How Gay Go Is Unlike (And Why It Matters)
In an endeavour to expand the site, I’ve been adding to a greater extent than invitee contributors and, today, I’m announcing a LGBT column for the website. In this column, nosotros volition listen from voices inwards the LGBT community nigh their experiences on the road, security tips, events, and, overall, advice for other LGBT travelers acquire the most out of their fourth dimension on the road! So, without farther ado, I’d similar to innovate everyone to Adam from travelsofadam.com. He’s going to last the atomic number 82 for this column (though we’ll presently guide maintain writings from other voices inwards the community too!).
“Gay” move tin last an awkward topic for many, generally because to last lesbian, gay, bisecual, or transgender (LGBT) is actually to last a purpose of an incredibly various grouping of people. There are gay families who travel, solo gay travelers (like myself), solo lesbian travelers, ones who move for festivals or nightlife or honeymoons, those that guide maintain cruises or splurge on luxury trips, in addition to ones who stone oil it camping ground in addition to backpacking inwards faraway places.
And but similar every other type of traveler, nosotros move for our ain personal reasons. Every aspect of what makes us unique also contributes to how, where, in addition to why nosotros travel. I move because I love to travel, in addition to I but spill out to last gay.
That’s non to enjoin I don’t also travel gay. Sometimes my secuality also influences the how, why, in addition to where I pick out to see a place. For example, I chose Berlin because I’d heard it was a gay hot spot, in addition to I purposefully timed my trip to see during the city’s annual gay pride celebrations, the Christopher Street Day parade — a fourth dimension when I knew there’d last enough of gay parties to attend in addition to guys to meet. I was looking for a gay vacation (a gaycation, if yous will), in addition to I institute it. Glitter in addition to all.
But what does LGBT move actually mean?
It’s nigh safety, it’s nigh comfort, it’s nigh politics. But it’s also nigh welcoming events, friendly accommodation, in addition to having fun amongst similar travelers.
The issues that LGBT travelers human face upwards are dissimilar than other travelers. To move every bit a solo gay guy (hi!) is dissimilar than traveling every bit a lesbian distich or every bit a transgender person. There are dissimilar festivals in addition to events, dissimilar meet-ups — in addition to dissimilar reasons to worry.
There are all the same enough of places around the earth where beingness gay isn’t safe, nor is it comfortable — for locals or for tourists. But that doesn’t hateful traveling every bit an LGBT private is ever dangerous. It’s often but a affair of having to know where in addition to when ane tin let on one’s secuality through words or actions, in addition to also the dangers or consequences (if any) for doing so. This is something direct people or opposite-sec couples almost never guide maintain to remember about.
But inwards some places I’ve traveled, beingness gay isn’t fifty-fifty often considered an option. I’ve had awkward taxi rides inwards Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in addition to Egypt, inwards Thailand in addition to India: “Where’s your girlfriend? Why don’t yous guide maintain a girl?”
I mightiness reply amongst a visible sigh, trying to alter the subject, or else a uncomplicated “I don’t guide maintain a girlfriend” and thence avert my eyes in addition to brand myself await busy. In Jordan, at a café close Petra, ane guy’s query was, “You gay?” Short in addition to to the point. I replied amongst a smiling in addition to a “yeah”, in addition to nosotros left it at that, all the same sharing a bowl of hummus — but a fighting quieter now.
Travel security is dissimilar for every private on every purpose of the LGBT spectrum. One friend (non-binary, genderfluid, queer identified) described to me an experience on a cruise to the Bahamas, where the send hosted a “queer hour,” which was, inwards actuality, generally heterosecual bachelor in addition to bachelorette parties. And fifty-fifty when this friend tried to last “out” inwards their supposed condom space, they didn’t experience safe.
That’s non to enjoin it’s all awkward, though. There was the fourth dimension inwards Kingdom of Cambodia when I followed a grouping of backpackers from my hostel to what was supposed to last a cool local bar, the Lao-Lao Beer Garden. Little did I know it was also a hot spot for some of the gay locals, who afterwards realizing I was gay offered me a number of tips for other LGBT things to take in inwards the city.
Traveling somewhere every bit an LGBT traveler requires yous to remember nigh a lot of things:
- What’s the LGBT rights province of affairs of the destination?
- Should I enshroud my secuality? What is the security province of affairs similar for openly LGBT travelers?
- What organizations are at that topographic point for my safety? What is the mental attitude of the police?
- What LGBT resources are at that topographic point (websites, newspapers, etc.)?
- Where is the LGBT scene?
- If I’m traveling amongst a partner, exercise nosotros demand to worry nigh booking ane bed or two, or beingness to a greater extent than than friends inwards public?
The crowd-sourced website Equaldex.com curates LGBT rights in addition to tidings around the world, in addition to 76crimes.com reports on the 76+ countries where homosecuality is all the same illegal. Even the the U.S. State Department publishes a useful page amongst LGBT move information.
One of the joys of move is coming together people in addition to sharing experiences. But for LGBT travelers, it’s non ever advisable to out oneself amid strangers. Personally, every bit a gay traveler, I desire to know in addition to sympathise the earth I’m inwards — thence I seek out local LGBT organizations, places, events, in addition to meet-ups (Couchsurfing, Meet-Up.com, in addition to local LGBT guide maintain goodness lists of things going on) to larn to a greater extent than nigh the province of affairs wherever I am.
There are lesbian, gay, bisecual, in addition to transgender people all over the world. So when I experience condom to exercise so, I’m happy to utter nigh my secuality, nigh who I am, amongst both foreigners in addition to other travelers who mightiness non straightaway know some other gay man.
All that said, traveling every bit an LGBT private today is much easier than it used to be. In many places around the world, beingness gay isn’t much of a big bargain anymore. And I suppose that’s the betoken nigh beingness gay in addition to beingness a traveler today.
Many gay travelers I’ve spoken to guide maintain said the same. We don’t desire to last labeled or lay inwards boxes when traveling, in addition to we’re for certain non ever stereotypes. But the reality of the earth is sometimes it’s but much to a greater extent than comfortable to move to places already identified every bit LGBT friendly, to mass amongst gay-friendly hotels, in addition to to seek out other LGBTs abroad.
Over the adjacent few months, I’ll last sharing my gay move tips in addition to stories hither on Nomadic Matt. I’m actually excited to portion my big gay earth of move amongst yous — it’s a plain of study often overlooked inwards the move world. Pick upwards whatsoever guidebook in addition to you’ll last lucky to abide by to a greater extent than than ane or 2 gay bars mentioned for a unmarried place, when inwards reality, at that topographic point are many, many to a greater extent than (often underground, sometimes seedy, in addition to ordinarily a fighting difficult to rail down).
Stay tuned for futurity posts nigh how to encounter other LGBT travelers on the route (besides the obvious apps) in addition to my tips for the best gay move apps, destinations, festivals, in addition to events. Comment below amongst other topics you’d similar to see, or amongst whatsoever questions yous mightiness guide maintain nigh traveling every bit a gay, lesbian, bisecual, or transgender person.
Adam Groffman is a one-time graphic designer who left a publishing undertaking inwards Boston to move around the world, earlier settling inwards Berlin, Germany. He’s a gay move expert, writer, in addition to blogger in addition to publishes a serial of LGBT-friendly Hipster City Guides from around the earth on his gay move blog, Travels of Adam. When he’s non out exploring the coolest bars in addition to clubs, he’s ordinarily enjoying the local arts in addition to civilization scene. Find to a greater extent than of his move tips (and embarrassing stories) on Twitter @travelsofadam.
P.S. Read nigh Auston in addition to David, a gay distich traveling around the world, here. Like Adam, they offering lots of tips for LGBT travelers who desire to piece of occupation out in addition to explore the earth safely in addition to happily!
Sumber https://www.nomadicmatt.com
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