Responsible Travel hits out at gay-unfriendly destinations

Top 10 least gay-friendly holiday destinations in the world list published

With the spotlight recently on Russia for the winter Olympics, LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) rights are a hot topic. European LGBT travellers alone are estimated to spend £39-42 billion annually*, making this a market many countries cannot afford to ignore, particularly when combined with the spending power of other travellers sympathetic to human rights issues.  Says Responsible Travel.

Compiled with the help of the Human Dignity Trust http://www.humandignitytrust.org/ , an NGO fighting for LGBT rights globally, below responsibletravel.com shares what it believes to be the least-friendly holidays destinations in the world for the LGBT community (in no particular order).

• Uganda Land of the awe-inspiring mountain gorilla, with an equally jaw-dropping stance on LGBT rights. Chillingly the Ugandan President has pledged to sign a bill which will see homosexuals face a life sentence in jail. This could become law at any time.
• Russia The Winter Olympics has invited the world to Russia, but it seems that the Olympic ethos of equality hasn’t extended to LGBT rights. Recent legislations make it illegal to educate minors about "non-traditional" relationships and there are a large number of reports documenting hate groups persecuting homosexuals.
• Malaysia This paradise of island beaches, unique wildlife and vibrant cultures has made our list not only for its British colonial-era anti-LGBT laws, but also for its laws criminalising cross-dressing. It has also been reported that the Ministry of Education has given guidelines to parents on how to spot the ‘symptoms’ of homosexuality in their children.
• Jamaica It’s not all sunshine and smiles in this famously upbeat Caribbean nation – the danger of violence towards LGBT persons is high, driven in part by the popularity of "hate music", with some major and popular artists recording extremely homophobic lyrics.
• India When it reversed its 2009 legislation decriminalising homosexuality, India’s Supreme Court has essentially declared that an estimated 30-40million LGBT persons are now living as criminals. Although prosecutions are rare, police and vigilantes now have the power to harass homosexuals.
• Nigeria Its truly shocking stance on LGBT rights earns its place in the list. Homosexual activity is punishable by death in certain Nigerian states and the country has also passed a law criminalising LGBT organisations.
• Kenya Well-known for its fabulous wildlife, less well known for its colonial-era laws criminalising homosexuality.  Currently prosecutions are rare, but Kenyan law-makers have responded to President Obama’s recent call for African nations to respect LGBT rights by calling for the enforcement of these laws.
• Ukraine Ukraine makes the list as the government is considering similar legislation to Russia, against "propaganda of homosexuality" and NGOs have already been declared as "foreign agents".
• Latin America At a glance Latin America looks like a great place for LGBT travel; most countries have decriminalised or indeed never criminalised homosexuality, major cities like Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires have flourishing gay scenes, and Argentina has led the way in equality laws. However, according to the 2012 Trans Murder Monitoring Project, between 2008 and 2011, 79 per cent of the murders of transgender people reported throughout the world took place in Latin America.
• Turkey Despite the tranquillity of its pristine beaches and the sparkling Mediterranean, levels of violence are high. Turkey registered the second highest number of murders of transgender people after Latin America in the same study.

So what can travellers do? Justin Francis, Managing Director of responsibletravel.com says, "Ultimately as travellers we all have a personal choice as to which destinations we visit and how we make our protest on human rights issues.

"If you do decide to travel to these countries, by travelling responsibly and choosing to support local craftspeople, hoteliers, guides, farmers and traders your trip can help enlighten and educate, bringing benefits to the people that need it most, rather than supporting government regimes.

"You can also make a stand back home by voicing your opinions through online petitions or supporting organisations such as the Human Dignity Trust. If you do choose to boycott a destination make sure your reasons are voiced to the people with power to make a change".

Should travellers boycott these destinations? Responsibletravel.com is welcoming comments at responsibletravel.com/top-10-least-gay-friendly-travel-destinations

*2012 GETA (Gay European Travel Association) report.

Valere Tjolle

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