central america

Gay Panama – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Panama - The Nomadic Boys

…and God said, “Let there be sexy people”, so he created Panamanians!

Wise words from the Bible itself according to our gay friends Luis and Mario from Panama City…

Panama City is often nicknamed The Dubai of Latin America because of its immense economic growth in recent years and impressive dense skyline. But unlike Dubai, this mighty Latin American metropolis has a far more welcoming gay life, in a country where although culturally conservative, is constantly striving for LGBTQ equality.

Most will associate Panama City with the famous canal, which is a reason alone to visit. The city is also the gateway to some gorgeous tropical beaches within gay Panama, like San Blas and gay friendly Bocas del Toro. We stayed in Panama City for a week and loved it. It’s full of things to do, plenty of trendy bars, but most importantly, we left with a thirst to return for more. It’s also a useful destination because it’s one of the major transport hubs in Central America.

This is our complete gay guide to Panama City following with a focus on the gay scene, our pick of the most gay friendly hotels, our favourite things to do, and more.

Is Gay Panama safe for travellers?

Overall, yes, Panama is safe for LGBTQ travellers, but assuming you stick to the touristic areas of Panama City, Bocas del Toro and San Blas. If venturing beyond, into more local areas, we recommend taking extra care and avoid all PDAs.

Panama is a very conservative country. It a strong influence from the Catholic Church. Any attempt by the government to pass any progressive LGBTQ laws in Panama almost always gets blocked! As a result, Panama does not recognise same-sex unions and has no anti-discrimination laws to protect the LGBTQ community!

For example, a 2018 Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling required Panama to recognise same-sex unions and allow gay couples to adopt. Sadly, the response was a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage by the Panamanian National Assembly in October 2019. The LGBTQ community of Panama has quite a long road ahead of it…

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Panama Travel Resources

Gay Caye Caulker, Belize – The Globetrotter Guys

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Gay Caye Caulker

Ask any backpacker travelling through Central America about Belize and they will tell you Caye Caulker is on their list.

Google it for yourself and you will see why. Bright blue skies, clear blue sea, palm trees lining the waters edge and colourful houses dotting the street give the island its iconic Caribbean feel. There are so many things to do in Caye Caulker!

Read more

Lesbian Belize: Adventure and Magic – The Seattle Lesbian

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lesbian Belize

The howler monkey with her baby lazily laid on the branches high above us. They weren’t moving. It looked like I wasn’t going to see one up close that day. I was standing beneath the shade of the tree tilting my head upward peering through the broad leaves at the black face of the sleepy mother as the baby played hide and seek behind the trunk of the tree for about 20 minutes.

However, the tour guide Geraldine Fremin, was an expert. She got a banana and coaxed the mother down the tree calling to her in a series of grunts and howls, the sounds the monkeys use to talk to each other. The mother slowly and cautiously made her way down the tree to a branch in front of me where she ate her banana and modeled perfect images right out of National Geographic.

Geraldine has been with the local women-run nonprofit sanctuary, the Community Baboon Sanctuary, what the local Creole people call the black howler monkeys, protecting the monkeys for 18-years. Started in 1981, the sanctuary has been a model for saving the nearly extinct monkeys, that were estimated to be around a population of 400 at the time, and for private/public partnerships working toward sustainable tourism. The population increased to an estimated 4,500 monkeys by 2003, she said. The sanctuary is currently in the process of surveying the monkey population to get an updated monkey census.

By Heather Cassell – Full Story at The Seattle Lesbian

Lesbian Belize Travel Resources

 

Gay Honduras – The Globetrotter Guys

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Gay Honduras - The Globetrotter Guys

When we travelled Central America we were naturally a little bit concerned about our safety in Honduras and in El Salvador. We opted to join an organised tour to safely see and pass through these two countries. As a result, we did not get the time to explore ‘gay Honduras’ ourselves.

However, we did manage to get in contact with an LGBT local called Joshua to learn more about gay life in Honduras. Read the full interview below:

Firstly, please introduce yourself to our readers:

Hi, my name is Joshua. I am 37, from Honduras and I work as an elementary teacher.

I really enjoy travelling and meeting new people to learn about their culture and stories.

My favourite place to go is the beach. I love the ocean, the sand and the sun. I think the beach is the perfect place to rest, think, party etc, well to do anything!!

As a teacher I like Science and now after many years I am a first grade teacher. I really love working with young kids. I spend much of my time improving myself as a teacher to be up to date with matters related to education.

Also I am a couchsurfer, and I love to have people visit, to help them and to learn a bit about their country. I used to be a party monster but I am more relaxed now. I like beer, books and good conversation.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Honduras Gay Travel Resources

 

Gay Panama – The Globetrotter Guys

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Gay Panama

If you have not yet been to Panama it is an absolute must. We only spent ten days in Panama and were pleasantly surprised to find gay owned hotels (like this luxury boutique in Bocas Del Toro) and a great gay scene in the Panama City itself.

We met up with Roberto Broce in Panama City to find our more about ‘gay Panama’ and find out if Panama is gay friendly. Here is our interview with him:

Hi Roberto! If you could introduce yourself to our readers first that would be great!

Roberto: Hi! My name’s Roberto Broce, I’m 26 years old and I work as a marketing analyst for the Innovation Centre of a foundation here in Panama called Ciudad del Saber. I’ve been travelling for 10 years living in almost every continent around the world, partaking in several social causes in places like China and Australia. I like kitesurfing, astronomy, and adventure travelling. I’m also single!

That sounds like you have seen a lot even at 26! Ok, so our first question – What is the stereotypical view of a Panamanian local towards someone who is LGBT (either local or tourist – is there a difference)

Roberto: It depends a lot on whether they were raised in an urban or a rural environment, their age, whether they were raised in a religious home, etc.

Let’s take a straight 30 something year old male raised in one of the suburbs of a satellite city outside Panama City in a catholic home. His exposure to LGBT people in the 90s and early 2000s was limited to TV characters that would exaggerate their mannerisms and were basically living cartoons, and to carnival queens that dress up in beautiful bright, feathery outfits and act in a very flamboyant manner. His vision is that gay people are flamboyant, cartoonish characters. Not necessarily reject them but also not completely accepting.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Panama Gay Travel Resources

Gay Costa Rica – The Globetrotter Guys

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gay Costa Rica - The Globetrotter Guys

Since Costa Rica is well known and perhaps more touristy than other parts of Central America we expected ‘Gay Costa Rica’ would not be too hard to find.

As ever, we wanted to find out what it is really like and not just through a tourists lens. We contacted 23 year old Gabriel who is studying architecture to find out more.

What is the stereotypical view (people’s attitudes) on the LGBTQIA community in Costa Rica?

The stereotypical view of the LGBTQ community depends on so many things. In the last few month’s we’ve seen so many opinions, all because of the presidential elections. There are only 2 options, just like Trump and Clinton. One of them is very open to diversity, and the other is too conservative, traditional and religious.

This has caused a ”social war”, there are people who think that gay marriage is ok, they don’t care or maybe they’re fighting for it. And there are so many people who think that gay marriage is an abomination, it’s something unnatural, or something that is gonna cause the end of the world.

There are so many factors that affect that stereotypical view. But let me tell you about the most significant;

Age: most of the young people are ok with gay marriage

Location: People from coastal zones or mountains are traditional and conservative so, some of them support LGBTQ community rights, and some them think LGBTQ is against God’s law.

By Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Costa Rica Gay Travel Resources

Nicaragua’s Corn Islands – The Globetrotter Guys

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Nicaragua's Corn Islands - The Globetrotter Guys

If you haven’t heard of the Corn Islands (Little Corn Island and Big Corn Island), Nicaragua, then you are not alone. These Caribbean islands are probably one of Nicaragua’s best kept secrets – but they won’t stay secret for long!

Quite simply, these are the most beautiful islands we have ever visited and we challenge you to find better!

There are two islands, Big Corn Island and Little Corn Island. They are both located 70km off the Eastern Caribbean coast of Nicaragua.

Boasting white sand Caribbean beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters and some incredibly friendly people, Big Corn and Little Corn have a lot to offer!

Imagine the Caribbean 50 years ago before major tourism hit – that’s what you can expect to find in the Corn Islands. If you want a pristine beach all to yourself, you might want to get a flight booked asap!

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Nicaragua Gay Travel Resources

 

Queer Costa Rica – The Globetrotter Guys

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Queer Costa Rica - The Globetrotter Guys

Costa Rica is a country that had been on our bucket list for a long time. With what we knew about the place, and feedback from friends that had visited, we had some very high hopes! However, we didn’t need to be worried. Costa Rica exceeded our expectations in every possible way!

Costa Rica boasts the highest density of biodiversity worldwide. Despite being such a small country, almost 5 percent of all animal and plant species are found here. It also offers some of the best adventure activities, such as hiking, ziplining, or white-water rafting. Or if you simply want to relax, it has both Pacific and Caribbean beaches.

For us, finding the right balance between time and experiences is crucial. Costa Rica has so much to offer, meaning that trying to fit everything in involves a lot of logistics.

We had limited time and a long list of things we wanted to do. For this trip, we decided it would be nice to let someone else take over the reins and do all the planning for us. We contacted Destination Costa Rica and after learning they were wanting to expand their offerings to the LGBT community, we thought they would be the perfect fit.

They offered us a completely tailor-made package from start to finish based on our personal requirements. We had already made arrangements to stay at certain gay-friendly properties in Manuel Antonio and San Jose. Destination Costa Rica factored this in – not booking accommodation for these nights but still assisting with our transport needs and arranging our excursions.

Booking with Destination Costa Rica meant not having to think or spend time planning what we were to do in Costa Rica. They organised everything from our accommodation, to transportation and all our activities and experiences.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Costa Rica Gay Travel Resources

Gay Belize – The Globetrotter Guys

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Caye Caulker - The Globetrotter Guys

Gay Belize. Not two words we have ever heard put together. As for every destination, we do a quick Google search to see what is available for the LGBTQIA community in that country. Whether this be nightlife, beaches, accommodation or events. However, when we googled ‘gay Belize’, very little came up at all.

We knew there was a community, statistically there must be. We even found a Gay Belize Pride Page on Facebook which has 59k followers. Who knows better about the LGBTQIA community in Belize than an LGBTQIA local? We were lucky enough to find someone willing to answer the questions we had about gay Belize and they provided a very insightful picture.

Read our interview below with Rob*, a 23-year-old local gay male from the Cayo region of Belize.

TGG: What is the stereotypical view on the LGBTQIA community in Belize?

Rob: ”The normal stereotypical view is that many straight men assume that gay guys are feminine. I’ve heard people talk about guys who are not “masculine” enough. Those who embrace femininity are “labelled” gay (it’s just jokes nothing as in physical abuses and stuff like that, although it’s something to not joke about because you can never know if the person is gay and is having a rough time).

Even myself, sometimes I see a guy wearing a pink shirt and I go “ooo interesting”. But that doesn’t mean he’s gay. There are also many gay guys who aren’t feminine. You wouldn’t consider them gay because they are giving you some butch realness, but they are. The same concept and ideologies can be seen with lesbians I would say.”

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Gay Belize Travel Resources

Gay Nicaragua – The Globetrotter Guys

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Gay Nicaragua

Gay Nicaragua? Again, like most countries we have visited in Central America, we knew very little about gay Nicaragua. During March we took a 9 day tour through Central America with STFLY. It was incredible, made our lives a lot easier and during the tour we were taken to some beautiful places including Laguna Beach Club which sat by the side of a volcanic crater lake.

Outside of the beach club we noticed the rainbow flag! We had to investigate further and managed to track down the owner for an interview to learn about gay Nicaragua.

Please introduce yourself to our readers:

My name is Stefan, I run a LGBTQ friendly hostel near a beautiful crystal clear freshwater lake in Nicaragua, my home country. I’ve lived in my workplace for around 2 years now and have greeted hundreds of visitors each day. The place is called “Laguna Beach Club”.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Nicaragua Gay Travel Resources