{"id":9752,"date":"2022-10-21T20:22:45","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T18:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/?p=9752"},"modified":"2022-10-21T20:22:45","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T18:22:45","slug":"four-incredible-lgbtq-friendly-destinations-you-need-to-add-to-your-travel-bucket-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/destinations\/four-incredible-lgbtq-friendly-destinations-you-need-to-add-to-your-travel-bucket-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Incredible LGBTQ+ Friendly Destinations You Need To Add To Your Travel Bucket List"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This pride month,\u00a0South Africa celebrates its LGBTQ+ community with an array of events and\u00a0marches that highlight the importance of\u00a0equality. South Africa is proud to be\u00a0recognised as a country that stands proud of its LGBTQ+ community and has been\u00a0instrumental in\u00a0driving equality for its members on the continent.<br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/>In 2006, South Africa\u00a0became the first African country, and fifth in the world, to legalise same-sex\u00a0marriage and it remains committed to\u00a0protecting those within the community\u00a0against discrimination based on sexual orientation through its constitution.<br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/>There are sadly still many parts of\u00a0the rest of the world where people are unable to express their true selves due\u00a0to oppressive laws\u00a0and unwelcoming societies \u2013 but there are plenty of other\u00a0open-minded places where anyone is free to be themselves.<br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/><a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.klm.co.za\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KLM Royal Dutch Airlines<\/a>, whose transit hub in Amsterdam offers the quickest and most\u00a0convenient connections, shines a light on\u00a0LGBTQ+-friendly destinations that\u00a0should be high on your travel list.<br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/><b class=\"\">Amsterdam,\u00a0The Netherlands<\/b><br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/>Often called the world\u2019s most liberal city, Amsterdam, is one of\u00a0the most LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in the world. Amsterdam\u2019s\u00a0legendary\u00a0open-mindedness saw homosexuality decriminalised way back in the early 1800\u2019s\u00a0and the Netherlands was the first country\u00a0in the world to welcome same-sex\u00a0marriages back in 2001. The city, often called Europe\u2019s gay capital, plays host\u00a0to a number of\u00a0LGBTQ+ events throughout the year and is home to some of the\u00a0world\u2019s most popular gay bars \u2013 including Spijker Bar, a gay bar\u00a0which is\u00a0considered the oldest and friendliest in Amsterdam. However, there is so much\u00a0more to Amsterdam\u2019s gay scene than it\u2019s\u00a0many bars. Amsterdam\u2019s Homomonument,\u00a0inspired by the events of WWII, remembers the LGBTQ+ people who have lost their\u00a0lives in\u00a0campaigns of hate and bigotry. Additionally, Reguliersdwarsstraat,\u00a0known as Amsterdam\u2019s pink street, is still one of the liveliest streets\u00a0in\u00a0Amsterdam today and plays host to a number of gay-owned businesses, cafes and\u00a0clubs, making it a must-visit destination for any\u00a0LGBTQ+ tourist visiting the\u00a0city.<br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/><b class=\"\">Toronto, Canada<\/b><br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/>This year, Canada was named the safest\u00a0place LGBTQ+ travellers to visit according to queer travel safety experts Asher\u00a0and Lyric\u00a0Fergusson and academic researcher Eliot Assoudeh PhD. As its largest\u00a0city, Toronto has a bustling queer community and, as a result,\u00a0is one of the\u00a0most politically active cities in the world in terms of gay rights. Toronto is\u00a0famous for having an active and energetic gay\u00a0village which is full of various\u00a0gay-owned bars, clubs, and businesses. The city, which is home to tourist\u00a0attractions like the CN Tower,\u00a0the Royal Ontario Museum and just a short drive\u00a0from the world-famous Niagara Falls, also plays host to the Inside Out LGBT Film\u00a0Festival, which occurs over two weeks in May. The festival showcases more than\u00a0200 queer-themed films along with artist talks,\u00a0premieres, and industry panel\u00a0discussions. Travellers won\u2019t want to miss a visit to Woody\u2019s, the popular gay\u00a0bar made famous by the\u00a0television series\u00a0Queer\u00a0As Folk\u00a0as well as a visit to Crews &amp; Tangos, a popular drag bar in the\u00a0village.<br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/><b class=\"\">Stockholm,\u00a0Sweden<\/b><br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/>Stockholm is famous for being one of the most open-minded cities\u00a0in the world. Despite being a country rich in history and filled with\u00a0gorgeous\u00a0buildings and tourist hotspots, it\u2019s thriving LGBTQ+ scene makes it a popular\u00a0destination for tourists from around the globe.\u00a0Patricia is the city\u2019s biggest\u00a0gay clubs with parties happening every night of the week. If you\u2019re looking for\u00a0something a little more low-key, a visit to the country\u2019s popular ABBA Museum\u00a0is a must. If you have time, try visit the well-known dinner musical \u2018Mamma Mia\u00a0The\u00a0Party\u2019 for the ultimate celebration of this Swedish supergroup. Stockholm\u2019s\u00a0theme park Tivoli Gr\u00f6na Lund has been a popular tourist\u00a0destination for over\u00a0135 years and often plays host to a string of local and international acts.\u00a0Finally, fashion lovers should plan to\u00a0make a stop at Stockholm\u2019s fashion\u00a0district \u2018Bibliotekstan\u2019 for an incredible shopping experience with some of the\u00a0world\u2019s most\u00a0luxurious brands.<br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/><b class=\"\">Mykonos,\u00a0Greece<\/b><br class=\"\" \/><br class=\"\" \/>If an island holiday is what you are after, many consider Greece\u2019s\u00a0popular city of Mykonos. Many consider Mykonos as the original gay\u00a0island in\u00a0the Mediterranean, a testament to its long-standing relationship with the\u00a0LGBTQ+ community. Mykonos is home to dozens of\u00a0gay beaches, hotels,\u00a0establishments and beaches that are either gay exclusive or gay friendly,\u00a0making it the perfect city for the\u00a0LGBTQ+ community to soak up that\u00a0Mediterranean sun. The nightlife on the island is unmatched. The city is home\u00a0to a number of\u00a0popular gay bars, drag clubs and a plethora of gay events.\u00a0Additionally, the food scene on the island is one of the best in Greece.\u00a0Filled\u00a0with delicious Greek taverns, Mykonos remains authentically Greek giving\u00a0tourists a perfect blend of history, culture and\u00a0entertainment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This pride month,\u00a0South Africa celebrates its LGBTQ+ community with an array of events and\u00a0marches that highlight the importance of\u00a0equality. South Africa is proud to be\u00a0recognised as a country that stands proud of its LGBTQ+ community and has been\u00a0instrumental in\u00a0driving equality for its members on the continent.In 2006, South Africa\u00a0became the first African country, and fifth [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2685],"tags":[4779],"class_list":["post-9752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-destinations","tag-klm-royal-dutch-airlines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}