Gay travel Index

The Spartacus International Gay Travel Index

rates all of the Spartacus destinations listed
in the Spartacus International Gay Guide
according to the laws and local customs of
each country. We have 14 categories ranging
from gay-marriage to death penalty for
homosexuals. The countries are colour coded
with dark green being the most liberal and
gay-friendly countries down to red for the
most dangerous countries for homosexuals to
visit and live in.
This list will be updated on a regular basis,
allowing trends to be seenpositive as well as
negative changes to our gay world. You can
find the explaination of our points system on
the last page.

Our Gay Travel Index is divided into positive

and negative categories. On the left hand side
the positive (in green) and on the right the
negative attributes (in red).

A category which is not positively influenced

or negatively affected is generally rated with a
0 (as zero is neither positive nor negative).

Adoption
allowed

LGBT-Marketing

Equal Age of
Consent

Religious
influence

HIV-travel
restrictions

Anti-gay laws

Homosexuality
illegal

Pride banned

Locals hostile

Prosecution

Murders

Death sentences

Sweden

Belgium

20

France

Netherlands

United Kingdom3

Canada

-1

Denmark5

Ranking

Marriage /
Partnership

The constantly changing political influences

will be reflected in our updates, which will
take place several times per year. A new category will then be added, showing the ranking
position from the previous index listing.

Anti-discrimination legislation

Some of the categories have a maximum of

3 levels and for this reason a maximum of
3 points can be awarded. In the case of the
death sentence, due to its severity and also
because there are 5 countries worldwide
which implement the death sentence for those caught interacting in homosexual terms, a
maximum of -5 points are attributed to these
countries ensuring that these countries are
at the bottom of our list.

Some of the negative categories reflect the

degree of negative influence for example
the category religious influence. Because
the influence of the Catholic church is stronger in the Vatican City than it is in Portugal
for example (where the Catholic church still
plays an important negative role) the Vatican
City was awarded -2 points and Portugal
only -1.

Total

Last updated: 21. February 2014

EXPLANATION OF
OUR POINTS SYSTEM FOR
OUR GAY TRAVEL INDEX

10

13

16

21

Country

Iceland

Uruguay18

New Zealand

Norway

Spain

-1

-1

Austria

Germany6

St. Maarten

-1

-1

Argentina1

-1

-1

Finland

Luxembourg

Portugal4

-1

-1

Switzerland

Australia

13

-2

Brazil7

-1

Czech Republic

Estonia

French Polynesia

-1

Greenland

Ireland

21

Slovenia

-1

www.spartacusworld.com

30

49

Adoption
allowed

LGBT-Marketing

Equal Age of
Consent

Religious
influence

HIV-travel
restrictions

Anti-gay laws

Homosexuality
illegal

Pride banned

Locals hostile

Prosecution

Murders

Death sentences

-1

-2

Andorra

-2

Guadeloupe

-1

-1

-1

-1

Liechtenstein

Martinique

-1

-1

New Caledonia

Reunion

Thailand

USA19

-1

-1

Aruba

Bulgaria

-1

Cambodia

Croatia22

-1

-1

Curacao

-1

Hungary

-1

-1

Italy

-1

Malta

-1

-1

Mexico

-1

-1

-2

Albania

-1

-2

15

-1

-1

Bonaire

-1

China/Hong Kong

-1

Costa Rica

-1

-1

Chile

-1

Bosnia-Hercegovina

60

Gibraltar
Israel

40

Marriage /
Partnership

South Africa

Anti-discrimination legislation

Country

21

Total

Ranking

Gay travel Index

Guam

-1

Philippines

-1

Slovakia

-1

Vietnam

-1

Virgin Islands (USA)14

-1

-1

Azerbaijan

-1

-1

-1

Bermuda

-1

-1

Bolivia

-1

-1

-1

British Virgin Islands

-1

-1

-1

-1

Cyprus

-1

-1

-1

Fiji11

-1

-1

-1

-1

Greece

-1

-1

-1

Japan

-1

-1

Kazakhstan

-1

-1

-1

Kosovo

-1

-2

-2

Laos

-1

-1

Latvia

-1

-1

-1

Moldovia

-1

-1

-1

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Ranking

Country

Total

Anti-discrimination legislation

Marriage /
Partnership

Adoption
allowed

LGBT-Marketing

Equal Age of
Consent

Religious
influence

HIV-travel
restrictions

Anti-gay laws

Homosexuality
illegal

Pride banned

Locals hostile

Prosecution

Murders

Death sentences

Gay travel Index

60

Montenegro

-1

-1

-1

Nicaragua

-1

-1

Taiwan

-1

-2

Armenia23

-2

-1

-1

76

Colombia

11

-2

-1

-1

-1

-2

Dominican Republic

-2

-1

-1

Ecuador

-2

-1

-2

-1

El Salvador

-2

-1

-1

-2

-2

-1

-1

-2

Georgia

90

105

(Europe)

Kyrgyzstan

-2

-1

-1

Macedonia

-2

-1

-1

Mongolia

-2

-1

-1

Paraguay

-2

-1

-1

Puerto Rico14

-2

-1

-1

-2

Ukraine

-2

-1

-1

-1

Venezuela

-2

-1

-1

Vanuatu

-2

-1

-1

-1

Cape Verde

-3

-1

-1

-1

Cuba

-3

-1

-1

-2

Grenada

-3

-1

-1

-1

Guatemala

-3

-1

-1

-2

Korea South

-3

-1

-2

-1

Lebanon

-3

-1

-1

-1

-1

Lithuania

-3

-1

-1

-1

-1

Nepal

-3

-1

-1

-1

-1

Panama

-3

-1

-1

-1

-1

Poland

-3

-2

-1

-1

Romania

-3

-1

-2

-1

Senegal

-3

-1

-1

-1

Serbia

-3

-1

-1

-2

Sri Lanka

-3

-1

-1

-1

-1

Turkey

-3

-1

-1

-1

-1

Barbados

-4

-1

-1

-1

-1

Belize

-4

-1

-1

-1

-1

Honduras

-4

-1

-1

-1

-2

India 9

-4

-1

-1

-1

-1

Indonesia12

-4

-1

-1

-1

-2

Kenya

-4

-1

-1

-1

-2

Mauritius

-4

-1

-1

-1

-2

Myanmar

-4

-1

-1

-1

-2

Peru16

-4

-2

-1

-2

Saint Kitts & Nevis

-4

-1

-1

-1

-1

Singapore

-4

-3

-1

-1

Tunisia

-4

-1

-1

-1

-1

-1

Ranking

Country

Total

Anti-discrimination legislation

Marriage /
Partnership

Adoption
allowed

LGBT-Marketing

Equal Age of
Consent

Religious
influence

HIV-travel
restrictions

Anti-gay laws

Homosexuality
illegal

Pride banned

Locals hostile

Prosecution

Murders

Death sentences

Gay travel Index

105

Zambia

-4

-1

-1

-1

-2

-5

-1

-1

-2

-2

Belarus

118

24

Madagascar

-5

-1

-2

-2

Morocco

-5

-1

-1

-1

-1

-2

Namibia

-5

-2

-1

-1

-2

Oman

-5

-1

-1

-1

-1

-1

-1

Pakistan

-5

-2

-1

-1

-1

-1

Syria

-5

-1

-1

-1

-1

-1

125

Bahamas

-6

-1

-2

-1

-1

-2

Zimbabwe

-6

-1

-1

-1

-2

-2

127

Vatican City

-7

-2

-1

-1

-2

-2

130

Bahrain 17

-7

-2

-2

-2

-1

Maledives

-7

-2

-1

-1

-2

-1

Malaysia

-8

-2

-1

-2

-1

-1

-2

131

Egypt

-9

-2

-2

-1

-1

-1

-2

-1

132

Nigeria

-10

-2

-1

-1

-2

-5

Tanzania

-10

-1

-1

-1

-1

-2

-2

-2

Jamaica

-11

-1

-2

-2

-2

-2

-2

134

Jordan

-11

-2

-3

-1

-2

-2

-2

Russia

-11

-1

-3

-2

-2

-1

-1

-2

137

United Arab Emirates

-12

-1

-2

-1

-1

-1

-2

-5

138

Iran

-14

-2

-1

--1

-1

-2

-2

-5

1 In Argentina the anti-discrimination laws are still in the process

2 In Canada the adoption laws vary per province. Same-sex-adoption is however possible countrywide.
3 In Northern Ireland the legal situation for same-sex adoption is
unclear. From 2015 marriage for homosexuals will be legal in the
UK.
4 In Portugal gay or lesbian individuals can adopt children but not
as couples.
5 In Denmark the homos marriage is possible since the 15. June
2012 and it can even be carried out in a church.
6 In Germany, due to the federal government system, there are
varying regulations regarding arrival/residence HIV. For example
in Bavaria someone who is HIV-positive can be denied entry. The
Federal Constitutional Court has stipulated in several renditions
of judgment that the politicians implement the same rights for
gay men and lesbians which apply to heterosexuals.
7 On the 14 of May 2013 the National Council of Brazilian Justice
passed an unambiguous 14-1 decision in which all registered partnerships can be amended into a homo marriage. Herewith the
homo marriage was passed de facto for the entire country of Brazil.
th

8 In Israel a civil marriage for both homosexual and heterosexual

couples is not possible as marriage can only be performed by a
Rabbi. This problem does not only apply to gays and lesbians but
also heterosexuals belonging to different religious affiliations.
There are limited anti discrimination laws (exception: certain
religious groups).
9 In December 2013, the Supreme Court set aside a 2009 verdict
by the Delhi High Court that had decriminalized homosexuality.
This has turned gay sex into a punishable offence once again
and catapulted India back into the legal standpoint of colonial
times under the British..

10 The legal status of homosexual couples, allowed to register since

June 2013, has been unclear ever since because politicians are
persistently refusing to pass a law that would accord registered
gay and lesbian couples the same rights as married heterosexual
couples.
11 The new constitution signed into law in Fiji in 2013 now includes
protection from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
12 In Indonesia homosexuality is legal, however, in the province
Aceh the sharia laws apply but only to believers of Islam. In the
province Djakarta homosexual is legally seen as spiritual disturbance and sufferers have no protective rights.
13 In December, the High Court came to the unanimous and spectacular decision that gay marriage can only be legalized by way
of federal law. This clearly implies that individual states are not
authorized to introduce gay marriage in their territories independently.
14 The Virgin Islands of the USA have the same legal status as
Puerto Rico regarding the USA. Here there is also a ban on hate
crimes.
15 Bosnia-Hercegovina passed an unclear anti-discrimination law
in 2009 in which a ban on discrimination against sexual expression is mentioned. There is a reference that sexual identity is
not meant in this case. It is obvious that an attempt to adhere
to the minimum requirements from the EU has been made, in
order to be accepted into the EU.

17 In Bahrain although the paragraph referring to sodomy was

abolished in 1976 from the local legal code, gay men can still
be punished with imprisonment according to the laws regarding
unmoral behaviour.
18 In Uruguay, the law concerning the legalization of gay marriage
was signed on the 03.05.2013 by President Jos Mujica and
comes in effect on the 01st of August 2013.
19 USA: See the individual listings for each US state.
20 In February 2013 France made far-reaching changes in favour
of homosexuals. The so-called homo-marriage is legally equal
to heterosexual marriage. Adoption has been fundamentally
changed, giving homosexuals the right to adoption.
21 The Employment Equality Act allows religious-run workplaces
exemption from its anti-discrimination provisions in order to
protect their ethos.
22 In a referendum held at the end of November 2013, two thirds
of the voters agreed that marriage is only matrimony between a
man and a woman.
23 From Armenia we received many reports of illegal violence from
police against homosexuals.
24 The Equality Day Event was forbidden by authorities in Belarus.

16 Consensual homosexual acts in Peru between adults are legal.

An exception applies for members of the military and police,
who can be prosecuted with a prison sentence ranging from 60
days to 20 years or suspension from duty.

www.spartacusworld.com

As the legal situation for homosexuals in the

different US states is so varied, we have listed
each of the 50 states which make up the USA.
General remark: in the actual list the federal states we have
negatively rated states which have expressly anchored anti-gay
laws which include the ban of gay marriage in their constitution. Hence, the states Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia,
Mississippi, Arkansas and South Carolina fall in the ranking,
although the general law position compared with our last ranking nothing has changed.
Movement is taking place in the USA nowadays in the area of
the rights for the Queer Community. During the presidential
election campaign, Obama was the first president who publically supports gay marriage (at the same time, nevertheless, the
federal states have the final decision). In the different federal
states the contrary political decisions are being taken which are
then often challenged by a referendum from local people. On
the 26th June 2013 the US Supreme Court made two important
rulings with regards to gay marriage: The first being that the
DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) which was in place since
1996 was overturned as it was found to be unconstitutional.
The DOMA forced the Federal Office to recognise traditional
marriages only. That meant that gay marriage in the individual
states where not recognised or considered in respect to issues
such as federal tax laws.
A second important ruling involved the year long dispute in
California. Here the Supreme Court did not see itself as responsible and referred the case back to the State of California. Here
the decision from the highest Californian court, that the ban of
gay marriage, brought about by the referendum was illegal and
the ban was lifted.

16

Marriage /
Partnership

Adoption
allowed

LGBT-Marketing

Equal Age of
Consent

Religious
influence

Anti-gay laws

Locals hostile

Massachusetts

New York

Connecticut

Illinois7

Maine8

New Hampshire

Vermont

Colorado

-1

Delaware3

Iowa

-1

Maryland5

Oregon

Rhode Island

Nevada

-1

Washington

20

Minnesota

-1

21

Hawaii

-1

-1

Wisconsin

23

Pennsylvania

26

2 s. General remark.

42

4 In North Carolina the ban of gay marriage has been anchored

in the constitution after a referendum in May 2012.
5 During the presidential election 2012 a referendum was
defeated which aimed to prohibit same-sex marriage. The
same-sex bill will be legally valid from January 2013.

8 In Maine, the same sex marriage came into effect on the 29.12.
2012 after a referendum for a ban failed in November 2012.

1 In Texas as a result from a supreme court ruling from 2003 in

the case Lawrence VS Texas the sodomy law was deemed to
contradict the constitution of the USA. The sodomy laws are
however still found in the code of law in Texas, although no
longer enforced.

7 Gay marriage will be introduced in 2014.

District of Columbia

New Jersey

32

6 In Florida adoption by homosexual couples is theoretically

possible, ever since a legal ruling from 2010, but because
the constitution has not been amended an explicit ban on
adoption continues to exist.

California2

New Mexico

2013 saw even more federal states legalizing gay marriage.

They now include Rhode Island, Minnesota, Delaware, New
Jersey, Hawaii and New Mexico. And in Illinois, gay marriage
will be introduced in 2014.

3 In Delaware, the introduction of the homo marriage was

concluded in May after initially the registered partnership was
introduced in 2012. As of July 2013 gay marriage is legal in
Delaware.

Anti-discrimination legislation

GAY TRAVEL
INDEX USA

Total

Ranking
1

STATE

Florida

-1

Arizona

-1

Alaska

Indiana

-1

Kansas

-1

Missouri

-1

Nebraska

-1

Ohio

Kentucky

-1

-1

Louisana

-1

-1

Michigan

-1

North Dakota

-1

South Dakota

-1

Tennessee

-1

-1

Texas1

-1

-1

-1

Virginia

-1

West Virginia

-1

Wyoming

-1

Arkansas

-1

-1

-1

Georgia

-1

-1

-1

Idaho

-1

-1

-1

Mississippi

-1

-1

-1

Montana

-1

-1

-1

Oklahoma

-1

-1

-1

48

South Carolina

-2

-2

-1

Utah

-2

-1

-1

-1

50

Alabama

-3

-2

-1

-1

North Carolina4

-3

-2

-1

-1

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