SA among top 20 best LGBTQ+ travel destinations in the world

To raise awareness of global attitudes for LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June, recent research reveals ‘the best countries for LGBTQ+ travel in 2023’.

South Africa has been named the 11th best country for LGBTQ+ travel, according to MyDatingAdviser.com.

In addition, South Africa has been given an LGBTQ+ travel index score of 86.2 out of 100.

There have been significant changes in laws and norms surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage and the rights of LGBTQ+ people around the world.

However, public opinion on accepting homosexuality in society remains divided by country, region, and economic development.

Ranked in order, the 20 best countries for LGBTQ+ travel in 2023:
1.     Sweden
2.     Netherlands
3.     Spain
4.     France
5.     United Kingdom
6.     Germany
7.     Canada
8.     Australia
9.     Brazil
10.     Argentina
11.     South Africa
12.     Italy
13.     Israel
14.     United States
15.     Czech Republic
16.     Mexico
17.     Greece
18.     Poland
19.     Slovakia
20.     Philippines

What makes South Africa one of the most gay-friendly countries?

•     Public acceptance towards homosexuality: 54% of South Africans are accepting of homosexuality, according to a ‘Global Attitudes & Trends’ survey by Pew Research
•     Civil union rights: Limited recognition of unregistered partnerships since 1998; same-sex marriage since 2006
•     Marriage rights: Legal since 2006
•     Adoption rights: Legal since 2002
•     Military service rights: Legal since 1998
•     Anti-discrimination laws: The Constitution bans all anti-gay discrimination
•     Gender identity laws: Anti-discrimination laws are interpreted to include gender identity; legal gender may be changed after surgical or medical treatment.

Methodology

To determine the most gay-friendly travel destinations, researchers compared 34 countries across eight key indicators of LGBTQ+ friendliness.
The data set focuses on: society’s acceptance of homosexuality; sexual activity rights; civil union rights; marriage rights; adoption rights; military service rights; anti-discrimination laws, and gender identity laws.

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