In 1978, Spain legalized homosexuality among consenting adults. In April 1995, the parliament of Spain banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Madrid is one of the country's major gay centers. The action is mainly located in the castizo quarter of Chueca between the Gran Vía and Calle Genova. Clubs here range from the relatively sedate to the downright outrageous, and there are also a couple of gay-theme bookshops. The tiny Plaza de Chueca bustles with outdoor cafe life in summer and is a good spot for impromptu encounters.
To learn about gay and lesbian travel in Spain, you can secure publications or join data-dispensing organizations before you go. Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe covers Madrid (as well as on Barcelona, Sitges, and Ibiza, other key gay rendezvous places).
On the magazine front, Our World, 1104 N. Nova Rd., Suite 251, Daytona Beach, FL 32117 (tel. 904/441-5367; www.ourworldmag.com), is devoted to options and bargains for gay and lesbian travel worldwide. It costs $35 for 10 issues. And Out and About, 995 Market St., 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA (tel. 800/929-2268; www.outandabout.com), is noted for its "straight" reporting on the best gay or gay-friendly hotels, gyms, clubs, and other places, with coverage of destinations throughout the world. Aimed for the most upscale gay male traveler, it costs $49 a year for 10 information-packed issues and has been praised by everybody from Travel + Leisure to the New York Times.
Gay.com Travel (tel. 800/929-2268 or 415/644-8044; www.gay.com/travel or www.outandabout.com), is an excellent online successor to the Out & About magazine. It provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide.
The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), 4331 N. Federal, Suite 304, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308 (tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.com), encourages gay and lesbian travel worldwide. With around 1,200 member agencies, it specializes in networking travelers with the appropriate gay-friendly service organization or tour specialist. It offers a quarterly newsletter, marketing mailings, and a membership directory that is updated four times a year. For an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses, go to their website and click on "Members."
Travel agents who are IGTA members will be tied into this organization's vast information resources.
