gay-friendly country

[peter25506]

Which country is the most gay-friendly?

 

[haiducii]

According to the results of a new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, the world's most LGBT-friendly nation is Spain.

To be honest I'm a bit surprised

READ MORE

 

[Shelter]

the catholic Spain? Wow - I can't believe it. But why not?

 

[slimjim]

I guessed Netherlands - and they're not even on the chart

 

[gorgik9]

I guessed Netherlands - and they're not even on the chart

And neither are the Nordic countries...

 

[haiducii]

And neither are the Nordic countries...

I miss New Zealand on the list. In 1998 New Zealand was the first nation to adopt the label of ''Gay/Lesbian Friendly'' when referring to businesses and accommodation.

The fact is: that results from a survey with only 40 participating countries are not reliable.

 

[gorgik9]

I miss New Zealand on the list. In 1998 New Zealand was the first nation to adopt the label of ''Gay/Lesbian Friendly'' when referring to businesses and accommodation.

The fact is: that results from a survey with only 40 participating countries are not reliable.

:agree:
I'm definitely in agreement with you on this point!!!

 

[mrcrownroyal]

The US percentages are definitely accurate. Trust me, I live here :rofl:

 

[dragonscub]

The US percentages are definitely accurate. Trust me, I live here :rofl:

Sad, but true. We were making some slow advances, then everyone in the world who hates progress decided to move here (bringing their bigotry and tribalism with them). The task is now ten times harder: a decade ago, we just needed to enlighten our own cranky rednecks. Today, we have "imported" cranks from fifty other nations, fighting against feminism and gay rights, raising hell if we don't "conform" to their provincial norms.

You wouldn't believe some of the outrageous gay bashing and harassment going on right now in New York City that goes unpunished or even condoned by our politicians. Yes, NYC! If you happen to be rather flamboyant, be VERY careful when visiting NYC now: the streets aren't as "gay friendly" here as you might assume from past reputation. Things change, not always for the better.

 

[tonka]

Sad, but true. We were making some slow advances, then everyone in the world who hates progress decided to move here (bringing their bigotry and tribalism with them). The task is now ten times harder: a decade ago, we just needed to enlighten our own cranky rednecks. Today, we have "imported" cranks from fifty other nations, fighting against feminism and gay rights, raising hell if we don't "conform" to their provincial norms.

You wouldn't believe some of the outrageous gay bashing and harassment going on right now in New York City that goes unpunished or even condoned by our politicians. Yes, NYC! If you happen to be rather flamboyant, be VERY careful when visiting NYC now: the streets aren't as "gay friendly" here as you might assume from past reputation. Things change, not always for the better.

I'm surprised by this.

I understand that much of America is still pretty homophobic. But my experience of the big metro areas on the east and west coast is pretty positive.
Maybe it's a generational thing. I remember a very different past. Today it's almost post gay. Almost. With every advance, there's pushback. There's always some stupid knucklehead.
Here in Boston, we no longer have gay neighborhoods, because we live everywhere. Gay bars, gay businesses? A few. It's just not a thing anymore.

We have a fairly new attorney general. Young lesbian. It's great that she won (she's very good), but the interesting thing is that nobody cared. The subject barely came up. Either during the campaign or since.

I'm very optimistic about gay rights in America. I've seen the arc over time.

 

[dragonscub]

I'm surprised by this.

So was I, but as a lifelong New Yorker I can't deny the regression happening in front of my eyes: the recent huge waves of migration from gay-hostile countries to NYC have almost wiped out many of the coalitions and population that was supportive or at least tolerant of gays. It is easy to get fooled by the seeming "freedom" in parts of glamorous Manhattan, but if you venture too far uptown or wander naively thru the other boroughs, you can get in serious trouble if you don't watch your back.

Aside from isolated pockets of hipsters in places like Williamsburg, Brooklyn is not gay-friendly (and some neighborhoods you would think are cool are actually incredibly dangerous). Queens has lost nearly its entire population of native-New-Yorker liberals in the past decade: they have been replaced by insular cultures who prefer to act as if they are still back home. There's a lot of infighting and tribalism between them, but one thing they all agree on is hostility toward gays. As they become more involved in the political system, they pose increasingly grave threats to gay safety.

Today it's almost post gay. Almost. [...] Here in Boston, we no longer have gay neighborhoods, because we live everywhere. Gay bars, gay businesses? A few. It's just not a thing anymore.

That right there is part of the problem, causing this current "one step forward, two steps back" phenomenon. For better and worse, the "gay ghetto" neighborhoods of the past made us highly visible and concentrated. It was easier to draw attention from the media when necessary, organize politically, etc. Today, with us dispersed, less attention is paid to crimes against us, punishment for perpetrators has lessened or disappeared, and gay-hostile groups are emboldened because we have no obvious day-to-presence anymore. Our current (and likely to be re-elected) mayor is an ineffective, disorganized, arrogant, hypocritical nitwit who constantly makes matters worse.

So we're getting attacked frequently, more randomly dispersed, more isolated from fellow gays. And those who work against us politically are gaining surprising influence. As the saying goes, "sometimes you're not being paranoid- they really are out to get you". Its nice to think its 2016 and we can relax, but that would be self-deception: the price of freedom is constant vigilance.

I'm very optimistic about gay rights in America. I've seen the arc over time.

So am I, so have I. But we must not mistake over-hyped Pyrrhic victories like the marriage issue for large-scale acceptance or completed progress. There is still a long way to go at the very local level where we all actually live out our lives. I've been to Boston, had relatives living there: its a lovely city. Quite possibly it has been spared some of the regressive changes wracking New York and other gay meccas (despite their supposedly liberal politics). I certainly hope your personal experience of it reflects the broader picture in Massachusetts.

Its only a matter of time before we all become fully integrated and gay vs straight becomes a complete non-issue, or even a humorous historical footnote in America. But our population has radically shifted in the past fifteen years, stalling progress and requiring us to start all over again in some respects. Every inch of ground we gain can shift at any moment due to factors beyond our control or expectation. As long as we don't get complacent, we'll keep gaining.