State Department Meets with Gay Travel Representatives
TRAVELING ABROAD can be a little scary – walking into a strange country, not quite sure knowing what to expect. And gay travelers need to be informed. Some countries do not take a liking to us!
efforts to provide LGBT-specific information to Americans who plan to
travel overseas.
“We want all of our citizens to be informed about their destinations
abroad and any particular challenges that they may face,” Janice Jacobs,
assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, said.
“We want them to know about the services that are available to them at
our embassies and consulates if problems should happen, despite their
precautions.”
Jacobs’ comments come five days after the Bureau of Consular Affairs added LGBT-specific information to its website
that includes travel warnings, alerts and other country-specific
advisories. These include references to “widespread” anti-gay
discrimination in Ukraine, efforts to curb “the promotion of
homosexuality” in Russian cities and an advisory that urges LGBT
travelers to “consider exercising caution when visiting Estonia” because
of harassment and violence those who have publicly shown affection have
experienced.
The country-specific profiles also include information about HIV/AIDS travel restrictions.
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