There’s hope for LGBT+ travellers, but there’s still a long way to go

This rings true for me too – while I deliberately avoid spending much time in countries where it’s illegal to be LGBT+, I once had to pass a few hours in the UAE during an unexpected layover and felt incredibly uncomfortable.

The fact that their law even exists left me feeling like I had to disguise my identity; I became aware of the way I carried myself, the clothes I was wearing, the way I spoke.

Tired stereotypes about what it means to be LGBT+ came to the surface and I was afraid of doing anything that might draw attention to my queerness. This is how I feel whenever I think of visiting a country where LGBT+ people aren’t accepted as equals.

It’s vital to prioritise our safety but it’s also vital to many of us to not spend our money in countries that persecute their LGBT+ residents. This, however, can be complicated.

Countries such as the UAE have a history of arresting LGBT+ tourists and locals alike. However, compare this to a country like Russia – where it’s technically not illegal to be LGBT+ but where, due to its anti-gay propaganda laws, you can be detained for waving a rainbow flag – and things become a little less black and white.

With the tireless work of LGBT+ activists around the world, though, my hope is that this might become a thing of the past. I believe we can see global equality within our lifetimes. Progress is slow but I’ve found new optimism in the recent developments in the Caribbean. This has always been a region of the world predominantly off limits to us but it seems the tides might finally be turning.

Last year, Virgin Atlantic funded a study that revealed their discriminative legislation could cost the region up to $4.2billion in annual revenue and although I don’t think financial incentive should be the sole reason a country sheds its queer-phobic laws, local activists are now using this to help leverage change.

And it’s working: Trinidad and Tobago recently overturned its laws and in July Antigua and Barbuda did the same. So the first thing I did when I heard the news was book a flight and head there – it’s no longer off limits and that’s worth celebrating, right? Not exactly. Speaking with LGBT+ locals, I quickly learned there’s a tremendous sense of apprehension in the area.