The Foreign Office has urged LGBT tourists to not show affection in a popular sun spot and to avoid apps such as Grindr to not fall for scams.
Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago is on a list of nations where the queer community is urged to take care while visiting, following homophobic incidents.
“Male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Trinidad and Tobago,” the FCDO states.
“There are laws prohibiting LGBT+ individuals from entering the country.
“In practice, these laws are rarely enforced, and there is growing local support for LGBT+ rights.
“However, showing affection in public may attract negative attention.”
The office added that criminals can use apps such as Grindr to trick, rob and assault people.
This is due, according to travel advice, both as a way for crooks to prey on victims and also because of homophobic sentiment among a minority.
Trinidad and Tobago will likely be an enjoyable holiday for most but it is not on the list of the top LGBTQ-friendly countries to visit.
What are the most LGBTQ+ friendly countries in Europe?
LGBT rights organisation ILGA-Europe has released its annual Rainbow List for 2024, based on the laws and culture affecting the community.
The list, released in May, gives this top 10.
Malta
Iceland
Belgium
Spain
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Luxembourg
Norway
Portugal
Where outside Europe is a safe place for LGBT+ tourists?
German portal Spartacus publishes an annual Gay Travel Index that ranks 213 nations on attitudes towards the LGBT community.
Uruguay, New Zealand, and Canada are three of the top places outside Europe to visit, it says, for a good experience. Malta once more features at the top for Europe.
Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia are three of the worst. Trinidad and Tobago is also ranked far down the list.
Lonely Planet, meanwhile, lists Auckland in New Zealand and Provincetown in the US as two of the best places thanks to their civil rights stance and queer neighbourhoods.
But for the ultimate queer experience, you may not need to leave London.
Read More
Lonely Planet states: “London has been a most prominent centre of queer culture for hundreds of years, dating all the way back to the city’s 18th-century “Molly Houses”, meeting places for LGBTIQ+ people.
“London remains a massively queer city and is known for a brimming underground scene that can be found at rotating parties, such as those put on by Cybil’s House.”
Why has the UK dropped on the scale?
The UK has previously been in the ILGA-Europe top 10 but in 2024 is 16th.
The country is lacking certain crucial puzzle pieces, according to ILGA-Europe.
It cited the conversion therapy prohibition, which has been “stalled” for years and is riddled with loopholes, the lack of official recognition for intersex individuals, and a rise in “anti-trans rhetoric” in the media across the nation.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak said in a debate that “trans women are not women”.
ILGA-Europe added trans rights are increasingly in ruins. Reforms to the law governing gender recognition have failed, gender-affirming healthcare is at best inconsistent, and trans-inclusive education is currently a target.
Previous plans to send certain asylum seekers to Rwanda also endangered LGBTQ+ people who may have already fled poverty and persecution.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
