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Useful Links for the Gay/Lesbian Community

Helpful Organizations in the U.S.

GLIFAA: Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies - officially recognized group representing lesbian and gay personnel in the Department of State, USAID, the Foreign Commercial Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and other US foreign affairs agencies.

Federal Globe: Representing sexual minority personnel throughout the US federal government.

Gay Peacecorps: Lesbian, gay and bisexual returned Peace Corps volunteers.

Rainbow SIG: Comprised of diverse members of NAFSA whose goals are to counsel international students and study abroad students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.

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Travel

Purple Roofs a directory of gay-owned or gay-friendly accommodating around the globe.

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Real Post Reports addressing Gay and Lesbian concerns

These Real Post Reports let you know '...what it's really like to live there...', with special details pertaining to the gay/lesbian experience overseas. Feel free to submit your own Real Post Report here.

This listing contains (we hope) all the Real Post Reports that include content of specific interest to Gays and Lesbians:

• Amsterdam, the Netherlands: "The gay/lesbian scene is very open here."
• Ankara, Turkey: " The atmosphere in Ankara for gays and lesbians is (very) slowly emerging from the deep underground that it was in before. There are some bars where gays and lesbians meet, but these are pretty hush-hush and can be hard to find…for now."
• Antananarivo, Madagascar: "The culture is very accepting of all lifestyles (among foreigners)."
• Asuncion, Paraguay: "The few gays I've known here have kept very low-key. There is a Paraguay G&L association. "
• Bangui, CAR: "There was one gay-friendly bar, if it could be called that, run by (get this) a Chadian transvestite."
• Bangkok, Thailand: "There's a decent-sized community of gay and lesbian expats and locals, many of whom are very active with respect to policy and advocacy."
• Bangul, The Gambia: "Knowing gay men's taste for the unusual, the remote, and the exotic, this place could be just the thing!"
• Berlin, Germany: "Berlin is Berlin."
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: "Good post for gay/lesbian expatriates? No, it's a real drag. "
• Brasilia, Brazil: "Brasilia is a mixture of everything in the country, and people here are not much concerned about how others live their lives."
• Bridgetown, Barbados "There are a couple of clubs that are known for being mixed, but, in general, there is not a lot of acceptance. The local churches are very anti-gay, and every day the newspapers publish anti-gay columns. Homosexuality is technically illegal, but the law is not enforced. For gay singles the lack of a social scene might be a problem."
• Brussels, Belgium: "There seem to be many opportunities for alternative lifestyles."
• Buenos Aires, Argentina "Everyone says the gay population of any given area is around 10%. I would say Buenos Aires runs at about 25%."
• Canberra, Australia: "Canberra does have a gay/lesbian community, but Sydney and Melbourne have much larger ones."
• Caracas, Venezuela: "I definitely never heard of people being hassled for their sexual orientation and, given that we knew gay Caraquenos, I don't think it was a real issue."
• Chengdu, China: "Considering China's view of homosexuality, it's not great, but I do know people who seem to be doing well here."
• Chennai, India: "I've heard that Mumbai is better for this."; " If you come as a couple, though, you'll be fine."
• Chisinau Moldova: "There is a very tiny gay/lesbian community."
• Conakry, Guinea: "Absolutely not!"
• Daegu, South Korea: "There are few out gay Koreans. But a gay couple can easily walk around holding hands or showing affection because Koreans do that with their same-sex friends normally."
• Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: "No, as Tanzania doesn't tolerate gays."
• Dili, East Timor: "I don't think gays/lesbians would find this a very welcoming and accommodating post."
• Djibouti City, Djibouti: "This is an Islamic nation, so I would suggest discretion."
• Dushanbe, Tajikistan: "There have been (and are now) gays and lesbians here."
• Florence, Italy: "There are several gay/lesbian clubs and they seem to keep sprouting up."
• Fukuoka, Japan: "The local (gay) scene is somewhat limited."
• Gaborone, Botswana: " Homosexual acts are illegal in Botswana, but there is a disorganized but surprisingly large underground local African gay and lesbian community. "
• Geneva, Switzerland: "The lesbian and gay communities here are quite active, and there is little or no anti-gay sentiment."
• Georgetown, Grand Cayman: "This is the place where they won't even allow gay cruise ships to dock."
• Georgetown, Guyana: "The gay community in Guyana is still very closeted. There are no clubs or social outlets. The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination, SASOD, has met with much resistance from the general population over simple things like gay film festivals.
• Guadalajara, Mexico: "My neighbor is gay, and he is extremely cautious and private."
• Guangzhou, China: "Probably fine for couples. There's no harassment or anything like that." "There is not a very open gay/lesbian community here."
• The Hague, Netherlands: ''Amsterdam is more the center of gay activity than is The Hague."
• Hamburg, Germany: " I don't see it being a problem."
• Hermosillo, Mexico
: "Local society frowns upon homosexuality." But: "There is a gay bar called Secrets—painted purple with a rainbow-colored triangle sign—not exactly secret!"

• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam:
"Vietnam is full of beautiful people of 'all' genders." "Homosexuality is about as well accepted here as it is in Thailand." "All of the gay expats I know have found local boyfriends."
• Istanbul, Turkey: "I think I've seen some things about gay/lesbian activities in Time Out or The Guide magazines (both available on-line)."
• Khartoum, Sudan: "No, there is no gay scene."
• Kingston, Jamaica: " In general, Jamaicans strongly disapprove of homosexuality. Openly gay people may be subject to verbal attacks and even physical violence if their sexual orientation becomes public knowledge."
• Kolonia, Micronesia: "Not particularly hostile if it is kept very quiet."
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: "There seems to be a community, and those who want to seem to be able to enjoy their lifestyle."
• Leiden, the Netherlands: "It's the Netherlands... Yes."
• Libreville, Gabon: "Gabonese society seems more or less tolerant of homosexuality."
• Lima, Peru: "There are a couple of gay bars in Barranco and one in Miraflores."
• Lusaka, Zambia: "There are no gay bars and/or organizations. It might be a lonely post."
• London, UK: "It seems like there's a real open scene here."
• Managua, Nicaragua: "Lots of gays here."
• Manila, The Philippines: "Not a huge scene, but Filipinos are reasonably tolerant, and there are some openly gay clubs around town."
• Maputo, Mozambique: "There is a small but interesting gay community."
• Mexico City, Mexico: "There are several gay men at post, all of whom seem to do quite well. Local "Tiempo Libre" guide lists several gay bars, clubs, etc."
• Nassau, Bahamas: "Formal anti-gay protests are not uncommon, and anti-gay/lesbian activities go from the ridiculous (punishment of school students wearing “gay” shoes) to the frightening (government-sponsored rallies seeking “warriors” against “rape, incest, drugs and homosexuality”.) Members of the local gay/lesbian group are underground for fear of reprisal."
• New Delhi, India: "There is still a great lack of acceptance."
• Osaka, Japan: "Homosexual culture in Japan is a tricky wicket..."
• Paris, France: "This is probably the most cosmopolitan place on earth -- all comers will find their place under the sun here!"
• Phnom Penh, Cambodia: "Bangkok is a short, inexpensive flight away."
• Port Louis, Mauritius: "Sure! It's what you make of it."
• Port Moresby, Papau New Guinea: "Not a huge same-sex community in PNG, although it is not really discriminated against."
• Porto Alegre, Brazil: "There is not much open Gay & Lesbianism, as Porto Alegre is in a fairly conservative part of the country."
• Puebla, Mexico: "Puebla is very diverse on all levels."
• Pristina, Kosovo: "No, No, No."
• Riga, Latvia: "Host government is very accommodating. Several (non-US) diplomats have accredited same-sex partners."
• Rio de Janeiro: "Excellent. Some of the most beautiful young people in the world are concentrated in Rio."
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: "A terrible post for gay/lesbian and singles as there is NO social scene available for them."
• San José, Costa Rica: "There is a gay community here, and my feeling is that the local community could not care less about it."
• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: "There are a few gay bars, including a nice dance club in the popular area known as the Colonial Zone. Gays are pretty closeted here though."
• Sarajevo, Bosnia: "Sarajevo is not a negative place for gays or lesbians."
• Shenyang, China: "Not sure about gays/lesbians - homosexuality is not really widely discussed up here."
• Skopje, Macedonia: "It's certainly not as intolerant as other parts of the world, but there is no real gay scene."
• St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda: "Caribbeans tend to be homophobic. Even gay tourists are advised to keep a low profile."
• Taipei, Taiwan: "Taipei is one of the most progressive cities in Asia on gay and lesbian issues."
• Tallinn, Estonia: "Being 'out' in Estonia is not a problem. There is no evidence in my experience of discrimination."
• Tbilisi, Georgia "There is an underground gay community here, but gay males are frowned upon and are often beaten."
• Tel Aviv, Israel: "Good for all."
• Tirana, Albania: " Rumor has it that the gay community is far underground in this conservative culture."
• Tripoli, Libya: "No."
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: "Mongolian society is not very liberated, but also not very discriminatory, so it's mostly live and let live."
• Vilnius, Lithuania: "Lithuanians are some of the most homophobic people in the region according to opinion polls. But none of us (we were three who wrote this) know of any openly gay expats, so it is difficult to assess."
• Warsaw, Poland: 'Warsaw does have a gay nightclub or two, and Poland (somewhat surprisingly for a traditional Catholic country) has a history of acceptance of homosexuality."
• Windhoek, Namibia: "There is a pretty vibrant civil society with G/L issues seemingly well-represented."

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