Melbourne Named Fourth Most LGBT Friendly City In The World, Sydney Dethroned

Melbourne may not have the weather, stunning beaches or a gay neighbourhood like Oxford Street, but it was just named the fourth most LGBTQI friendly city in the world. 

Sydney was dethroned as Australia’s most LGBTQI friendly city and did not even feature in the top 10 list, in the study conducted by Big 7 Travel website. 

“Victoria’s state capital, Melbourne, is the cultural hub of Australia and home to a friendly, fun gay scene,” the study said. 

Toronto, with its bustling gay nightlife, positive “public attitudes, gay-friendly districts, Pride celebrations, and legislation” came in at number one. Berlin and San Francisco followed next. Sydney was the 11th most LGBTQI friendly city in the world. Kiwi neighbour Auckland was ranked 28.

Victoria Scores High On Equality Index

Big 7 Travel said that its list of 30 most LGBTQI friendly cities was based on several factors, including the Gay Index Rating – how safe the country was for LGBTQI people; Equality Index Rating – LGBTQI friendly laws, the size of its Pride celebrations and whether or not the city had a gay village or a gay community. 

Melbourne scored a high 98 on the Equality Index, with the study saying “LGBTQ+ communities are supremely protected and supported in the law” in the state of Victoria.

Harriet Shing, Minister for Equality and one of the two out gay ministers in the state, said that the government had worked really hard to deliver for the LGBTQI community. 

In 2016, Premier Daniel Andrews had issued a historic apology to the LGBTQI community – Victoria  became the first government in the world to apologise to the LGBTQI community for historical convictions under laws that criminalised homosexuality. 

A slew of LGBTQI law reforms were passed in recent years. The state amended the law to allow gay adoptions, made changes to Births, Deaths and Marriages certificate legislation to make it easier for trans persons to change the sex marker in their birth certificates without undergoing surgeries, amended the Equal Opportunity Act to protect LGBTQI students in religious schools and passed a “world leading” law banning conversion practices. 

Melbourne’s Bustling Gay Scene

The study noted that in Melbourne, the “gay scene is spread across the city, with South Yarra and Prahran being the home of gay clubs, LGBTQ+ bookshops, and gay-owned restaurants.”

“St. Kilda and the artsy Fitzroy are both suburbs of the city. They are residential areas, but still have a great selection of gay pubs and bars. St. Kilda in particular is known to have a thriving lesbian scene,” the study said.

St Kilda is also home to Australia’s first LGBTQI community hub, the Victorian Pride Centre.

Sydney Has Oxford Street

Sydney, the study said, was a favourite destination for gay travellers, but noted that the state of  “New South Wales has some way to go with certain freedoms and laws“. The state scored 88 on the Equality Index. 

“Sydney celebrates its gay community throughout the year. You’ll often see a rainbow flag outside bars, restaurants, shops, bookshops, and other spaces, particularly on the western section of Oxford Street.”. 

“There are a few gay districts in the city, but that’s (Oxford Street) the main one. Apparently, one in 10 gay men living in Sydney can be found within two kilometres of Taylor Square, the epicentre of the Oxford Street gay scene,” the study noted, adding, “Australia as a whole is one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly countries in the world”.

Here’s the ranking of 30 most LGBTQI friendly gay cities in the world:

1. Toronto
2. Berlin
3. San Fransciso
4. Melbourne
5. Brighton, UK
6. Madrid
7. Amsterdam
8. London
9. New York City
10. Montevideo
11. Sydney
12. Stockholm
13. Barcelona
14. Copenhagen
15. Cologne
16. Reykjavik
17. Lisbon
18. Buenos Aires
19. Brussels
20. Sao Paulo
21. Taipei
22. Tel Aviv
23. Valletta
24. Bogota
25. Puerto Vallarta
26. Dublin
27. Zurich
28. Auckland
29. Salzburg
30. Oslo