In some surprising news, Australia has failed to crack the top 20 safest countries for LGBTIQ+ people.
In their annual report, the Spartacus Gay Travel Index has created a list ranking the world’s most LGBTIQ+ friendly countries, examining close to 200 nations based on various criteria including anti-discrimination laws.
This year, Canada, Portugal and Sweden each tied for first place, with Australia landing at number 28 and the United States slipping all the way down to 47th alongside countries including Chile, Cuba and Thailand.
According to the Gay Travel Index, rankings were determined by looking at 14 different criteria including civil rights (marriage equality, anti-discrimination laws, equal age of consent laws), past discrimination (travel restrictions for HIV-positive people, bans on Pride parades) and ongoing threats to the queer community in the form of persecution, prison or the death penalty.
