Top 7 countries with best LGBTQ and Gay rights
What makes a country gay friendly?
In a nutshell, we always start with the Spartacus indicator as a companion and also concentrate on the countries that have passed gay marriage laws. We also embellish this with our particular experience and also take into account any notable Gay Townlets and periodic queer events similar as Pride.
Spartacus Gay Travel Index this is a detailed study carried out every time since 2012 that assesses how gay friendly every country is grounded on factors like the laws, hostility of locals and further. We relate to it because it's the only study that focuses on gay trip as well as being comprehensive.
Gay marriage and other LGBTQ laws we also look at the LGBTQ laws, in particular those relating to gay marriage. We explosively believe that if a government has pushed for progressive LGBTQ laws, this speaks volumes about how gay friendly that country truly is and thus gives you a flavour of what the gay life is like for locals in these countries.
Pride events and official Gay Townlets we feel that the number of Pride events and the number of officially recognised “ Gay Townlets” each country has are extremely important factors in our ranking. This is because when a government officially recognises a “ Gay Village” in original charts/ geographical plans and it goes out of its way to support/ encourage Pride events, it demonstrates the extent to which the LGBTQ community is celebrated, admired and fete.
What's gay trip like in that country we also predicate our list on our immediate experience travelling to that destination as a gay couple, specifically fastening on two questions “ Is this a destination LGBTQ trippers want to visit?” and “ Do we feel safe holding hands in public? “
- Canada
It's a no brainer for us, Canada is the most gay friendly country in the world. From our experience, unlike any other country we have visited, Canada goes over and over to drink gay trippers. Where differently in the world do you see the ( straight white joker) leader of a country leading a gay pride cortege, signaling a ambisexual flag, and crying out “ Happy Pride”? We saw Justin Trudeau do this when we attended the Fierte gay pride in Montreal. It made our hairs stand on end with Pride to see this!
LGBTQ rights in Canada
When it comes to LGBTQ rights, Canada is a true trailblazer, which speaks volumes about how important it protects its LGBTQ community. The State of Quebec banned demarcation on the base of sexual exposure in 1977 getting the first governance ever to do so! Canada also went on to come one of the first countries to pass an advanced set ofanti-discrimination laws civil in the 1990s, which included allowing LGBT people to openly serve in the Canadian service. In 2005 it came the 1st country in the Americas and the 4th in the world (after Holland, Belgium and Spain) to legalise gay marriage. Canada also has one of the most progressive ambisexual laws in the world. For illustration, the right to change legal gender is possible without the demand of having to suffer gender reassignment surgery and they've formally recognised a third gender option since 2017.
2. Spain
Ask anyone what their favourite gay Pride event is and most will probably say Madrid. Ask any gay man where their favourite gay destination is in Europe and they will most probably include Sitges, Gran Canaria, Barcelona and/ or Ibiza on their list. These two gay men clearly suppose so! Yes, we are generalising a bit, but the point is that Spain has arguably the loftiest number of gay-friendly destinations.
LGBTQ rights in Spain
Spain legalized homosexuality in 1979 and passed a comprehensive set ofanti-discrimination laws in 1995, which included the right for LGBT persons to openly serve in the army. In 2005, Spain came the 3rd country in the world to legalize gay marriage (after Holland and Belgium). Spain also went on to introduce the right to change legal gender, also in 2006 allowed ambisexual people to register their preferred gender in public documents similar as birth instruments, ID cards and passports without having to suffer any surgery. This right was extended to include transgender minors who are “ mature enough”.
3. The Netherlands
The Netherlands has always been a veritably different country
The first country in the world to legalize gay marriage, a place lauded for being a bedrock of forbearance and one of the most instigative gay trip destinations with a unique Pride event along the conduits of Amsterdam. As my Dutch ( straight) manly friend so beautifully put it when I came out to him – “ you do not need to come out to me, Stefan – I am from Holland, the most open-inclined country in the world!”
LGBTQ rights in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is the ultimate LGBTQ trailblazer! Homosexuality was legalized back in 1811, but the big caption is that it came the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage in 2001! In relation toanti-discrimination laws, the Netherlands has everything under the sun to cover its LGBTQ community including laws to combat hate- speech grounded on who we love, gender identity and gender expression. The Netherlands also permits LGBT people to openly serve in the Dutch army.
In relation to transgender rights, the Netherlands is a bit more conservative. Whilst it introduced the right to change legal gender in 2014, it only recognises a third gender option after a successful court solicitation.
Trip highlights of the Netherlands include the conduits of Amsterdam, along with the capital's art and artistic galleries like the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gough Museum. Other Dutch highlights include tulips, windmills, rubbish requests, rustic shoes, and of course the ignominious Coffee Shops!
4. United Kingdom
The UK has one of the loftiest figures of gay prides in the world
The UK will always have a special place in our hearts, especially Stefan's home megacity, London. This is where we met, back in February 2009 in Soho's GAY Bar. London has one of the stylish gay scenes in the world with several gay townlets spread each around the megacity. Outside of London, Brighton and Manchester are top gay destinations that we love.
LGBTQ rights in United Kingdom
England/ Wales legalized homosexuality in 1967, Scotland in 1981 and Northern Ireland in 1982. Between 2004-2008, the UK passed a comprehensive set ofanti-discrimination laws, which included allowing LGBT persons to openly serve in the army. In 2014, England/ Wales/ Scotland legalized gay marriage. Northern Ireland latterly followed in 2020. More lately, the UK has enforced laws that bear seminaries to educate children that it’s ok to be gay!
The UK has veritably progressive ambisexual laws, which includes the right to change legal gender since 2005. Whilst there is n’t a third gender recognised in law, the title “ Mx” is extensively accepted in the United Kingdom by government organisations and businesses as an volition fornon-binary people.
Nearly all the other metropolises of the UK have a recognised gay vill or area including Hurst Street in Birmingham, The Triangle in Bournemouth, Old Market in Bristol, Lower Briggate/ The Calls in Leeds, the Liverpool Gay Quarter, the Pink Triangle of Newcastle, Broughton Street in Edinburgh, Glasgow’s Merchant City Pink Triangle and the thoroughfares of Charles Street Churchill Way in Cardiff.
5. Sweden
“ Gay since 1944” is Sweden’s sanctioned gay watchword. A country that has its own gay watchword ffs – need we say more?! In factual fact we do they nail it in Eurovision (Europe’s periodic unofficial gay music jubilee!) every time and they gave us ABBA – the authors of THE stylish gay chorales! Sweden also has further Pride carnivals per-capita in Sweden than anywhere differently in the world, including the largest Pride in the Nordic countries – Stockholm Pride. In 2021, all eyes will be on Sweden as itco-hosts WorldPride in Malmo concertedly with Copenhagen.
LGBTQ rights in Sweden
Sweden legalized homosexuality in 1944, hence the “ gay since 1944” watchword! They introduced one of the most comprehensive sets ofanti-discrimination laws in the 1980s, which included laws against hate speech and allowing LGBT people to openly serve in the army. The right to change legal gender was also introduced in the 1970s in Sweden.
Gay marriage was passed in 2009 although gay unions have been recognised in Sweden since 1995. In relation to transgender rights, Sweden doesn't ( yet) officially have legal recognition ofnon-binary gender, but in 2017, it declassified “ ambisexual identity” as an illness
6. Germany
Germany has long been notorious as being one of the gayest countries in the world especially because of the wide and different gay scene of Berlin. Unlike all the other European metropolises, which tend to have a rather limited compass for LGBTQ spaces, Berlin has a wide and different gay scene where everyone from the community can find retreat in.
Germany also has an array of fabulous politicians including Berlin's former Mayor, Klaus Wowereit, who outed himself with the notorious words – “ Ich bin schwul – und das ist auch gut so!” which translates as “ I'm gay – and that is a good thing!” … we hear you girl!
LGBTQ rights in Germany
Ever since the Berlin Wall came down in 1991, Germany powered ahead to come an LGBTQ paradise. Germany passed a full set ofanti-discrimination laws from 2006, which included the right for LGBT persons to openly serve in the service, the right to change legal gender and laws precluding hate crimes grounded on gender or exposure.
In 2017, Germany legalized gay marriages, and more lately, in 2019 Germany formally honored a third gender option,
7. Australia
Australia,G'day everyone, we love how drinking they're towards gay people
Over the last decade, Australia has grown more and more fabulous, with some of the most progressive LGBTQ laws in the world, lots of gay havens … and we formerly mentioned Mardi Gras, right? Back in 2017, the Australians were asked to bounce on marriage equivalency and their response was a big resounding YES. So moment, we say a big YES back to the Land Down Under!
LGBTQ rights in Australia
Australia legalized homosexuality in 1997 and passed a comprehensive set ofanti-discrimination laws in 2013. Gay marriage was legalized in 2017 and LGBT people have been allowed to serve openly in the service since 2010. Australia also has veritably progressive ambisexual laws, which includes the right to change legal gender since 2013 and has formally recognised a third gender option since 2003.