Gay Tourism - Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Gay Tourism - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Gay Tourism - Buenos Aires, Argentina

In 2004 Buenos Aires became the first city in Latin America to legalize civil unions, and in 2010 same sex marriages. A steady sexual liberalization has allowed not only locals but also gay visitors to enjoy all the city has to offer without fear.

Buenoss Aires is divided into 48 barrios (neighborhoods), several of which gather the gay-friendly hotels, restaurants, bars, and clubs into a few square blocks. Not surprisingly, they are also barrios where the historical sites and cultural offerings are clustered.

Yyou will find yourself right at home in posh Recoleta, trendy Palermo, tango-inspired San Telmo, and the bubbling Microcentro (downtown). Other barrios such as Belgrano, Nuñez, Barrio Norte, and even the traditional Colegiales are also of interest and increasingly gay-infused.

All of these barrios feature many strutting straight guys sporting skin-tight pink T-shirts, designer jeans and trendy haircuts. Don't be confused: Native Argentines maintain a complicated relationship between outward appearance and inner machismo, a balance they claim women enjoy. Whatever! If there is one place that embodies the cultural tensions between European and Latin American societies, it's Buenos Aires, so just savor the contradictions. "If you want to walk with your partner holding hands, no one will say anything," Melia said.

Gay Buenos Aires

For the past few years, Buenos Aires has reigned as Latin America's preeminent gay travel capital. Gays and lesbians are estimated as being as high as 15% to 20% among international tourists, and many mainstream places stress their gay-friendliness. One reason for the boom is simply economics, but there has also been an effort by the city to make sure that gay tourism is officially recognized. With its enormous collection of bars, dance clubs, restaurants, and tango halls catering to the community, no other city in Latin America rivals what Buenos Aires has to offer for visiting gays and lesbians.

There are also gay-only bed and breakfasts, gay-run restaurants, a nearby gay-only beach, and shops and hotels that advertise as "gay-friendly". Though there is no exact information on the number of gays and lesbians living in Buenos Aires, the community is one of the most open and vibrant in the region. The Argentina Homosexual Community, the country's first gay rights organization, was created in 1984.

The city's incredible shopping may make this the favorite part of your stay. From centuries-old antiques to South America's best fashions, Buenos Aires is likely to bring out the shopper in anyone.

Gay Tango:

There's a new kind of tango taking place. At the gay milonga, known as La Marshall, you'll find several kinds of couples dancing: women with women and a few mixed-gender couples — but mostly men with men. Five o'clock-shadowed cheek to five o'clock-shadowed cheek, they execute their steps with precision and clear intent. Two of the latest trends, gay and queer tango, are attracting dancers from across the world to Buenos Aires. Many trace gay tango back to one man: Augusto Balinzano, who tours internationally to teach gay tango. When he's in town, he teaches tango at Lugar Gay, a guesthouse exclusively for men in the neighborhood of San Telmo.		Click here to read all the Argentina Gay Travel realted articles published on our BLOG

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"One night I was dancing with a man," he says. "Then the next time another couple of gay men joined us. And so on. Now we have gay lessons and a gay milonga."

Indicative of major changes in Argentine society, the gay tango is something of a perfect storm that came about from an economic crisis, improved civil rights for homosexuals and a revival in tango's popularity.

Nightlife:

Edgy, avant-garde, and fashionable are just some of the words that can be used to describe the bars and clubs in Buenos Aires. This city truly has a fabulous gay scene with its ecstatically amazing gay bars and clubs. These gay venues usually provide brilliant bars and fantastic deejays playing cool tunes. The atmosphere in the gay bars and clubs here can be both vibrant and euphoric. Everyone will be surely guaranteed of brilliant time. Basically, the venues here are somewhat a la 'Sex and the City'. Although, one need to remember that the clubs here doesn't really start until 2 a.m. It is advisable to sleep during the day if you plan to have fun the Buenos Aires way. Just get ready to party like the locals.

Lodging:

Buenos Aires offers a wide range of gay and lesbian guesthouses plus bed and breakfasts as well as the straight-friendly Axel hotel. Most other hotels are gay-friendly in Buenos Aires. Hotels range from small boutique hotels to 5 star deluxe hotels. A very common and inexpensive home-away-from-home is a vacation apartment rental. Several gay-owned and operated agencies specialize in these suite rentals to the gay and lesbian traveler. Buenos Aires also has an abundance of inexpensive gay and lesbian hostels, inns, and accommodations for younger gay and lesbian travelers or those traveling on a limited budget.




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