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

Contents:

• GAY EUROPE TRAVEL GUI
• 9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE
• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• LGBT TRAVEL IAS: TOP 12 GAY FRIENDLY CI
• THE WORLD’S 30 BT GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL DTATNS 2020

GAY EUROPE TRAVEL GUI

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.

9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE

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.

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

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). Sourc clu Human Rights Watch, the Gallup World Poll and ILGA (the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Associatn), jt to name a few.

LGBT TRAVEL IAS: TOP 12 GAY FRIENDLY CI

“They were one of the first untri to legalize same-sex marriage, they have nstutnal anti-discrimatn protectns and the majory of Canadians report that is a safe place to live for gay and lbian people. Some of the notable chang sce Fergson started dog this report 2019: 15 new untri have eher legalized gay marriage or allowed same-sex upl to register as civil unns.

And the past 12 months alone, Swzerland, Slovenia and Cuba have legalized gay marriage, while Sgapore, Sat Kts & Nevis, Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda crimalized same-sex relatnships.

Another challenge: While some of the world is tchg up to equal rights for gay and lbian upl, transgenr and non-bary people still have the furtht way to go.

THE WORLD’S 30 BT GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL DTATNS 2020

It’s gag a reputatn as a gay party town wh Las Vegas-style drag shows, techno nightclubs, and beachsi pal of Jalis, Guadalajara, is often lled the “Gay Capal of Mexi” due to s embrace of the queer muny.

Also worth a vis is the Royal Botanil Garns, the gay Oxford Street LGBTQ+ district, and the Sea Life Aquarium to observe Sphen and Magic (aka Sphengic), the world-famo gay pengu uple. Walk the cliffs outsi Bondi Beach and Manley, where at least 80 gay men were killed the latter portn of the last Queensland the Great Barrier Reef may be the most famo tourist statn, but the state is also home to Datree Rart. On the cy’s pestrian-only streets the gayborhood Silom, you’ll fd gay bars cludg Circ, Balny, and Stranger Bar (nsired the epicenter of Bangkok drag culture).

The Gay Village’s Rue Sate-Cathere, be a walkg promena durg most summer months and the queers have bted out of the neighborhood, spillg to the surroundg historic district wh addnal LGBTQ-owned shops, spas, and the banks of the Great Lak, Toronto is said to hold the tle for the most diverse metropolis the world, where 230 natnali are reprented and the rints speak over 140 languag.

Calgary is also known for s wboys, and the cy hosts the world’s largt gay roo associatn, so visors may be surprised at s metropolan neighborhoods and shocked ’s home to the biggt queer Canadian nightclub wt of Montreal, Twisted Element.

There are two gayborhoods: Davie Village, wh a wi variety of gay bars, rtrants, and stor; and Commercial Drive (also lolly known as The Drive), home to a thrivg lbian muny. The largt Pri celebratn wtern Canada is held Vanuver every Your Se ArticlLGBTQ+ Travel Safety Inx: 150 Countri Ranked Worst to Bt ›The 10 Bt LGBTQ-Inclive Plac to Vis In 2022 ›Europe's 10 Most Romantic Capals Ranked ›What to Do In Alberta, Canada ›Joey Amato’s Gay Gui to South Ai ›.