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Safer Places to Live for Gay Men

By Gay, ThinkingNo Comments

A couple of months ago I wrote a blog post about Unsafe Places to be a Gay Man. But not all places in world are unsafe for gay men.

Some places in the world are not only safe for gay men, but places where they can be who they are, love who they love, thrive and live a happy life.

So to give balance to my previous blog post, let’s explore some of the safer places to live for gay men.

To be a safe place for gay men to live places require:

  1. Be an environment where gay men feel safe from harm or abuse. Where gay men aren’t shrinking/hiding who they are for fear of rejection (or worse fearing conflict) because of who they are.
  2. Cultural acceptance of gay men.
  3. Cultural celebration of the diversity that gay men bring.
  4. Anti-discriminatory laws that include protections specifically for gay men or those of minority sexualities.
  5. Equality laws that ensure gay men are treated equally and fairly in all areas of their life. This should include the right to marry a person of the same gender. This should also include the right to start a family through the adoption of children, if individual gay men or gay couples want to do this.
  6. Laws that protect gay men from homophobia and hate crimes.
  7. Inclusivity as a key value in all institutions, companies and other organisations.
  8. Representation of gay men in all walks of life, including media, politics and TV shows. Representation should feel validating for the gay men, who at one time, may have known a time where they felt invisible in their communities.
  9. Providers of services recognising the challenges that some gay men can face. Such as internalised homophobia, having a higher risks associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and higher risk of mental illnesses.
  10. Providers of service being aware of understanding how historic attitudes and discrimination towards gay men may have impacted them as individuals.
  11. Monitor the life outcomes and progress of gay men to identify any existing inequality and take steps to address any inequalities.

Let’s explore some of these places together:

Country (A to Z) & Overall OpinionReasons Why it is a Good Place to Live for Gay Men
Argentina

Overall Opinion:
An okay place for a gay man to live.		Attitudes are said to positive towards gay men. Good equality laws (same-sex marriage) and laws against discrimination.

There has been a slight increase in recorded hate crimes in the past few years.
Austria

Overall Opinion:
An okay place for a gay man to live.		Attitudes are said to progressive and supportive towards gay men. Good equality laws (same-sex marriage and adoption rights) and laws against discrimination.

However employment discrimination is still an issue, as is acceptance in some families and hate crime reporting is low.
Australia

Overall Opinion:
An good place for a gay man to live.		In the cities there are high levels of acceptance of gay men. Good equality laws (same-sex marriage) and laws against discrimination.

However gay men may still face some stigma or indirect discrimination accessing healthcare services.
Belgium

Overall Opinion:
An excellent place for a gay man to live.		Considered one of the most accepting and friendly countries in the world for gay men. The general population have a high level of support for gay rights. At the time of writing this article has an openly gay Prime Minister and other politicians that are out.

Cities are generally more accepting and friendly towards gay men than in rural areas, but this is pretty standard across the world.

Good equality laws (same-sex marriage and adoption rights) and laws against discrimination.
Canada

Overall Opinion:
A poor place for a gay man to live.		Historically, Canada has been a great place for gay men to live. Accepting, supportive of equal rights. Well established gay communities. Good equality laws (same-sex marriage and adoption rights) and laws against discrimination.

However recently, there has been a decline in support for gay men being seen (visability) and an increase in hate crimes targeted at gay men.
Finland

Overall Opinion:
An okay place for a gay man to live.		A good place for a gay man to live. High acceptance among the general population. ood equality laws (same-sex marriage and adoption rights).

Finland does have its issues when it comes to gay men. Many hide their sexuality at work and it’s anti-discrimination laws aren’t as strong as they could be.
France

Overall Opinion:
An okay place for a gay man to live.		France is considered to be very accepting, supportive and even celebratory towards homosexuality (and therefore gay men). Historically, France decriminalized homosexuality in 1791, far earlier than many other places around the world.

France has good equality laws (same-sex marriage) and strong laws against discrimination.

However there are still reports of hate crimes against gay men, including violent ones and some young people who come out as gay to their families still face rejection and homelessness.
Germany

Overall Opinion:
A poor place for a gay man to live. Except if the gay man lives in Berlin, where it would be considered a good place to live.		Germany is a bit of a mixed bag for gay men. If you live in the capital, Berlin, there is an extremely high level of acceptance and a thriving gay community.

However attitudes are not the same throughout Germany and vary massively region to region.

Germany does have good equality laws (same-sex marriage & adoption rights) and some laws against discrimination. Germany could improve the living conditions for gay men by bringing stronger legal protection against discrimination, particularly from public institutions.
Greece

Overall Opinion:
An poor place for a gay man to live.		There was more acceptance of gay men in ancient Greece, than there is today. Attitudes towards gay men, are at best, described as mixed. There are a number of complex reasons why this is the case, but one of them is the strong presence of the Orthodox Christian religion.

Greece does have good equality laws (same-sex marriage & adoption rights), as well as laws against discrimination.

In Greece, it would be safest to be a gay man in a large city and one with a generally younger population. Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1951 and their hate crime legislation is considered very strong.
Iceland

Overall Opinion:
A good place for a gay man to live.		Iceland is known for being very liberal and accepting of gay men. It has even had a previous Prime Minister who was an out gay man.

Iceland more than just accepting of gay men, it actively celebrates them. Gay men as fully visible in this society and even public displays of affection among gay couples is widely accepted.

Legislation wise, good equality laws (same sex marriage & adoption rights) with conversion therapy being banned in 2023.

The only slight concern I found about Iceland was: That some gay men choose to hide their sexuality at work, for fear of losing their job.
Ireland

Overall Opinion:
A poor place for a gay man to live.		Ireland has come along way in its attitudes and treatment of gay men. Ireland was once highly religious, gay men faced very open stigma and discrimination, both from individuals within communities and institutions.

But Government surveys have found an ever increasing number of the general population have a positive and accepting attitude towards gay men.

Ireland has good equality laws (same sex marriage) and anti-discrimination laws.

However it still has some work to do around attitudes and culture of acceptance, before it would be on my personal list of safe places for a gay man to live.
Italy

Overall Opinion:
A very poor place for a gay man to live.		Italy is described as being ‘mixed’ in its attitudes towards gay men.

Gay men do have some good laws (civil unions are allowed between same gendered partners) and discrimination laws don’t allow discrimination in employment settings. But anti-discrimination laws are described a relatively weak, when compared with neighbouring countries.

The current Government’s view on gay men, the fact that a high percentage of the population are Roman Catholic (Christianity) are thought to both be reasons why Italy wouldn’t be a great place for a gay man to life. Interestingly though, it is considered safe for gay men to visit.
Malta

Overall Opinion:
A poor place for a gay man to live.		Malta’s acceptance of gay men is okay, but many gay men feel the need to hide their sexuality in the workplace for fear of discrimination. This is despite anti-discrimination laws being in place.

There is good legislation that legalises gay marriage, adoption and it has banned conversion therapy.
Netherlands

Overall Opinion:
A very poor place for a gay man to live.		The Netherlands is generally accepting of gay men, however there have been reports of changes in attitudes towards gay men, worryingly from young adults.

It does have anti-discrimination laws that include homosexuality. It does have same sex marriage and adoption rights.

But there is a lack of legislation relating to hate crimes and hate speech. There has also been an increase in reported violence towards gay men.
New Zealand

Overall Opinion:
A good place for a gay man to live.
New Zealand is not only accepting of gay men, but celebrates them at Pride events in most cities.

The Government collects data on the number of people who identify as gay men and other sexualities. This data shows a lower percentage than I would have expected, indicating that some people may not be comfortable coming out (at least to the Government).

Some data suggests that gay men earn less than straight men, however it is difficult to establish from the limited data available if this is likely to be because of their sexuality or not. There could be other reasons why this is so.

In terms of visibility, Gay men are visible in society. This includes in positions of power, in such roles as Politicians.

Legislation wise, gay marriage is allowed.
Norway

Overall Opinion:
A extremely good place for a gay man to live.
Norway is said to be very accepting and celebratory towards gay men. Pride exists in some cities in Norway.

It should be noted here, that it was one of only a few countries on this list that allows out gay men to serve in its Armed Forces.

Norway is apparently often referred to as one of the most friendly nations towards gay men in the world.

One of the proposed reasons for Norway’s positive attitudes and treatment of gay men is said to be because the people of Norway lack a strong religious influence on them.

It has anti-discrimination laws to protect gay men, the country allows both gay marriage and adoption. Conversion therapy is legally banned.
Portugal

Overall Opinion:
A extremely good place for a gay man to live.

The people of Portugal value equality and this benefits gay men. Gay men are mostly accepted and in cities even have particular neighbourhoods and communities that gay men would feel at home and safe in. Some cities have Pride festivals/events.

It should be noted here, that it was one of only a few countries on this list that allows out gay men to serve in its Armed Forces.

It has anti-discrimination laws that protect gay men, including around employment and housing. Portugal legally allows same sex marriage and adoption. Hate crimes are punished under the law. Conversion therapy is also banned legally and widely condemned.

Portugal was once heavily Roman Catholic (Christianity) which did mean that historically out gay men were not always treated well.

I was unable to find information about the visibility of gay men in society, including in positions in power. That is not to say that gay men are not visible in Portugal, just in my research for this blog post, I wasn’t able to find any reliable information that gave an indication either way.
Spain

Overall Opinion:
A good place for a gay man to live.
Spain is said to be accepting of gay men, celebrates them and the diversity they bring through Pride events in the cities. The population of rural areas and older population of Spain are said to be less accepting of gay men, than the general population.

Anti-discrimination laws exist to protect gay men. Same sex marriage and adoption are both legalised. It is another one of only a few countries on this list that allowed out gay men to serve in its Armed Forces.

However, there are reports of gay men being harassed and discriminated against by some institutions, sadly including the Police.

It is worth being aware that Spain’s main religion is Roman Catholicism (Christianity), however the number of people practicing this religion and adhering to its strict anti-gay men beliefs has significantly declined in recent decades.
Switzerland

Overall Opinion:
A very good place for a gay man to live.		Switzerland’s people are generally accepting of gay men, but more so in the cities than rural places. Episodes of violence towards gay men are said to be exceptionally rare.

Laws protect gay men against discrimination, allow same sex marriage and adoption. Out gay men to serve in its Armed Forces.

In Switzerland, they have gay civil rights organisations and several religious groups have expressed their support for equal rights for gay men.

However the country is still to have an specific legal protections for gay men in the work environment, possibly instead relying on the general population’s positive and supportive attitudes towards gay men. Switzerland has not yet banned conversion therapy legally.

No information could be found related to visibility of gay men or how insitutitions and companies treat gay men. This should not be taken as gay men are treated positively or negatively by these organisations, just that no information could be found regarding these during research for this blog post.
UK

Overall Opinion:
A very good place for a gay man to live.		The UK’s population is generally very accepting of gay men. In cities, the diversity gay men bring to society is celebrated through Pride events.

The UK has civil rights organisations such as Stonewall. It also has specific charities that support gay men.

The UK laws allows same sex marriage and adoption. There are legal protections for gay men from discrimination because of their sexuality in all settings. Out gay men to serve in its Armed Forces.

The UK is sadly yet to legally ban conversion therapy or make the practice a crime.

The Government collects data around the number of gay men as a percentage of the population, although this number was lower than expected. This indicates that some gay men may still be reluctant to tell the Government of their sexuality. Government data also suggests an increased risk of gay men experiencing mental illness and having poorer health outcomes than their straight counterparts.

The has been an increase of reported hate crimes against gay men in recent years. Although it is impossible to tell whether this is due to an increase in reporting, which would indicate an increase in trust in the Police (historically homophobic) by gay men or as a result of increased hate crimes occurring.

Gay men are visible in all walks of life, including media, politics and TV shows. However gay men are significantly under represented in some walks of life, such as professional sports. You can learn more about specific visible gay men in my article Influential UK Gay Men available here.

A really good online resource is: Rainbow Map. It lets you see visually the safest and best places for LGBT people to live, which includes gay men.

Please note that the table above has been completed with research online. I have tried to make it as accurate as possible, but there could possibly be errors. I have not visited a lot of these countries and can’t confirm firsthand the information provided in the table.

If you’ve spotted an error in the information provided in the table, please leave a comment below to let me and others know. That way, any gay man who comes across this article, looking for a safer and better place to live has as much accurate information as possible. Thank you. If you enjoyed this blog post, you might enjoy my Influential UK Gay Men article which is available as a free download here.

Write soon,

Antony

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Wednesday 3 December 2025

Unsafe Places to be a Gay Man

By Gay, ThinkingNo Comments

Imagine living with a secret that could get you killed. Imagine the lengths you would have to go to to keep this secret. Imagine growing up being told that people like you are unnatural and immoral. In these circumstances how would you cope? How would you protect your mental and emotional health?

What I’ve just described is the life of some gay men in some places. They aren’t able to choose who they love. They face being disowned by their family and friends, assaults, criminal prosecution and potentially even being sentenced to death. Just because of who they are and who they are attracted to/fall in love with.

In the UK, gay men have equal rights in law and attitudes are becoming more positive towards gay men. But this wasn’t always the case.

Just fifty years ago, being gay was illegal in the UK. Gay men weren’t out, they couldn’t marry their male partners, couldn’t adopt children as a gay couple and couldn’t give blood.

If fifty years ago a gay man had come out and told people of their sexuality they would face legal consequences (such as being locked up in a mental hospital or worse chemical castration). They would face being disowned by their community (if not driven out of it), become the repeated victim of crime, experience unsympathetic and homophobic Police, experience discrimination when buying goods or accessing services, be unable to get employment and many other negative consequences. All because they’d been honest about who they are and who they are romantically attracted to.

Given this history of prejudice and discrimination (both on individual and institutional levels), it’s not surprising that coming out is a big event for gay men. Gay men who do come out show emotional vulnerability, driven by a desire for loved ones to fully know them and a hope that they will accept them for who they are. It explains why some people gay men will never come out and take the secret of who they are to their grave.

It also explains why gay men often have mental health issues (including being at greater risk of suicide), low self-esteem, problems with addiction (self-medicating difficult emotions such as shame or fear) and generally worse health outcomes than heterosexual people. There’s a lot of shame, self-loathing and unhappiness in the gay community. It is currently getting better in the UK, with younger generations of gay men experiencing these issues to a lesser extent.

But around the world there are many places where it is extremely unsafe to be a gay man. Where gay men still have to hide who they are. I think it’s really sad that gay men have only got equal rights in some countries, but not others.

Here are some countries where it is unsafe to be a gay man and what the legal consequences could be for coming out. An out gay man in any of these countries would likely experience the same prejudice and discrimination that an out gay man would have experienced in the UK fifty years ago. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Just some of the main countries I found out about whilst doing research for this blog post.

CountryLegal Consequences
EgyptUp to 17 years in prison, with or without hard labour.
MoroccoUp to 6 years in prison, with hard labour.
Tunisia3 years in prison.
Ghana3 years in prison.
NigeriaUp to 14 years in prison. They have the death penalty in some parts, but it is apparently not used.
KenyaUp to 14 years in prison.
Saudi ArabiaVery barbaric. Death penalty, or prison. Fines and floggings.
United Arab EmiratesPrison time. Minimum 6 months, but no upper maximum amount of time (up to the Courts).
Bangladesh10 years to life prison sentence.
MaldivesUp to 8 years in prison.
Pakistan2 years to life in prison.
Sri LankaUp to 10 years in prison, plus fines.
Malaysia20 years in prison.

What struck me after I compiled the list above, is that for some people, their holiday destination might be listed. I wonder if the people going on holiday to these places realise how they treat gay men there? Just a thought.

If you enjoyed this blog post, you might enjoy my Influential UK Gay Men article which is available as a free download here.

Write soon,

Antony

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Sunday 24 August 2025

Adventure: The Metropolitan City of Wroclaw, Poland

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Thinking, TravelNo Comments

I recently visited Wroclaw in Poland with my brother and his friends for his stag do and his birthday. It was the first time I had met many of my brother’s friends and they are a great bunch of lads. In this post I’ll be discussing my experience of being in Wroclaw.

The first thing to write is that the architecture is aesthetically pleasing. There are many buildings with a Georgian style and many churches that are exquisitely designed. Here is an example of one such church:

Wroclaw-0-2019

A Church in Wroclaw, Poland.

Here are two photos of fountains I took:

Wroclaw-1-2019

Fountain (1).
Wroclaw-2-2019

Fountain (2).

Wroclaw is vibrant, youthful and has an upbeat feel. It is a clean city, only being let down by graffiti that is everywhere. There are plenty of places to eat and drink, with some even having English menus upon request. The cost of living is cheap with roughly 10 slotty (about £2) buying a double vodka and diet coke. I did have difficulties getting zero sugar drinks in a number of places, which was a bit of an issue with me being diabetic.

The only Polish word I managed to learn was Kawa, which means coffee. The main square is huge and has flower market stalls that appear to be open 24/7. I found myself listening to Polish conversations as I walked around and appreciating the beautiful sound of the language. Some Polish spoke English exceptionally well whereas others didn’t speak any English at all. I found the Google Translate App really useful.

Without doubt it is people that make a city. All appeared happy, content and liberal. Polish people had less inhibitions when it came to dancing than we English have. Polish people will quite happily bump into anyone in their way in pubs and clubs. This is normal to the Polish, but being British I found it a little rude.

As Poland is known for being Roman Catholic and as such conservative when it comes to gay people and their rights. I decided to test the waters with a Polish man who I had been talking to and getting on with whilst smoking a cigarette. I came out and asked his views on gay people. He said:

“I don’t care, I don’t give a fuck. That’s your choice. We’re all just friends here.”

He described himself as not being religious, male, heterosexual and was in his mid twenties.

Overall Wroclaw is a beautiful city, with wonderful people and a place that I will be visiting again.

Take care,

Antony

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Thursday 31 October 2019

Wonderful Websites – Gay Culture and Society

By Gay, The Web8 Comments
wonderful-websites-image This is the seventh blog post in a series titled Wonderful Websites. The first focused on general health and can be read here. The second focused on mental health and mental illness and can be read here. The third post focused on shopping and can be read here.

The fourth focused on money and can be read here. The fifth focused on gigs, shows and theatres and can be read here. The sixth focused on paganism and can be read here.

Here’s Wonderful Websites about gay culture and society:

1. The Gay UK – My number one source of gay news.

2. Gay Star News – My close second source of gay news.

3. Gaydio – A gay radio station that can be listened to in London and Manchester and online.

4. Stonewall – A national charity that campaigns for LGBT rights.

5. The Albert Kennedy Trust – A charity that supports LGBT homeless young people.

6. RUComingOut is a brilliant resource for anyone struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, coming out or thinking about it.

7. GMFA – A gay men’s health charity.

8. LGBT @ BuzzFeed – A news site that has an LGBT section. Has the odd interesting article.

Are there any gay culture and society websites that you think are useful that aren’t on the list? If so leave a comment below and let me know.

In the next post in my Wonderful Websites I will list great TV, Online Streaming & Films websites.

Blog soon,

Antony



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Saturday 30 June 2018
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