The UK plummets on the Spartacus Gay Travel Index
Spartacus’ annual index reveals where LGBTQ+ rights are improving and where they are getting worse
For the first time since the Spartacus Gay Travel Index was published in 2012, five countries have tied for the top spot. Canada, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain all ranked 12 points on the list followed by joint second place Australia and Switzerland with 11 points each.
Whereas the UK, which was joint 9th place in 2023 with 10 points, has been downgraded to 21st this year with 8 points. Points were lost across Transgender Rights, LGBT marketing, and Locals Hostile.
The list created by Spartacus, the German LGBTQ+ travel magazine, provides an overview of the situation of LGBTQ+ people in 213 countries and regions. The index has introduced a new Censorship category, which considers laws that regulate things such as the display of rainbow flags or the distribution of LGBTQ+ books.
The new Censorship category helped take Russia, ranked 177th in 2023, down to 205th place. This puts Russia in the company of Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, which share 210th place.
The big winner this year was Estonia, which legalised marriage equality at the start of 2024. This act propelled the country from 47th to 32nd place. Norway also made great strides by banning ‘conversion therapy’ improving their place from 17th to 8th on the index.
Spartacus has confirmed that it is already keeping a close eye on certain countries for their 2025 index.
The implementation of a law introducing marriage equality by the Greek parliament in February 2024 promises to give Greece a boost on the index.
If Thailand’s bill to introduce marriage equality passes in 2024 then it should help Thailand catch up to Taiwan, which is the highest Asian country on the list at 13th place.
A 2018 ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica on the introduction of marriage equality, which is binding for 20 countries in the region, puts pressure on countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, and Panama to implement the ruling.
In America (41st place), which the index also breaks down into individual states, the presidential election is putting fear into the LGBTQ+ community as a Republican win could mean the introduction of new laws regulating the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
You can view the full Spartacus Gay Travel Index here.