Gay Travel Index

BERLIN: Gay travelers can use the Gay Travel Index 2023 to prepare for their gaycation. But which country ranks first? Where is it safe to travel to as a gay and LGBTQ+ traveler?

GERMANY: The German publisher Spartacus, released its annual Gay Travel Index with a detailed ranking of the gay-friendliness of 202 countries.

CAMBODIA: Additionally to the two genders, male and female, Cambodia’s national language Khmer also knows the third gender kteuy, describing a person who has the physical characteristics of one gender but the behavior of the other.

VIETNAM: Homosexuality was still described as a social evil by a national television broadcaster in 2002, comparable to prostitution and illegal gambling. Over the past years, the situation for the LGBT community in Vietnam has improved.

MYANMAR: …or Burma, still one of the most conservative countries in Southeast Asia, is also the country where life is anything but easy for LGBTQ+ people

LEBANON: The country has a reputation in the Middle East for being the most liberal of all countries when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community in general.

The two men Pavel Stotcko and Evgenii Voitsekhovskii met via the Russian online network VKontakte and fell in love. Pavel’s family knew that the two men lived together, but homosexuality was kept from their fathers. Pavel’s mother, in turn, knew but preferred the word friendship when she spoke of the two.

RUSSIA: A kiss and a murder. This is how recent events in Russia can be summarized in the LGBTQ+ community. Renowned LGBTQ+ activist Yelena Grigoriyeva was found dead in St. Petersburg in mid-July, with several stab wounds in the chest and signs of strangulation.

GEORGIA: Although homosexuality has been legal in Georgia since 2000, it is taboo in large parts of the country with far-reaching consequences for lesbians, gays, and queer people in the country.

The Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2019: Every year, the German publisher of gay travel information and guide books releases the annual Gay Travel Index with a detailed ranking of 197 LGBTQ+ friendly countries worldwide. In the 7th edition, Berlin-based Spartacus gives lesbian, gay and queer travelers information about how gay-friendly a holiday destination is according to several ranking factors and criteria collecting enough information about LGBTQ+ friendliness and livability for locals. Gay travelers can use this information to prepare for their gaycation as well as taking it as a piece of advice for choosing the holiday destination.