During the Communist regime, homosexuality was met with official silence. Individual rights were not recognized, and gay rights were unheard of. However, many Czechs have always had a genuine live-and-let-live attitude. Open hostility toward homosexuals is rare in Prague. Since November 1989, many gays have "come out." Gay sex is legal, with the age of consent at 15. Several bars and nightclubs in Prague cater exclusively to the gay community and are listed in "Nightlife".
The Gay Iniciativa (formerly known as SOHO) (tel. 224-223-811; www.gay.iniciativa.cz) was founded in 1991 as an umbrella group uniting several smaller gay organizations. The best information on happenings for gay visitors is on http://prague.gayguide.net. The Prague Post prints updated gay and lesbian reviews.
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. Above and Beyond Tours (tel. 800/397-2681; www.abovebeyondtours.com) is the exclusive gay and lesbian tour operator for United Airlines. Now, Voyager (tel. 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.com) is a well-known San Francisco-based, gay-owned and -operated travel service. Olivia Cruises & Resorts (tel. 800/631-6277; www.olivia.com) charters entire resorts and ships for exclusive lesbian vacations and offers smaller group experiences for both gay and lesbian travelers. (In 2005, Czech-born tennis great Martina Navrátilová was named Olivia's official spokesperson.)
The following travel guides are available at many bookstores, or you can order them from any online bookseller: Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe (www.frommers.com), an excellent travel resource to the top European cities and resorts; Spartacus International Gay Guide (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide) and Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner (Odysseus Enterprises Ltd.), both good, annual, English-language guidebooks focused on gay men; and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate, annual books for gay men and lesbians.
