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09-18-2008, 06:05 AM
The Ten Best Places In The World To Be Gay In
By Marcus Field
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
From San Francisco to London, we pick the best spots to live gay life to the full.
San Francisco
The junction of Castro and 18th Street is known as "the gayest four corners in the world", but in fact the whole of this laid-back West-Coast city is a welcoming environment for gay men and women. San Francisco's reputation as a centre for tolerance dates back to a time when navy ships would off-load any suspect homosexuals in the harbour. In the early 1970s disgruntled gay New Yorkers began to move here after the Stonewall riots, and Armistead Maupin immortalised the city's queer life in his Tales of the City. Now that California is one of only two states in the US which permits same-sex marriage, San Francisco has become a favourite venue to get hitched.
Sydney
Things have changed enormously since the first Mardi Gras march was held in Sydney in 1978. Homosexuality was illegal in New South Wales until 1984, and many of the 53 protestors who were arrested lost their jobs when their pictures appeared in the newspapers. Such things are unthinkable now that lesbians and gay men are integrated into every sphere of Sydney life and Mardi Gras is a three-week long festival and the biggest dance party in the country. Oxford Street began developing as a queer district in the 1960s and today is the most visibly gay area of the city. But same-sex marriages are still not enshrined in federal law.
New York
The city of Quentin Crisp and Judy Garland is surely the gay capital of the world. It's a place where lesbians and gay men of all ages and races are so integrated into work and political culture that their sexuality is often the least significant thing about them. Obvious gay districts include Greenwich Village, where the Stonewall riots of 1968 began; upmarket Chelsea; and the seedier East Village. Across the East River, Brooklyn is now home to many arty gay men and lesbian families. Tolerance is the norm, but it pays to take care in remoter areas like Harlem and Central Park at night - same-sex marriage is illegal in New York State.
Mykonos
This little Aegean island became famous in the 1960s for the tolerance and vibrant nightlife it offered to gay men and women. Despite competition from party islands such as Ibiza, it still attracts hordes of gay tourists who enjoy the queer camaraderie of its clubs and beaches. The island is named after Mykons, the grandson of Apollo, and the nearby island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, is one of its main attractions. Homosexuality was legalised in Greece in 1951 and male prostitution became legal in 2006. But the fact that the roots of homosexual history are usually traced back to ancient Greece is surely part of what draws gay people to Mykonos.
Paris
The city of Proust and Piaf is a natural environment for a flourishing queer life. A commercial gay quarter is now well established around the elegant Marais district, but a darker and more risqué same-sex nightlife can be found in seedy Pigalle and as far away as the Bois de Boulogne (read Rupert Everett's memoirs for eye-popping details). Women are particularly well catered for in Paris, with chic lesbian bars such as the Alcantara Café and events such as a women-only film festival and a lesbian cultural archive. Gay pilgrimage sites in the city include the graves of Oscar Wilde and Gertrude Stein, both in cemetery Père Lachaise.
By Marcus Field
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
From San Francisco to London, we pick the best spots to live gay life to the full.
San Francisco
The junction of Castro and 18th Street is known as "the gayest four corners in the world", but in fact the whole of this laid-back West-Coast city is a welcoming environment for gay men and women. San Francisco's reputation as a centre for tolerance dates back to a time when navy ships would off-load any suspect homosexuals in the harbour. In the early 1970s disgruntled gay New Yorkers began to move here after the Stonewall riots, and Armistead Maupin immortalised the city's queer life in his Tales of the City. Now that California is one of only two states in the US which permits same-sex marriage, San Francisco has become a favourite venue to get hitched.
Sydney
Things have changed enormously since the first Mardi Gras march was held in Sydney in 1978. Homosexuality was illegal in New South Wales until 1984, and many of the 53 protestors who were arrested lost their jobs when their pictures appeared in the newspapers. Such things are unthinkable now that lesbians and gay men are integrated into every sphere of Sydney life and Mardi Gras is a three-week long festival and the biggest dance party in the country. Oxford Street began developing as a queer district in the 1960s and today is the most visibly gay area of the city. But same-sex marriages are still not enshrined in federal law.
New York
The city of Quentin Crisp and Judy Garland is surely the gay capital of the world. It's a place where lesbians and gay men of all ages and races are so integrated into work and political culture that their sexuality is often the least significant thing about them. Obvious gay districts include Greenwich Village, where the Stonewall riots of 1968 began; upmarket Chelsea; and the seedier East Village. Across the East River, Brooklyn is now home to many arty gay men and lesbian families. Tolerance is the norm, but it pays to take care in remoter areas like Harlem and Central Park at night - same-sex marriage is illegal in New York State.
Mykonos
This little Aegean island became famous in the 1960s for the tolerance and vibrant nightlife it offered to gay men and women. Despite competition from party islands such as Ibiza, it still attracts hordes of gay tourists who enjoy the queer camaraderie of its clubs and beaches. The island is named after Mykons, the grandson of Apollo, and the nearby island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, is one of its main attractions. Homosexuality was legalised in Greece in 1951 and male prostitution became legal in 2006. But the fact that the roots of homosexual history are usually traced back to ancient Greece is surely part of what draws gay people to Mykonos.
Paris
The city of Proust and Piaf is a natural environment for a flourishing queer life. A commercial gay quarter is now well established around the elegant Marais district, but a darker and more risqué same-sex nightlife can be found in seedy Pigalle and as far away as the Bois de Boulogne (read Rupert Everett's memoirs for eye-popping details). Women are particularly well catered for in Paris, with chic lesbian bars such as the Alcantara Café and events such as a women-only film festival and a lesbian cultural archive. Gay pilgrimage sites in the city include the graves of Oscar Wilde and Gertrude Stein, both in cemetery Père Lachaise.