By Avantika Deb
Madrid, Spain
The Madrid Pride, or Orgullo Gay de Madrid (MADO), is considered the biggest Pride festival in Europe, attracting over two million attendees, and is scheduled to run from 1-10 July this year. The event includes outdoor concerts, art and culture programmes, parties and a parade, which will be held on 9 July, among other activities. Most of the events take place in and around the famous Chueca neighbourhood in central Madrid; the parade starts at Atocha Railway Station and ends on Plaza de Colón.
LGBT+ traveller-specific information
Homosexuality is legal in Spain. There are many legal protections for LGBT+ persons in the country. Same-sex marriage is legal. LGBT+ activity and persons are widely socially accepted, particularly in big cities like Madrid or Barcelona. LGBT+ travellers are unlikely to face any difficulties or legal issues for travel. Travellers may exercise general safety precautions.
Organisations providing support to LGBT+ individuals in Spain:
New York City (NYC), United States of America
The NYC Pride festival is the city’s first and only official event, with around three million attendees and 30+ events; it is one of the biggest festivals of its kind in the country and will be held throughout the month of June this year. Every year, the festival commemorates the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, the beginning of the modern Gay Rights movement. The event is organised by the non-profit ‘Heritage of Pride’ which works towards non-discrimination and equal rights. The main parade will be held on 26 June through Midtown and Lower Manhattan, south on Fifth Avenue, through Greenwich Village to the Stonewall National Monument on Christopher Street.
LGBT+ traveller-specific information
Homosexuality is legal in the United States. There are many legal protections for LGBT+ persons in the country, including anti-discrimination laws, laws concerning gender identity or expression and adoption by same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage is legal. LGBT+ activity and persons are somewhat socially accepted; while most LGBT+ travellers are unlikely to face any difficulties or legal issues for travel, social conservatism is prevalent in some parts of the country.
Large LGBT+ communities and active gay scenes exist in most urban centres and all major cities, including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington D.C. In more rural areas, social conservatism as well as homophobia persist. LGBT+ travellers may prefer to be discreet about sexual orientation and avoid excessive public displays of affection in areas where attitudes towards the LGBT+ community are unknown or generally not accepted. Exercise general safety precautions.
Organisations providing support to LGBT+ individuals in the USA:
- Brooklyn Community Pride Center
- The Ali Forney Center
- LGBT National Help Center:
- Gay Men’s Health Crisis
Taipei, Taiwan
The largest gay Pride event in Asia, Taipei Pride is usually held in the month of October and attracts tens of thousands of participants. It is organised by the Taiwan LGBT Pride Community and the main parade is held on the last Saturday of October. The four-day event will be held between 27-30 October in 2022, with the main parade planned on 29 October. The parade moves through the streets of Taipei, near City Hall and Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office. Taipei also hosts several queer-friendly clubs and other venues, which are comparatively rare elsewhere in the region.
LGBT+ traveller-specific information
Homosexuality is legal in Taiwan. There are many legal protections for LGBT+ persons in the country. Same-sex marriage is legal. LGBT+ activity and persons are widely socially accepted, particularly in the capital Taipei. LGBT+ travellers are unlikely to face any difficulties or legal issues for travel. Note that despite the legal status of LGBT+ rights, social conservatism may be prevalent in some parts of the country – particularly in small towns or villages – as overall Chinese society remains relatively conservative. Exercise general safety precautions.
Organisations providing support to LGBT individuals in Taiwan:
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tel Aviv Pride, a week-long series of events, is usually held in the second week of June. Dubbed ‘the gay capital of the Middle East’, Tel Aviv presents a multicultural and open environment for locals as well as tourists from across the world. This year’s Pride parade on 10 June saw the participation of over 170,000 people along Rokach Boulevard.
LGBT+ traveller-specific information
Homosexuality is legal in Israel. There are many legal protections for LGBT+ persons in the country, including anti-discrimination laws and laws concerning gender identity or expression. Unregistered cohabitation and same-sex marriages performed abroad are legally recognised. LGBT+ activity and persons are generally socially accepted, though travellers are advised that this acceptance is not necessarily extended among more religiously observant segments of the population. Despite the legal status of LGBT+ rights, social conservatism may be prevalent in some parts of the country; the Tel Aviv-Jaffa metropolitan area, for example, is more accommodating to LGBT+ travellers than other urban areas.
Travellers may prefer to be discreet about sexual orientation and avoid excessive public displays of affection in areas where attitudes towards the LGBT+ community is unknown or generally not accepted. Use caution in conversations about sexuality or LGBT+ issues with strangers or recent acquaintances. Transgender travellers may wish to consider having their passport and identification changed to reflect their new gender before travelling, but most LGBT+ travellers are unlikely to face any difficulties or legal issues for travel. Exercise general safety precautions.
Organisations providing support to LGBT individuals in Israel:
Johannesburg, South Africa
Johannesburg hosts the most prominent Pride festival in Africa, which has become well-established with over 30 years of advocacy. The first pride parade on the African continent was held in Johannesburg on 13 October 1990, organised by the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW) founded by gay anti-apartheid activist Simon Nkoli. The 33rd annual Johannesburg Pride, hosted by the Pride of Africa organisation, is scheduled to take place on 29 October 2022.
LGBT+ traveller-specific information
Homosexuality is legal in South Africa. There are many legal protections for LGBT+ persons in the country, including anti-discrimination laws and laws concerning gender identity or expression. Same-sex marriage is legal. LGBT+ activity and persons are generally socially accepted. Despite the legal status of LGBT+ rights, social conservatism may be prevalent in some parts of the country. Travellers may prefer to be discreet about sexual orientation and avoid excessive public displays of affection in areas where attitudes towards the LGBT+ community are unknown or generally not accepted, particularly outside major cities. Use caution in conversations about sexuality or LGBT+ issues with strangers or recent acquaintances. Considering booking hotel rooms with two separate beds. Transgender travellers may wish to consider having their passport and identification changed to reflect their new gender before travelling.
Organisations providing support to LGBT individuals in South Africa:
Avantika Deb is an India-based political and security risk analyst covering South and East Asia.
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