You’re on holiday. You’re nice and relaxed, lounging around the pool with your partner. The catch? No one can know you’re together. For the LGBT community, this is a reality in some parts of the globe. It would seem the world is not their oyster; not if they want to be free and open about their sexuality.
Not so long ago, one man’s sexual orientation got him thrown into prison, illuminating the hostility homosexuals may face in some countries. Ray Cole was on holiday in Morocco when he and his partner were arrested, the authorities giving them four month sentences for the supposedly ‘homosexual images’ they said they had found on Cole’s phone. Homosexuality is a crime in this north African country, which resulted in the Briton being locked up in a small cell with paedophiles and murderers. Fortunately, the 69-year-old grandfather was eventually sent home after an appeal; the same cannot be said for his Moroccan partner.
What does this mean for LGBT travellers? Times have changed on British shores for members of this community; on the 29th March, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act became law in England and Wales, showing our country is starting to accept and support gay marriage. But are we perhaps being lulled into a false sense of security, thinking gay couples can honeymoon abroad with the same public affection as a straight couple, if marriages are seen as equal at home? It would seem this is not the case, and the world is increasingly dividing itself into countries where gay people are welcome and those where they are not.
There are many agencies now offering tailor made holidays for those of the LGBT community, offering a service that acknowledges the attitudes towards them in some corners of the world. Jennifer Grant, founder of LGBT travel company Diva Destinations, recently spoke on BBC Radio 2’s Jerermy Vine show, saying ‘We advise our clients on the best places to go if they want to be open and relaxed on holiday…. You can’t be afraid to travel, but I would advise people that if they want to be open and relaxed and be themselves, do not to go to certain countries’.
The best advice? Go to a country that wants LGBT travellers, that has made the effort to fight against hostility against homosexuals and the ill treatment of the transgendered. Here, you won’t have to push the twin beds in your hotel room together, or avoid holding hands in public. It’s true, parts of the world shouldn’t be off limits, but having to hide who you really are is far worse.
Katie Dawtry
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