12 best countries for LGBTQ people
What are the 12 best countries for LGBTQ People? Find out here on this episode. Then download your FREE Queer Money Kickstarter, a 9-step Guide to Kickstart Your Journey to Financial Independence.
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What are the 12 best countries for LGBTQ People?
On this Queer Money®, we’re sharing the best 12 countries for LGBTQ people on our affordable, LGBTQ+-friendly city series.
Coming in at #12 is Uruguay. Per IGLTQ.org, it is among the most liberal countries in both South America and the World. In Uruguay, same-sex activity has been legal since 1934. It also has anti-discrimination laws protecting people who identify as LGBTQ+ since 2004. Same-sex marriages have been legalized since 2013. You can hear Mark Goldstein talk about more benefits of Uruguay on Queer Money® episode #504 about where LGBTQ+ people retire. Uruguay has a mural of two men doing the Flamenco. It is also home to Montevideo Pride, which is in Uruguay’s capital and is the country’s largest pride, celebrated on the last Friday of September.
Coming in at #11 is Norway. Per Equaldex, same-sex activity has been legal since 1972. Norway has had LGBTQ+ employment protections since 1981 and marriage equality since 2009. The right to change name and gender on legal documents has been around since 2016. Norway is ranked as “The happiest country” in the world. Norway has many LGBTQ bars, venues and cultural events that are mostly found in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim. Norway has Oslo Pride, which is a big annual event held in late June.
Coming in at #10 is Iceland. Most people know it is home to Bjork. Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is Iceland’s first female prime minister and the world’s first openly LGBTQ+ head of government. Since the 1990s, a slew of legislation has made Iceland one of the most LGBTQ-friendly places on earth. Iceland has had marriage equality since 1996 and equal adoption and IVF rights for same-sex couples since 2006. Iceland formalized the name and identity-changing processes for trans people in 2012. In 2020, Iceland was the most LGBTQ-friendly country, per the Williams Institute. It is one of the best sites in the world to see the Northern Lights or aurora borealis. There are 300,000 people that live in Iceland. Estimates are about 100,000 attend Pride, which is about 30% of their population. It has a large Pride, which is in Reykjavik in August, followed by Bear Week in September.
Coming in at #9 is Germany. Germany has not always had a great relationship with the LGBTQ+ community, but much has changed since WWII. In 1969, the decriminalization of homosexual relations between consenting adults took place. In 2017, Germany recognized same-sex partnerships with full legal equality to heterosexual marriages. Also, in 2017, transgender people could legally change their gender without undergoing surgery. Germany has about 60 annual Pride parades. The Teddy Award (for best LGBTQ+ film) is an official part of the Berlin International Film Festival.
Coming in at #8 is Denmark. Denmark made same-sex couples legal in 1933. It was the 1st country to establish a National Association for Gays and Lesbians in 1948. It is the 1st country in the world to grant legal recognition to same-sex unions in the form of registered partnerships in 1989. Copenhagen is so accepting of LGBTQ folks that it was rated number one on Lonely Planet’s list of “The most gay-friendly places on the planet.” “It’s hard to find a distinct LGBTQ neighborhood in Copenhagen until you realize that Copenhagen is the LGBTQ+ neighborhood of Scandinavia.” (British LGBT Awards). Copenhagen’s summer Pride is mid-August, and they have a winter Pride in the first week of February.
Coming in at #7 is Switzerland. Per EqualDex same-sex sexual activity was made legal since 1991 and marriage equality since 2022. The legal right to change one’s name and gender has been in place since 2022. It has legalized gender-affirming care since 1995. Switzerland is home to two main queer hubs, Zurich and Geneva. Others include Basel, Bern (the capital of Switzerland), Lucerne, Lausanne, and St. Gallen. Let’s not forget that Tina Turner called Switzerland home for a long time and it’s the birthplace of Toblerone chocolate.
Coming in at #6 is Australia. In 2013, the Pew Research poll showed 79% of Australians agreed that homosexuality should be accepted by society. Per EqualDex same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1997 and marriage equality since 2017. They have the legal right to change gender and name largely but not wholly legally; there are contingencies in Western Australia & New South Wales. Australia has had gender-affirming care legal since 1998 and non-binary recognition since 2011. The world-famous Mardi Gras festival is in Sydney, and it may be the gayest Mardi Gras festival in the world. Melbourne is a magnet for queer folks drawn to its thriving arts and creative scenes.
Coming in at #5 is Spain. It first repealed laws against sodomy in 1822 but was reenacted in the 1930s. Same-sex sexual activity became legal once again in 1979 with an equal age of consent to heterosexual intercourse. Spain legalized both same-sex marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples in 2005. In a recent movement to the right with local governments, we have seen the rise in censorship of movies, art, and music in some instances. Madrid and Barcelona have two of the biggest Pride celebrations in the Country, but don’t miss the Sitges Bears Festival, a ten-day celebration in Sitges every September. There are many small gay enclaves in Spain, including Sitges, Torremolinos, and the Canary Islands, which are off the coast of northern Africa.
It is worth noting that information that was collected rankings from Spartacus Gay Travel Guide was, Anti-discrimination legislation, Marriage equality, Adoption rights, Trans rights and does the country market itself to the world as LGBTQ+ friendly. We’ll link to the current Spartacus Gay Travel Guide in this week’s Queer Money® newsletter. For this data and all the data we’ve been gathering from this series, go to queermoneypodcast.com/cities
Coming it at #4 is Portugal. In Portugal, same-sex sexual activity was first decriminalized back in 1852 but then recriminalized in 1886. In 1982, same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized again. Portugal has recognized unregistered cohabitation since 2001 and same-sex marriage since 2010. Since 2016, Portuguese law has allowed adoption of children by same-sex couples. Since 2004, the Constitution of Portugal has prohibited any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation, making Portugal one of the only countries in the world to enshrine a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation in its Constitution. Since 2018, Portugal has allowed an adult person to change their legal gender without any requirements. Minors aged 16 and 17 can do so with parental consent and a psychological opinion. It has two main Pride celebrations, Lisbon or Arraial Lisboa Pride in June and Porto Pride in July.
Coming in at #3 is New Zealand. Same-sex relationships and activities were largely accepted in pre-colonial Māori society. If you have a thing for Polynesian folks, this is the place to go. It’s full of hotties! The Brits arrived and homosexual acts between men were criminalized, but never for women. In 1986, homosexual acts between men were decriminalized. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2013. Lesbian women who have trouble conceiving using private donor insemination may be eligible, as other New Zealand women are, to help through publicly funded fertility treatment. In 2023, New Zealand started to allow trans and non-binary folks to update their gender on their birth certificates without having to show proof of surgical sex changes. New Zealand’s Biggest Pride celebrations are in Auckland in February and Wellington in late February or early March.
Coming in at #2 is Malta. Malta legalized same-sex activity in 1973, with an age of consent of 16, equal to heterosexual individuals. Malta has enshrined LGBTQ rights in its constitution, making it one of only a few countries worldwide that have done so. Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression has been banned nationwide since 2004. Out magazine has declared Malta as being among the best European countries in terms of LGBTQ rights. Malta will celebrate its 20th Pride from September 6th through the 15th this year. Check out gaymalta.com, powered by Allied Rainbow Communities, the main LGBTQ organization in Malta, for resources for both travel and living in Malta.
Coming in at #1 is Canada. In 2019, Forbes listed Canada as the friendliest country for LGBTQ+ travelers. On June 8, 2024, the Government of Canada announced a landmark partnership with Rainbow Railroad to identify and refer at-risk LGBTQI+ refugees throughout the Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) Program. Canada legalized same-sex sexual activity in 1969 and legalized same-sex marriage in 2005. Canada has had no legal restrictions since 2017 to change name or gender. Canada has legally recognized non-binary people since 2019. Toronto Pride, a month-long celebration in June, attracts millions to the city. Toronto is the home of Woody’s, the famed bar where the Canadian-American production of Queer As Folk was filmed. Fierté Montréal Pride is held in August.
If you’d like to see the data for this growing series, get the dynamic list of Affordable LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities in the U.S. here or click the link in your podcast player for a growing analysis.
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