Sister cities start a gay rivalry
Sydney has been voted the second best place in the world to be out and proud, by UK newspaper, The Independent.
Coming in just behind San Francisco, it was our failure to recognise same-sex marriage which lost us the top spot. It was recent changes to California’s law permits allowin same-sex couples to wed that gave San Francisco the edge.
It is an accomplishment nonetheless, considering our ability to climb the ranks based on attitude alone. It was the overall sense of community spirit and visibility of the gay community in Sydney which made it such a desirable spot for GLBT people to live and visit.
“Oxford St began developing as a queer district in the 1960s and today is the most visibly gay area of the city. But same-sex marriages are still not enshrined in federal law,” the article read, before going on to trumpet the successes of Mardi Gras over the years – from protest to celebration.
Considering our size and population, it is pleasing to note that Sydney still managed to outdo New York, which came in at number three, Paris (rated 5th) and Barcelona, which was only voted 6th in spite of Spain being one of the earliest countries to legalize same-sex marriage.
The special report also detailed the countries that had made the most improvement in regards gay tolerance, on which Delhi topped the list.
The darker side of life in the world as a gay person was also highlighted on the list of the five worst countries. Saudi Arabia came in the top slot for its ongoing policy of listing homosexuality as a crime, punishable by death. After other countries like Iran and Jamaica – where homosexuality is equally considered a crime – the fifth position was taken out by Nigeria, a country where it is considered illegal to even mention or talk to a gay person.
And that is exactly the response I had counted on…..if it’s that bad Oliver, MOVE! nothing is keeping you here by the sounds of it. But like every other post of yours on the forum you like nothing better than to complain, so go right a head and do it, because nobody else will listen. Thank you Phil for your input and I’m aware of what they are saying, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that we aren’t in other cities, we’re in this one and until an individual has lived in another country to experience first hand what their scene is like, it’s so easy to take ‘The grass is greener’ approach. Because I choose to make the best of the situation and happen to love my city and country I get called Pauline ha ha ha you fools!
I read the piece in the Independent and there was no “vote” (an Independent contributor selected the 10) and there was no ranking. So Sydney didn’t come in “second” at all. It’s just one of 10 places that the writer thought were great gay cities. And homophobic violence is an experience common to all 10 cities listed. It’s not a problem unique to Sydney.
It may be, Oliver, that gay life flourishes in Auckland with a glamorous, homophobia-free joie de vivre that we can only dream of but that perception does sit a bit uncertainly with the constant stream of Quiwis who arrive to settle in Oz every year. Maybe they just want to maximise their chances of getting laid? Hobart is also widely touted as a great place to be gay but I suspect that there are more gay Tasmanians in Prahran and Darlinghurst.
I do know the way to San Jose, Phil, (though I think Dionne was referring to the large industrial city on San Francisco Bay rather than the tropical delights of the Costa Rican capital.) In both cases, I’ll pass.
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Thanks Ethan, Ill come and visit there sometime, sounds great!!!
Hello from Central America….San Jose in Costa Rica is friendlier!!!..and no bashings by both gay tongues and st8 fists…and Alex…pleeeease!!..mate!
to whinge or not to whinge? is simply an opinon and Australia grow up…………..Un-Australian.. Alex??..(aka..Pauline)
If Oxford St was that great, I would be there 5 nights a week and could barely get away from the place. Why is it that I only venture there once a year and moved away from the place???????
Sydney does not deserve to be number two on the list, more like number eight or nine.
Alex, I think people are only saying it’s a surprising accolade because other cities seem more tolerant and “gayer” than Sydney 2008. A lot of people think the fact that Sydney’s gay scene is not as ghettoised as it once was is a step in the right direction. I’m not saying I think so, but other people certainly do.
People whinge about homophobic violence or same-sex marriage because these are issues we want to see addressed, yet they never are. Just because bashings were once worse doesn’t make today’s bashings any more acceptable, Terry, and the gay Jewish wedding will not be recognised in Australian law. We seem to be taking two steps backward and one step forward at present.
Can we stop talking about marriage and start talking about the 100 federal laws or we will get nothing at all – So ‘put up or shut up’ whinge, whinge all the bloody time.
Sorry Pauline, oh! oops Alex. I shall go home and raise my Aussie flag!!!
Yes, things could be better but hey, things use to be a LOT worse. Bashings happen but not as often as they did in the 80’s.
Think about it, when was the last time you saw a front page article about a gay jewish wedding.
Bitch, bitch, whigne and whine. If it’s not perfect then it’s a total disaster eh? You people should think yourself lucky to live in a country like ours to begin with. I can’t get over people like you!!! Would you still whinge and complain if we got first…I’m guessing yes. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be an Australian and a Gay Australian at that, and I’m proud of the fact that we were voted second or even considered at all. You people seriously make me sick. You should be shot for your lack of patriotism. We really don’t have it that bad and you should put yourself in another homo’s shoes in a country like Saudi Arabia. And if there isn’t any tolerance like you’ve suggested Oliver, it could be a by-product of the attitudes of the people bitching on this forum!
Hello! even Auckland has a better Gay scene!!
Blimey, I’m not gay but I’ve seen enough of London and Berlin, just to name two cities, that I would rank higher than Sydney.
Yes, I think the person who made this decision hasn’t been here since about 1994. Either that, or we’re better off than we thought!
Another meaningless list by an idiot who equates circuit parties with gay rights. Sydney is FAR from the best place to be gay. Government sanctioned anti-gay discrimination is rampant across Australia. Any large Canadian city is FAR more gay tolerant than Sydney.
Even just equal marriage recognition at a state level would be a first step, in dispelling the marriage-phobia in Australian politics (in both Lib and Labor… Anthony Albanese this week lashed out at any new push for equal marriage rights as “ridiculous”)
Allowing & seeing marriage ceremonies in action (even just at a state level & recognised only in state law) would at least let the general public get comfortable with the idea, be able to see it in action without the sky falling in, paving the way for it to just be rolled out nationally. (But hey- according to opinion polls, the general public ARE ready for equal marriage, just not Lib or Labor gate-keeper polititians).
What kind of tolerance exists on Oxford St? and who makes up these statistics??