Atralia has long had a gay beach subculture but they haven't always been safe spac | Gary Nunn | The Guardian

Contents:

• THE BT LGBTQI + AND GAY BEACH SYDNEY
• 10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD
• DEEP WATER: WERE 30 UNSOLVED SYDNEY ATHS REALLY GAY HATE CRIM?
• SWIMMG AND PAYG TRIBUTE TO HEROIC GAY ELRS
• THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
• EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS SYDNEY
• THE WORLD'S GAYT BEACH
• ATRALIA HAS LONG HAD A GAY BEACH SUBCULTURE BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN SAFE SPAC
• GAY BEACH EXCELLENCE... - LADY BAY
• BT GAY BEACH DTATNS
• BEWARE - NUDIST GAY BEACH WH... - LADY BAY
• THE 10 CLOSEST HOTELS TO SYDNEY GAY AND LBIAN MARDI GRASVIEW MAPHOTELS NEAR SYDNEY GAY AND LBIAN MARDI GRAS

THE BT LGBTQI + AND GAY BEACH SYDNEY

As the beach is a ltle difficult to reach, and there aren’t any f or rtrants on the shore, we remend makg all the sential rehments for a relaxg day at this gay beach Sydney. And while there are gay-iendly seasis all across the globe, several rise to the top—whether bee of their sheer bety, their unique character or the crowd they draw.

Fort Lrdale has eclipsed Miami as Florida's go-to gay statn and Sebastian Street Beach, between Sunrise Boulevard and Las Olas Boulevard, fely fli the rabow flag. Even when 's not Carnaval, "Farme Gay, " to the east of Rua Farme Amoedo, is the loc of gay life R—and a great place to ogle the mcular "Barbi" who sashay between Posto (guard tower) 8 and 9, next to the gay-iendly Ipanema Plaza 9pm, the actn mov to the half-dozen gay bars and clubs the area.

10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD

) The peak season, though, ns om early July to early fd the gay sectn of the beach, follow the crowds of buff hombr to the third beach zone, right near Hotel Calipolis. In 2012 the New South Wal puty state roner Carmel Forb overturned the suici fdg but uld not terme how he police have formed Operatn Parrabell, a team of eight tectiv who will apply an FBI measure of hate bias – creria to terme if a crime is motivated by bias agast, for stance, sexual orientatn – to see if as many as 88 Sydney aths datg om the 1970s onward, cludg 30 unsolved s, were gay hate s were marked suici or e unknown, but past police nclns are now beg lled to qutn.

A new SBS vtigatn has unvered “ser mistak” were ma the ial vtigatns, cludg the misspellg of one ad man’s Johnson tells Guardian Atralia that applyg the FBI hate bias creria is unlikely to unver gay hate crim bee the strgent checklist requir s to be solved, perpetrators to be intified and their hatred of victims to be proclaimed.

Instead, he says, a better exercise would be to pull every police file on every ath near a gay Sydney meetg place om the 1970s to about 2000 and ask: was this se properly vtigated? The aim is to attract a natnal dience to the story, and to unver more possible gay hate crim and murrs producer, Darren Dale, says he was spired by hearg 2012 about the murr of Ahmed Ghoniem, who was found Sydney apartment wh multiple stab wounds and blunt trma juri.

DEEP WATER: WERE 30 UNSOLVED SYDNEY ATHS REALLY GAY HATE CRIM?

“I live Potts Pot [ Sydney], and I thought, if there is someone attackg and murrg gay men – more gay people livg there than I spect anywhere else Atralia – then how e ’s not any of the papers, ’s not been the news? Shawn Seet, the director of the ld Canberra polil drama The Co, is at the the prent day, fictnal Detective Senr Constable Tori Ltigman, played by Yael Stone of Orange Is the New Black, her own DNA to see if match DNA found on a piece of lead pipg, which she spects may be her gay brother’s.

His 1989 drowng had been rerd as a drama’s central ncerns are: Did the fictnal Kyle “Hammers” Hampton (Craig McLachlan) – a one-time member of a gay-bashg gang – play a role the men’s aths? Photograph: Sean O'Reilly/SBSThe ‘gay ATM’It was not until 2005, 17 years after Stt Johnson’s ath, that Steve realised his beloved brother might have died vlently: he had been sent a clippg about the vlent aths of three other gay men year the NSW senr puty state roner Jacquele Milledge found that the televisn newsrear Ross Warren, 25, and barman John Rsell, 31, had been murred two separate attacks 1989, most probably thrown off a cliff at Bondi’s Marks Park, which was known as a gay beat. Photograph: Steve JohnsonSteve Johnson believ, along wh many others, that herent bias play a role both the mimal media verage of the stori and the public and police rponse to vlent crim agast gay people.

SWIMMG AND PAYG TRIBUTE TO HEROIC GAY ELRS

“I’m unsure what role homophobia played the 1980s, ” he says, “but certaly seemed that the police systematilly avoid vtigatg the aths of gay men, or men prumed to be gay.

THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS

His brother says this was an implsible ncln: many gay men have told his vtigatn that the area had been a popular beat sce the 1960s but gay men were often too sred to report asslts bee “police treated them like perpetrators, not victims”’s vtigatn also clud terviewg former gay-bashg gang members, who had sentially operated wh impuny bee there was still a “lot of hatred towards gays”, he says. Obelisk, which ss wh the Sydney Harbour Natnal Park, is a betiful place where all men, regardls of their age, ethnicy, body type or inty n meet and socialise whout judgement or homosexualy was crimalised and gay men uld legally meet bars and night clubs, beach had been clanste meetg plac or ‘beats’ for many years Sydney. Other than the nvictns that equently occurred until homosexualy was crimalised New South Wal 1984, gay men were often subjected to abe, vlence and ‘poofter bashg’ till the 1980s, s.

Many of the crim rema unsolved, suggtg, at bt, a police reluctance to vtigate and prosecute gay hate right to gather publicly whout fear or timidatn is somethg that several past generatns of gay men Sydney were never able to enjoy, and the activists who lobbied for gay legal reform are te and brave value of plac like Obelisk for gay men to meet openly, relax safely and socialise whout victimisatn or vilifitn nnot be unrtimated. The right to gather publicly whout fear or timidatn is somethg that several past generatns of gay men Sydney were never able to enjoy, and the activists who lobbied for gay legal reform are te and brave hero.

It seems marvelloly apt for the classilly botted urananists of Victorian tim to the jubilantly naked divers David Hockney’s swimmg pool patgs, gay men have been key figur the nex between swimmg and heroic art. Sprawson’s book giv an acunt of how swimmg has mhed wh lerature and culture sce the Classil Age, and argu that gay men have been central subjects this narrative. From the classilly botted urananists of Victorian tim to the jubilantly naked divers David Hockney’s swimmg pool patgs, gay men have been key figur the nex between swimmg and heroic art.

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS SYDNEY

Whatever the evolutn of the para, ’s my hope that ntu to champn the heart and nvictn of the fal float a few years back when marchers Amnty Internatnal’s ‘Rabow Amnty’ float held plards wh betiful fac and tragic ptns: a gay youth murred Chechyna, a Greek man bashed to ath, a Brazilian LGBTIQA+ activist executed. The banner spoke of an thentic heroism, and of I swim today a safe gay space and anticipate the pri and pleasur of Mardi Gras, I acknowledge the efforts and sacrific of our elr activists.

THE WORLD'S GAYT BEACH

If we n be all the thgs, we n ed be Baker is a eelance wrerThe 2021 Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras live Saturday 6 March 6pm AEDT on SBS On Demand (geo-block removed for viewers ternatnally) or tch the full para at 7:30pm on SBS and the nversatn on SBS Atralia socials #WeRiseFor #MardiGras2021 and via.

Although urban statns tend to be most popular wh gay travelers bee of their rich cultural offergs, vibrant nightlife districts, and chic shoppg and dg, a number of the world's most gay-popular ci also enjoy picturque settgs on the water. From megaci wh skyscrapers on the ocean to relatively smaller statns on tranquil bays and lak, here's a ndown of the world's 20 bt gay urban beach statns (populatn 150, 000 or greater).

ATRALIA HAS LONG HAD A GAY BEACH SUBCULTURE BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN SAFE SPAC

Wh outstandg mms, distctive archecture (cludg several treasur by Antoni Gdi) a lively gay nightlife scene centered mostly around the sophistited Eixample district, and an abundance of stylish rtrants and hotels, Barcelona is a terrific statn for urban, yet there's a sweepg and betiful gay beach, Barceloa, jt mut om the cy center.

It's jt a short drive south along the ast to vis some of the Southern Hemisphere's most betiful beach, cludg swank Camp Bay, which li the shadows of the Twelve Apostle mountas, and Clifton, which has a scene-y gay beach.

GAY BEACH EXCELLENCE... - LADY BAY

And as 's set on the eastern shore of Zealand Island, on Ørund (a stra that divis the North and Baltic seas), Copenhagen is close to a number of priste, wdswept stretch of sand, cludg such gay hangouts as Bellevue and Ishøj beach.

For many years known primarily as Florida's "sprg break" pal, Fort Lrdale began an amb transformatn to a more sophistited rort statn startg around the early 1990s, which cid wh efforts to urt gay and lbian travelers. 5 ln rints—prisg the Kowloon Pensula, New Terrori, and Hong Kong Island—is neverthels que forward wh regard to gay and lbian issu when you nsir the regn as a whole. This dramatilly suated cy on the island of Oahu has several gay bars, a great dg scene, and proximy to many notable attractns, om Queen's Surf gay beach to Pearl Harbor.

One of the world's leadg gay and lbian statns, Los Angel is much more than a sgle metropolis - rather, 's an entire llectn of both sprawlg and many s scenic neighborhoods and adjacent ci. Here and funky Venice Beach, to the south, you'll fd que a few rtrants, hotels, and bars wh a mixed gay/straight followg, along wh one of the Wt's classic gay dive bars, Roosterfish. The regn has been eclipsed by nearby Fort Lrdale recent year's as the state's top gay statn, but you'll still fd plenty of gays and lbians livg and playg the parts - and visg durg the several big gay circu parti held South Beach each year, om Wter Party to Whe Party to Miami Gay Pri.

BT GAY BEACH DTATNS

The largt cy on the famoly swank and sophistited French Riviera, Nice (populatn 350, 000) is not que a gay playground on the same plane as such Euro-queer hot spots as Ibiza and Mykonos, but this stylish cy wh an outstandg variety of tony rtrants and shops do have a growg gay prence (this is also te, by the way, of nearby Cann, which is smaller but also is beg creasgly popular wh gay travelers). You'll fd gay bars, snas, and f mostly or Old Town, and along the curvg wateront gg the Mederranean, rabow flags note a gay prence at Co Beach as well as at Castel Plage.

S., and Canada, the romantic Mexin Riviera rort of Puerto Vallarta mak for an approachable, relatively affordable, and fectly fun and lively gay getaway om late fall through early sprg ( quiets down here nsirably durg the hot summer months).

BEWARE - NUDIST GAY BEACH WH... - LADY BAY

The gay scene here has grown steadily over the past uple of s, wh the most popular GLBT beach and several welg hotels, rtrants, and bars centered upon the charmg and historic Zona Romanti district.

R Janeiro jtly renowned for s sugary beach, and a party-driven, ftive gay scene that's ncentrated chiefly around trendy Ipanema and the more touristy Copabana areas, both of which ont the ocean and are ial for glazg, joggg, or playg the sun and sea. Ipanema, wh s lonial-style buildgs and tree-led streets, is pecially charmg; you'll fd a number of LGBT-popular f and bars around here, as well as a stunng gay beach jt off Rua Farme Amoedo.

THE 10 CLOSEST HOTELS TO SYDNEY GAY AND LBIAN MARDI GRASVIEW MAPHOTELS NEAR SYDNEY GAY AND LBIAN MARDI GRAS

One of the regn's most betiful beach, Fort Doto County Park, has a b of a gay followg, and there's also a great gay beach at Treasure Island, lled Sunset Beach. Petersburg Gay Pri, the largt the state, the area is home to a diverse mix of gay-iendly lodgg choic, om grand hotels to elegant bed-and-breakfasts pl Florida's largt gay rort. The cy's btlg Hillcrt neighborhood is a hub of gay nightlife and retail, and you'll also fd plenty of GLBT-equented bs nearby North Park and Universy Heights.

Head for the oceanont muni of Pacific Beach and La Jolla, and you'll disver a geo stretch of gold-sand beach, wh the gay-popular Black's Beach among the most spectacular. San Diego also has a rich cultural scene downtown, ol rtrants and slick hotels the Gaslamp Quarter, and outstandg mms and attractns leafy Balboa Park, home to the San Diego Gay Pri ftival each July.

Arguably the gay epicenter of the Southern Hemisphere, scenic Sydney is a major bs and cultural center that jt happens to be flanked by some of the world's most geo beach.