Gay unfriendly countries
Home / gay topics / Gay unfriendly countries
The evaluation takes into account sources from freely accessible NGOs and government organisations, among others. And on Mallorca, the international lesbian festival Ella is celebrated every year. While some islands have embraced LGBTQ-friendly policies, attracting travelers annually, others still criminalize male homosexuality, leading to stigma against LGBTQ individuals.
According to the survey, 6 out of 10 LGBTQIA+ travellers have experienced discrimination when travelling and there is a growing concern for their own safety when travelling.
Sodomy used to be any form of sex which is not penis penetrating vagina. In May, the popular Gay Pride Maspalomas takes place in Gran Canaria every year. The most LGBTQ+-friendly countries in Europe: 1. Some countries, especially islamic states, prohibit extramarital sex. Unfortunately, this feeling of freedom is not always a given, especially for travellers from the LGBTQ+ community.
Homophobia organised, insitutionalised or condoned by the state. Despite legal progress, everyday safety remains fragile. While some countries have made great strides, such as decriminalising homosexuality or allowing same-sex couples to adopt, others have suffered setbacks or continued to struggle with discrimination.
The entire report with the rating per country in the individual categories can be found here.
Gay Travel Index: Which countries perform particularly badly
At the bottom of the Gay Travel Index are countries where travellers unfortunately face discrimination and sometimes even persecution due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
If you are looking for an LGBTQ+-friendly destination, these states are a good choice. In 2025, Trinidad and Tobago recriminalised same-sex relations, a big step back for the overall progress of the region.
On the bright side, 13 countries in the Americas still recognise same-sex marriage and several cities have alreadyplannedtheir Pride Parades for this year, includingSão Paulo with South America’s largest pride parade, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City, Curaçao, San Juan, among others.
Hate speech incidents before elections (Romania’s Pride) and rising transphobia in countries like the UK, Italy, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain indicate that recent legal gains have yet to translate into safety conditions for the local LGBTQ communities.
MENA
In the MENA region, LGBTQ people continue to face serious legal problems and criminalisation is a prevalent problem everywhere.
Most main cities are open and have a vibrant LGBTQ community, where venues and activities are available too for LGBTQ travellers arriving.
Until true equality is achieved, increasing visibility, raising awareness and ensuring access to precise information remain essential tools in advancing safer, more inclusive travel for everyone.
On Friday, 14 April 2023, the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean decriminalised homosexuality by repealing the law “indecent acts between males”.
It gives an indication of how seriously human rights, tolerance and openness are taken in different countries.
Iceland is considered a particularly lesbian-friendly destination. How free and safe are people from the queer community in different holiday destinations? The idea that people from the LGBTQ+ community still have to fear restrictions, discrimination or even penalties and persecution in some countries is - to put it mildly - completely inconceivable to us.
Malta 2, Iceland 3. The freedom to let yourself be driven by the desire to travel, to go exactly where it is most beautiful and to spend the night in your own home on four wheels where you like it best. But be knowledgable. For example, lawmakers in Ghana reintroduced an anti-LGBTQ law that had been passed by the country’s parliament in February 2024 but had not been enacted.