San Antonio has a fairly large, but not exceedingly visible, gay and lesbian population. The website of the Diversity Center of San Antonio, 531 San Pedro Ave., second level (tel. 210/223-6106; www.diversitycentersa.org), includes a calendar of events -- many of which are held at The Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 922 San Pedro (tel. 210/228-0201; www.esperanzacenter.org), which often screens films or has lectures on topics of interest to gay, lesbian, and transgender travelers. If you stay at the Painted Lady Inn, a lesbian-owned bed-and-breakfast at 620 Broadway (tel. 210/220-1092; www.thepaintedladyinn.com), you can also find out all you want to know about the local scene.
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. Among them are Above and Beyond Tours (tel. 800/397-2681; www.abovebeyondtours.com) and Now, Voyager (tel. 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.com).
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.
The following travel guides are available at many bookstores, or you can order them from any online bookseller: Spartacus International Gay Guide (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide); Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner (Odysseus Enterprises Ltd.); and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate, annual books for gay men and lesbians.
