Gay places to visit
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The entire country — which decriminalized homosexuality in 1993 and passed marriage equality in 2015 — has steadily become one of Europe's most LGBTQIA+-friendly countries to visit. I also became a regular at the local food co-op and coffeeshop and loved spending Saturdays browsing the small businesses in Ferndale's very charming and walkable downtown."
Indeed, this town of 19,000 and its "Great American Main Street" feature public art that celebrates its community pride, while you'd be hard-pressed to find a local business in town that *doesn't* have a rainbow flag on its storefront.
This midsize metropolis nestled against the foothills of the magnificent Wasatch Mountains has a thriving LGBTQIA+ community and hosts a vibrant Pride celebration each year in late June.
The city has a long tradition of liberal politics: Jackie Biskupski, the mayor from 2016 through 2020, is openly lesbian. Watch a drag show with your meal at the restaurant Lips.
June also contains Pride weekend. Club Skirts Presents the Dinah is billed as “the biggest queer, lesbian, non-binary event in the world” and includes pool parties, DJs and live performances.
Other highlights include the Utah Gay Ski Week in February and a bounty of chic boutiques and see-and-be-seen restaurants.
Where to stay
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake (rates start at $335 or 61,000 IHG One Rewards points per night) has whimsically decorated guest rooms and common spaces and an outstanding restaurant (Bambara).
The North Side is close to downtown and is home to the outstanding Andy Warhol Museum, which celebrates the life of the pop art icon and Pittsburgh native son. The settlement was started in the mid-19th century, and it originally thrived as a logging town, then when those resources were exhausted, industry shifted to fruit orchards. There's no better place to show your solidarity with the individuals and movements dedicated to equality and justice.
Outside of town, LGBTQIA+ travelers will enjoy the Equal Rights Heritage Center in nearby Auburn, plus leisure activities galore, including the Seneca and Cayug Lake Wine Trails and Ithaca, a welcoming college town on the southern tip of Cayuga Lake.
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Locals and visitors alike enjoy seeing the sea lion colony that lives at PIER39 in Fisherman's Wharf. Chinatown, the oldest Chinatown in the U.S., is full of history, sights and yummy restaurants. This state park offers more than just beaches, though. With a diverse LGBTQIA+ community, Washington D.C. is home to people and preferences from every color of the rainbow.
Check out our list and start planning your perfect getaway.
1. In 1977, San Francisco citizens elected Harvey Milk to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first openly gay elected official in California, though his life was tragically cut short in November 1978 when he and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated.
On the city's south side, Playa Guadalmar is a favorite swimming and sunbathing spot among LGBTQIA+ locals and visitors.
If it’s pure beach fun you’re after, Torremolinos is just a 20-minute drive down the Costa del Sol. You’ll find more than a dozen queer bars clustered together in the Nogalera quarter here.
Street food stalls thrive amid the city's blossoming cherry trees, and towering skyscrapers soar above a network of tiny sake rooms. Many gay bars are in the city center, close to the colorful Night Bazaar district.
The city's Chiang Mai Pride takes place in late May and continues to grow in popularity, but you might also consider timing your visit to attend one of the region's other iconic festivals, including the Yi Peng (when hundreds of glowing lanterns are released into the sky) in November and the Songkran water festival in mid-April.
Where to stay
Centrally located and offering a full slate of urban resort amenities, the Chiang Mai Marriott Hotel (rates start at $124 or 25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night) rises above the adjacent and extremely popular Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.
In Shadyside, East Liberty and Lawrenceville, you'll find queer-popular cafes, bars and boutiques.
Before you leave town, be sure to ride the bright-red Duquesne Incline funicular to the top of Mount Washington, where you'll be treated to a stunning panoramic view of downtown's architecturally impressive skyline and the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.
Where to stay
Among several upscale downtown lodgings set in beautifully restored historic towers, the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh (rates start at $198 or 35,000 IHG One Rewards per night) is within walking distance of a few downtown gay bars.
"It's not only the largest gay dance festival in Asia," he said, "but also the biggest gay New Year's Eve in the world."
There's also the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives. Don't forget: cowboy boots are highly encouraged.