15 Safest Countries for Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer Travelers

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A recent study developed by MouseNotifier, which alerts users when a Disney restaurant table is available, ranked 203 countries based on LGBTQ+ rights and safety. Hearing this, I took note, as rights of this community are in peril in the U.S.
In a comprehensive report, the researchers tapped five key factors, including legalized same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ worker protections, and the criminalization of LGBTQ+ acts.
Key Findings
Sweden ranks #1 for strong protections, including legalized same-sex marriage and hate crime laws. I spent my 57th birthday in Stockholm, I am not gay it definitely felt very LGBTQ+ friendly. Where else would one find such colorful foods, flowers and art?
Indeed, Sweden has hate crime legislation written into the Penal Code, as follows from the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Hate Crime Report:
Criminal Code of Sweden (1962, as amended 2018) (excerpts related to hate crimes)
Chapter 29 Section 2
In assessing penal value and circumstances tending to aggravate the offence, in addition to the provisions prescribed for each individual type of offence, special consideration shall be given to whether: (…) (7) a motive of the offence was to insult a person, an ethnic group or another such group of people by reason of their race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity or other similar circumstance, or (…)
Canada and the Netherlands also boast favorable worker protections and public acceptance. The index highlights not just legal rights but also public attitudes, measured through the Gallup World Poll. Countries with laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ acts faced significant score penalties by the Disney platform researchers, reflecting risks in those areas.
15 Safest Countries For LGBTQ Travelers, all of which provide for gay marriage and enforce hate crime legislation:
RANK/ COUNTRY
1 Sweden
2 Canada
3 Netherlands
4 Norway
5 Malta
6 UK
7 Spain
8 Portugal
9 Denmark
10 Belgium
11 Switzerland
12 Iceland
13 France
14 Ireland
15 Luxembourg
Positive factors like Same-Sex Marriage were given points (+50) while Negative Factors like Ilegal LGBTQ+ Acts lost points (-100).
Photos: Stockholm Central Station at Europride, By Sparrow (麻雀) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71422344; Author's photos from Stockholm

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