As parts of the world become less heteronormative, the need for Gay (with a capital “G”) spaces is arguably diminished. The “gay experience” isn’t as relegated to strictly “gay places” as say, the 1950s, when mainstream culture and the book of the law were none too warm to our ilk, forcing us to congregate in secret. Yet there remains a force that bands us together, increasingly less about sexuality and more about finding community in those who celebrate and express their differences.
We hold onto these spaces to remember where we’ve been, not as museums preserving dusty artifacts but as living continuums to celebrate the present and propel us forward. There are gay places to celebrate wildly, to laugh uncontrollably, to cruise, to mourn, to pray, to eat shitty food and above all else to be unapologetically true to self.
By no means a comprehensive list, here are 19 gay places around the world not to miss in 2014–or whenever you get the chance before Father Time makes it difficult or impossible.
What would you add?
1.
The Stonewall Inn
Who would we be if we didn’t kick off the list with The Stonewall Inn bar in New York City’s West Village? The bar itself, in all honesty, isn't much to look at. But the space is hallowed homosexual ground, widely considered the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. After you down a vodka and take a minute to imagine the iconic events of that fateful Summer night in ’69, head directly across the street to check out George Segal’s aptly titled 1980 “Gay Liberation” statues.
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