Felicity Long
Felicity Long

Ever wonder how Pride month got its start? Most sources credit the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, during which patrons and onlookers rioted against police during a raid at the LGBTQ-friendly watering hole.

Fast-forward to today, and Pride events have gone international, including in Europe.

And while many tourism entities have come to equate inclusivity with good business -- understandably, LGBTQ+ travelers are more likely to spend their tourism dollars in locations where they feel welcome -- there are still some destinations that are friendlier than others.

Open For Business, a coalition of global companies making the case that LGBTQ+ inclusion and economic growth go hand in hand, offers a rating system of international cities based on their inclusivity, diversity and other factors.

Interestingly, most of the cities receiving top AAA ratings are in Europe -- specifically Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, London, Stockholm, Zurich and Oslo, Norway.

Not only are these cities notable for their LGBTQ+-friendliness, but they have been ahead of the curve in promoting such markers as same-sex marriage -- recognized by 19 European countries -- and civil unions.

That doesn't mean cities with slightly lower ratings aren't making strides toward inclusivity, however.

Brussels, for example, kicked off its Pride celebrations in May with some 150,000 people lining the streets to support the Pride Parade, and in June, the city will mark the 20th anniversary of its first same-sex marriage with a commemorative porcelain that will be exhibited in the Museum of the City of Brussels.

Valletta, Malta's capital, will cap its 10-day EuroPride events in September with a EuroPride Valletta 2023 Concert headlined by pop singer Christina Aguilera. 

The significance of the concert goes beyond lip service to the LGBTQ+ community, according to Maria Azzopardi, president of Allied Rainbow Communities (ARC), a foundation dedicated to promoting inclusion and a sponsor of the event.

"The Official EuroPride Valletta 2023 Concert with Christina Aguilera will be another highlight, after the Pride March in Valletta, which brings the LGBTIQ+ community together under the motto #EqualityFromTheHeart," Azzopardi said. "This event is a powerful moment of unity and celebration that shows the immense progress our community has made toward equality." 

Meanwhile, Barcelona will celebrate diversity with a festival from July 3 to 16.

While Athens scored a B rating on the Open for Business report, Mykonos goes all out to welcome LGBTQ+ travelers with a gay-friendly nightlife and its annual XLSIOR Mykonos International Summer Gay Festival, to be held this year from Aug. 16 to 23.

And although relatively new to the concept, the Baltics are making up for lost time with their own Baltic Pride events, which kicked off in June in Tallinn, Estonia. The events are especially celebratory this year, thanks to a ruling by the Estonian parliament on June 22 that recognized same-sex marriage, the first former Soviet country to do so.

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