Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

Parts of New England are surprisingly friendly to gay and lesbian culture, while other parts are still deeply antipathetic toward the culture. As elsewhere in the country, the larger cities tend to be more accommodating to gay travelers than smaller towns.

Provincetown, MA (at the very end of Cape Cod), is without a doubt the gay-friendliest town in New England. Rainbow flags fly proudly throughout the town, and it's safe to say this is a must-visit place for any first-time gay or lesbian traveler to the region.

Northampton, MA home to Smith College -- boasts a substantial and thriving lesbian community.

Vermont has traditionally been the most overall welcoming of the New England states; it is a specific destination for visitors who want to support the state's law acknowledging civil unions or celebrate a civil union of their own. A backlash (seen in a spate of TAKE BACK VERMONT signs) arose in response to the law, but failed to have the law repealed.

For information on Vermont civil unions, visit the state-run website www.sec.state.vt.us/otherprg/civilunions/civilunions.html.

A number of hotels and inns ranging from small B&Bs to the larger resorts welcome travelers (and their friends) who are celebrating civil unions. Check online ads and advertisements in GLBT newspapers and magazines.

Portland, ME, has a substantial gay population, attracting many refugees who have fled the crime and congestion of Boston and New York. Portland hosts a sizable Pride festival early each summer that includes a riotous parade and a dance on the city pier, among other events. In early 1998, Maine narrowly repealed a statewide gay-rights law that had been passed earlier by the state legislature. In Portland, however, the vote was nearly four to one against the repeal and in support of equal rights. Portland also has a municipal ordinance that prohibits discrimination in jobs and housing based on sexual orientation.

Ogunquit, on the southern Maine coast, is a hugely popular destination among gay travelers, and features a lively beach and bar scene in the summer. In the winter, it's still active but decidedly more mellow. A well-designed website, www.gayogunquit.com, is a great place to start to find information on gay-owned inns, restaurants, and nightclubs in the town.

For a more detailed directory of gay-oriented enterprises in New England, track down a copy of The Pink Pages, published by KP Media (66 Charles St., #283, Boston, MA 02114). Call tel. 617/423-1515 or 800/338-6550, or visit the firm's website at www.pinkweb.com, which also contains much of the information in the published version.

More adventurous souls should consider linking up with the Chiltern Mountain Club, P.O. Box 390928, Cambridge, MA 02139 (tel. 617/869-7958; www.chiltern.org), an outdoor-adventure club for gays and lesbians; about two-thirds of its 1,200 members are men. The club organizes trips to northern New England throughout the year.

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) (tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.org) is the trade association for the gay and lesbian travel industry, and offers an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses; go to their website and click on "Members."

Many agencies offer tours and travel itineraries specifically for gay and lesbian travelers. Now, Voyager (tel. 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.com) is a well-known San Francisco-based, gay-owned and operated travel service.

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 popular Out & About print 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. It also offers trip-planning information for gay and lesbian travelers for more than 50 destinations, along various themes, ranging from Sex & Travel to Vacations for Couples.