cavalier (Malmrne 2-4), sy and central gay ter fé & mic bar at Kamppi Square, bears and mixed crowd; eveng live performers and summertime terrace wh ld drks and h pastri.

Hercul (Pohjoen Rtatiekatu 21, Kamppi), 24+ gay men's dance club, mostly 30s ag open to 4am, packed on weekends, rtrant, male strippers, live bands and shows. Strdberg (Pohjoisplanadi 33, Esplana Park), gay-popular fe/bar; Nordic "Hmanskost" cuise bed wh morn ternatnal flavors and styl. CLOSED: G Lounge Skybar (Simonkatu 8), gay-iendly rooftop bar/ lounge and sun terrace, dancg until 4am; Hugos Room (Iso Roobertkatu 3, Punavuori), stylish gay cktail lounge, food, summer terrace; mbar (Mannerheimtie 22-24), ter fé/bar, ffee/ snacks, DJ evengs.