Wyoming and Montana do not have the reputation of being the gay-friendliest states in the Union, especially in the wake of the Matthew Shepherd murder in Laramie in 1998. But larger cities tend to have a gay scene of some kind, especially Missoula and Bozeman in Montana, and there is little for gay travelers to worry about. However, some of the more rural destinations are still rife with homophobia.
The International Gay & 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."
Based in Red Lodge, Montana, OutWest Global Adventures (tel. 800/743-0458 or 406/446-1533; www.outwestadventures.com) offers gay and lesbian adventure travel packages, including ranching vacations in Montana and backpacking trips in Yellowstone. Now, Voyager (tel. 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.com) is a well-known San Francisco-based gay-owned and -operated travel service.
