Lonely Planet has unveiled its list of
top ten gay-friendly destinations.
The list includes many of the usual
suspects, including Palm Springs, Toronto and New York City, plus a
few surprises, such as the exclusion of San Francisco.
Lonely
Planet acknowledged that the inclusion of Montevideo, Uruguay in
the tenth spot was controversial, given the region's conservative
climate.
“But Uruguay, the smallest of the
South American nations, is the most progressive,” the publisher
of travel books said on its site. “In 2013, Uruguay was the
second Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage, and
homosexuality has been decriminalized since 1934. The relaxed
attitude in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo provides a brilliant
juxtaposition to the hustle and bustle of the likes of Buenos Aires.”
Editors pointed to Copenhagen's history
of gay rights and relaxed beauty in making it their number one
destination.
“One of the most tolerant and open
communities in Europe, Copenhagen's functional yet edgy fashion
scene, brilliant array of cocktail bars, excellent range of
gay-friendly boutique accommodation and packed calendar of events
make it the gay-friendliest place on Earth,” the site wrote.
The Lonely Planet's list of the world's
top gay-friendly destinations includes Montevideo, Uruguay (10),
Reykjavik, Iceland (9), New York City (8), Skiathos & Mykonos,
Greece (7), Berlin, Germany (6), Sitges, Spain (5), Palm Springs (4),
Toronto, Canada (3), New Zealand (2) and Copenhagen, Denmark (1).