Washington, D.C., has a large and vibrant gay and lesbian community and clearly welcomes gay and lesbian visitors, as evidenced by the fact that the Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation includes on its website, www.washington.org, a link to information for the GLBT crowd: Click on "Pride in D.C.," which appears on the site's home page. This special section covers the history of the gay rights movement in the capital; a calendar of noteworthy events, like the annual, weeklong Capital Pride Celebration held in June, complete with a street fair and a parade; and favorite place recommendations made by local gays and lesbians. Better yet is the WCTC's GLBT Traveler's Guide, published for the first time in 2007, and covering just about every aspect of the not-straight life in D.C. You can order the 68-page guide by calling the WCTC's main number, tel. 202/789-7000, or download it from the website.
When in Washington, you'll want to get your hands on the Washington Blade (tel. 202/797-7000; www.washingtonblade.com), a comprehensive weekly newspaper distributed free at Metro stations and hundreds of other places throughout the city, including Olsson's Books/Records, 1307 19th St. NW; Borders, 18th and L streets; and Kramerbooks, 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. Every issue provides an extensive events calendar and a list of hundreds of resources, such as crisis centers, health facilities, switchboards, political groups, religious organizations, social clubs, and student activities; it puts you in touch with everything from groups of lesbian bird-watchers to the Asian Gay Men's Network. Gay restaurants and clubs are also listed and advertised.
Washington's gay bookstore, Lambda Rising, 1625 Connecticut Ave. NW (tel. 202/462-6969; www.lambdarising.com), informally serves as an information source and gathering place for the gay community, which centers on the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
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 and tour operators.
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. British travelers should click on the "Travel" link at www.uk.gay.com for advice and gay-friendly trip ideas.
The Canadian website GayTraveler (gaytraveler.ca) offers ideas and advice for gay travel all over the world.
The following travel guides are available at many bookstores, or you can order them from any online bookseller: Spartacus International Gay Guide, 35th Edition (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide); Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner, 17th Edition (www.odyusa.com); and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate, annual books for gay men and lesbians.
