LGBT travel index puts Sweden top, and warns against some popular destinations
LGBT travel index puts Sweden top, and warns against some popular destinations
Canada and Norway make top three of new ranking for gay and trans travellers, which also warns of ill-treatment in some countries favoured by tourists
Stockholm Gay Pride … Sweden tops the index of gay rights for travellers. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian
Sweden has been named the most LGBT-friendly country in the world for travellers according to new research into gay rights in 150 countries.
The LGBTQ+ Danger Index was created by ranking the 150 most-visited countries using eight factors, including legalised same-sex marriage, worker protection and whether, based on Gallup poll findings, it is a good place to live.
Canada ranked second-safest, followed by Norway, Portugal and Belgium. The UK is sixth safest on the list, but the US does not make the top 20. The researchers, American couple Asher and Lyric Fergusson, who blog about staying safe while travelling, said one reason the US is only at number 24 is because gay rights vary from state to state.
Lyric Fergusson said: “There are no constitutional or broad protections for LGBTQ+ rights under federal law in the US. Also, in some states, LGBTQ+ youth do not have access to helpful information, because of so-called ‘no-promo homo laws’. The US may have come far, but it has a long way to go in terms of LGBTQ+ rights, especially for young transgender people.”
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