Spain

The general age of consent in Spain is 16, but if you're over 18 you should always be careful with younger guys. In summer 2005, when the socialist government amended the partnership laws, giving gay men equality in marriage, adoption and inheritance, leading to a stronger normalisation process. In November 2011, the conservative Partido Popular (PP) gained an absolute majority in parliament. Previous announcements cast doubts on the future of the same-sex marriage law introduced under Zapatero. Also uncertain is the Constitutional Court’s ruling on an appeal against gay marriage already lodged by the PP beforehand. The enormous forward drive in modernization over the last decades has lead to the realization that homosexuals are an important economic factor, with a result that tourists are rarely subject to discrimination, even in the most desolate provinces. Particularly in major cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville) openly gay communities are developing at a meteoric rate, with an ever-wider and more varied scene. Please note that a place isn't necessarily gay just because it has a rainbow flag in the window! Every year, more Gay Pride celebrations take place and at many traditional festivals, for example at Carnival in Tenerife and Cadiz, the Feria in Seville in April and at the Fallas in Valencia, you can experience gay life in all its hues, as part of the well-organized main events. If you drop all your defences in the heat of the moment, you obviously need to watch out. Even if he's laid back himself, a Spaniard thinks of his countrymen as very conservative, and above all he demands discretion in his own back yard. That famous Spanish passion has to be carefully unleashed behind closed doors. For years gays have secured for ourselves the best resorts out of the many seaside places available: Ibiza, Sitges and Torremolinos are summer resorts, while the Canary Islands are much loved year-round destinations. And in recent years small gay guesthouses are springing up all around the mainland coast and on the islands away from all the noise, letting you get a breath of fresh air. It's no surprise that Spain is Europe's number one holiday destination!