cover lgbt travel So, how can these tourism boards from countries
such as South Africa promise the safety of LGBT travelers coming to visit? They can’t. But really, should that stop us from visiting? In the case of South Africa, where by the way, I never felt unsafe due to my sexual orientation (at least in the places I visited), the Minister brought up some valid points that should be considered when planning travel to places that might not necessarily be waving the rainbow flags. Although the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel, the host hotel for the convention, did have a special rainbow flag proudly flying out front of its grand entrance throughout the duration of the conference. “What I can say without any shadow of a doubt is that, as a country, we need you and want you here,” continued Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom. “Not because of who we are, but because of who you are. Because of the struggles you have faced and because of the brave (or even the ordinary) lives that you lead. We need you because you bring experience and challenge into our lives – and we have never been afraid of either. We need you because, in many instances, you bring a new way of looking at things – a new and exciting way of living, which has always been part of our South African life, but frequently ignored, or disparaged, or violently rejected. We want you here to be a light to the millions of LGBT people in our country, so that wherever they are, they might know that they are not alone – that they are quite normal and that they should live their lives unafraid. For that is the kind of country we are trying to build.” In countries like South Africa, gay travelers are welcomed in most parts and the only real danger faced is that of being discriminated against. But, haven’t we all faced a bit of discrimination at some point throughout our lives? The only way to change attitudes of people in countries like South Africa is to engage with them and show them that LGBT travelers are travelers, meaning, we are people too. Abandoning or boycotting countries that aren’t flying rainbow flags is in a way, abandoning or boycotting the LGBT residents of that city or country and the Minister’s words confirming this, couldn’t have been stated any better. Now, when it comes to countries where there are outright laws against homosexuality and or things related…I am still one to go to them. Not because I want to be adventurous or daring, but because I am all about traveling to lands and places I have never been to. If you also happen to want to visit countries that are not welcoming to LGBT visitors,
34 RAGE monthly | MAY 2016
there is only one rule that I follow and that’s simply to respect the laws of the land where I’m standing. Listen, it’s not about your American privilege when you are overseas, it’s about knowing your place when you are in a foreign land. For avid travelers and seekers of new things, people and places to see, whom you sleep with really shouldn’t interfere with your travel plans. From personal experience, there are gay people everywhere, just download Grindr and see for yourselves. But when I’m in the Middle East, for example, I am careful about trusting strangers online, only because the risks are definitely greater there. I recently visited Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, all relatively safe countries and although I wasn’t specifically there for anything gay-related, I still managed to find some time to meet a few locals, who quickly caught me up on what it’s like to be gay in this part of the world. In Qatar, I ended up at
two bars that were frequented by gay men and a new friend in Bahrain, organized a small dinner with a few of his gay friends at my hotel, so that I could get some more insight into their lives. What I found out, was that they are just living their lives, while following the laws. It was truly about knowing what you can and can’t do in public, and once I learned how simple those rules were, I was more at ease and opened up to being myself and just enjoying my exploration of these incredible countries. The takeaway here is that yes, while gay-friendly
cities and countries are pretty amazing and yes, while there are cruises and weekends dedicated to LGBT travelers, just because you happen to identify outside of the heterosexual spectrum, doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself. Travel is travel and there are some incredible places in this world that everyone should visit. Just do your research, be prepared and open yourself up to something new.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64