When gay travelers think of Europe they often think of inclusive places like Sweden or Switzerland. But the continent's far more complex and not nearly as welcoming as many would like to believe.
While some countries embrace their LGBT brethren, others, like Cyprus and Russia, continue to uphold old laws that criminalize same-sex relations or, in Russia's case, pass new laws to limit freedom. Meanwhile, formerly inhospitable nations are showing slight improvement. In Serbia, for example, the Belgrade Court of Appeal ruled that anti-gay hate speech is not protected by freedom of speech laws and a pride event in that city was allowed to go on without right wing disruption, a notable development in a land with a rich history of homophobia.
Since the political climate of Europe's just as diverse and varied as its topography, the ILGA-Europe's just released their latest annual report on the state of LGBT relations for 45 out of 49 European countries. You can download the entire study and a larger map at ILGA-Europe's website.
