Gay & Lesbian Clubs

Buenos Aires has a thriving gay and lesbian scene. It's one of the most impressive on the South American continent, rivaled only by Brazil's Rio de Janeiro. It's easy to find out where to go too, since the city offers several gay and lesbian maps at its kiosks. You can also look for the gay magazine Imperio or the small gay guide Otra Guía on sale at newsstands all over town. Most of their ads and articles are in Spanish, but they also provide maps and descriptions of local gay venues in a mix of Spanish and English. La Ronda is a free guide put out by gay travel company Pride Travel. The website www.gaysinbuenosaires.com.ar provides maps and listings, and the gay news website www.sentidog.com also provides club information. Most of the action is centered in Barrio Norte, which has always been the traditional gay neighborhood of Buenos Aires. With the rapid gentrification of San Telmo, however, this historic neighborhood has become home to several small gay bars and restaurants. If you think straight nightlife starts late in Buenos Aires, gay nightlife begins even later, with few people hitting a club before 2am.

Buenos Aires: Latin America's Gay Tourism Capital

For the past few years, Buenos Aires has reigned as Latin America's preeminent gay travel capital. Gays and lesbians are estimated as being as high as 15% to 20% among international tourists, and many mainstream places stress their gay-friendliness. One reason for the boom is simply economics, but there has also been an effort by the city to make sure that gay tourism is officially recognized. Legal advances have also helped, with CHA (Comunidad Homosexual de Argentina) pressing for legal recognition of same-sex couples in 2003. CHA President Cesar Cigliutti and CHA Treasurer Marcelo Sondheim, long-term partners, were the first couple joined under the law. With its enormous collection of bars, dance clubs, restaurants, and tango halls catering to the community, no other city in Latin America rivals what Buenos Aires has to offer for visiting gays and lesbians. Despite all these positive advances, most gays and lesbians remain somewhat closeted, and there are few openly gay stars in the media. Violence against the transgendered is also a serious problem.

History shows that gays have always been important to Argentina. Rumors abound that never-wed tango crooner Carlos Gardel was likely gay. Though too divisive a person to be a gay icon in Argentina as she is in the United States and Great Britain, Evita surrounded herself with gay men from designers to hairdressers to fellow actors. How else could a girl from the country reinvent herself in the big city anyway?

Resto-Bars

A resto-bar is an Argentine concept of a restaurant and bar combination. People either come for a meal or stop by for drinks only. In general, the bar portions of resto-bars do not get busy until after 11pm or midnight. These are more relaxed than traditional bars and it is easier to chat with locals.

Tango Salons and Lessons

Tango was originally only danced by men together, since it was at first considered too obscene a dance for women to do with men. In the modern era, gay Porteños take this a step further, and now at least two gay tango salons are bringing back old-fashioned, same-sex tango.