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In one hotel in Medellin, we noticed a sign in the lift showing the penalties the police could give you for certain crimes. One of these included a fine for shouting homophobic abuse to others in public! Read more in our Colombia gay travel guide.
The mayor of Bogota is widely considered the second most important political post in Colombia after the President, which is a big deal for the LGBTQ community in Colombia! Denmark has, for many years, been a pink trailblazer, legalising love between two people of the same gender as far back as Then in , it became the first country in the world to legally recognise registered gay partnerships. Whilst not known as being a party city or one with prominent LGBTQ events, we place Denmark high up on this list because all fabulous eyes will be on Copenhagen and Malmo over the next year when the two cities unite to host WorldPride !
It's famous for being one of the most socially liberal countries in the world. The right to change legal gender was introduced way back in and homosexuality was legalized 4 years later. Then in , Denmark became the first country in the world to recognise gay unions.
Denmark also has very progressive anti-discrimination laws, which it started introducing in the late s, which included allowing LGBT people to openly serve in the Danish army. The main gay scene is in the Straedet area of Copenhagen , which is where we saw lots of couples walking hand in hand, however, we could have done this in most parts of Denmark without any problems. Aarhus is another cool city in Denmark to check out with a smaller but just as exciting gay scene.
Copenhagen and Aarhus have the main gay Pride events in the country. The big event to look out for in Denmark is WorldPride in Copenhagen in which is co-hosted with Malmo. As a gay couple in Copenhagen, we felt completely safe and free ; public displays of affections were never an issue for us anywhere in Denmark.
It opened in and is still going strong today!
New Zealand has for decades been one of the most gay and transgender friendly countries in the world. From as far back as , they began passing super progressive anti-discrimination laws, such as removing the LGBTQ ban on the military, introducing the right to change legal gender, and introducing gay marriage.
New Zealand legalized homosexuality for men in for women it was never illegal. They introduced comprehensive anti-discrimination laws as far back as and legalized gay marriage in New Zealand introduced the right to change legal gender in and also officially recognises a non-binary gender. In Auckland, most of the hangouts and community are based in and around Karangahape Road and Ponsonby. Pride events have been taking place in New Zealand since the s.
When it come to gay travel, New Zealand is wow personified. New Zealanders have embraced change openly and with much enthusiasm. Despite the ice in its name, these natives have hearts filled with warmth!
Iceland for us is one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world for so many reasons. Gay marriage was ticked off in June with a unanimous vote in the Icelandic Althing the national parliament of Iceland. Normally in gay marriage debates, you have a sad minority droning on about how unnatural we are and how we pollute the sanctity of marriage etc etc… But not in Iceland! Gay marriage laws passed here with flying pink colours! Annually in March, they host a short and sweet escape snaking through Iceland's otherworldly countryside with a chance to see The Northern Lights.
Iceland legalized homosexuality in and they introduced comprehensive anti-discrimination laws between Gay marriage was voted unanimously by parliament in Iceland formally recognises a third gender option by placing an X on official documents. Interestingly, just like the gay marriage law in , the Icelandic law that formally recognised the third gender option was passed unanimously in the Icelandic Parliament! In terms of population, Iceland is a tiny country with less than half a million people.
No issue with homophobia here. The Icelanders are one very open-minded bunch. They are laid back, easy-going and famous for their quirky sense of humour! Also be sure to check out the awesome Pink Iceland who not only do a phenomenal job marketing the country as an international LGBTQ destination, but also sponsor the main gay events in Iceland.
And if Iceland couldn't get any gayer, the former straight! Portugal's pink standing has shot up massively over the past decade. Portugal is also one of the few countries to have an outright ban in its constitution against discrimination towards LGBTQ people. Want to visit the land of cod, custard tarts and Cristiano Ronaldo? Well, our friends at Out Adventures are hosting a sumptuous journey that ticks off Lisbon, Porto and the Douro Valley.
For all the nitty-gritty details, jump over to their site. And don't forget to mention we sent you—you just might get a special deal. Portugal legalized homosexuality in and they introduced one of the most comprehensive set of anti-discrimination laws between Gay marriage was legalized in and LGB people have been allowed to serve openly in the military since Sadly, Portugal still has a ban on transgender people from serving in the Portuguese army.
Portugal introduced the right to change legal gender in and formally allows people to self-identify their gender.
We love that there is a gay beach just outside of Lisbon called Beach There are 2 main annual gay events in Portugal that take place in the capital. The first is the colourful Lisbon Pride in June. The second is the Lisbon Bear Pride in May. We love Lisbon and know that many other gay guys feel the same way.
The Portuguese generally have a very open-minded attitude and made us feel extremely welcome. Portugal is often touted as being one of the most gay friendly countries in the world in various surveys. Argentina is a treat! To give you an idea, in , Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalise gay marriage, making it the 10th in the world to do so, and the 2nd in the Americas after Canada. In , Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalise gay marriage!
Then in the television dating show 12 Corazones-Especial became the first in the country to exclusively feature gay men who kissed on camera — uncensored! Argentina legalized homosexuality in and are currently developing a set of anti-discrimination laws that are being implemented in Rosario and Buenos Aires, hopefully soon nationwide.
Argentina legalized gay marriage in and LGBT people have been allowed to serve openly in the military since We also love Buenos Aires because of the queer milongas tango dance halls where you can learn to dance queer tango. The Queer Tango Festival is another fascinating queer event, so unique to Argentina. In the wine capital of Mendoza, there is a gay segment in the annual grape harvesting festival in February called Vendimia.
Touristic not-to-miss highlights of Argentina include the stunning Iguazu Falls , queer tango in Buenos Aires, wine tasting in Mendoza, trekking in El Chalten, getting up close with penguins in Punta Tombo and going to the southernmost city in the world — Ushuaia. Today the culture of queer tango has prevailed so much that Milongas tango halls specialising in Queer Tango have mushroomed around the world, least of all in Buenos Aires. It's become so popular that there is even a Queer Tango Festival in November in the Argentinian capital, as well as in cities around the world, particularly in Berlin, Rome, Munich and Paris.
Read more about it in our article about our experience learning to learn to dance tango as a gay couple.
For example, former President Mitterrand was able to have a mistress and illegitimate daughter during his 14 years in office without the media pestering him on the subject. If that had happened anywhere else in the world, it would have been a huge scandal! The French in general don't bat an eyelid if you tell them you're gay and you will never have any problems with gay bashing in France unless you go to a low-income suburb areas where homophobia is a problem , which as a tourist, you're unlikely to do.
France legalized homosexuality in They introduced one of the most comprehensive set of anti-discrimination laws between Gay marriage was legalized in and LGBT people are allowed to serve openly in the French armed forces. The right to change legal gender was introduced in without needing to undergo surgery or receive a medical diagnosis.
France does not yet officially have legal recognition of non-binary gender. However, in , France became the first country in the world to declassify transgenderism as a mental illness. Le Marais in Paris is the most famous gay scene in France. Most of the other cities have a small gay scene, such as Lyon , Marseille, Lille, Montpelier and Nice.
France is also famous for its gay ski festivals in March. France is the 1 touristic destination in the world for good reason! From culturally rich UNESCO listed sites to a world-class cuisine, beautiful beaches, stunning scenery and smoking hot lovers …France really has it all!
The laissez-faire attitude is really a thing here! You know the ones we mean — the images of masculinised muscly men, half nude, in super tight clothes, in suggestive positions! Like its neighbours, Finland is a trailblazer when it comes to LGBTQ rights, with strong anti-discrimination laws in place since the s, long before most other countries. Gay marriage was introduced in and it has had progressive transgender friendly laws since Embrace winter on Out Adventures' hot new Finnish foray.
The all-gay tour kicks off in Helsinki before flying north towards the arctic circle. In our opinion, the best part of this adventure is the wide range of snowy excursions. For example, you can take the reins on an actual dog-sled in the icy Laplands, seek out The Northern Lights on a snowmobile safari, and even enjoy endure a polar plunge in the Arctic Ocean.