According to an article at GayWired this weekend, Gaypedia.com , a new online travel information and social networking portal that aims to become the largest database of destinations, venues and events specifically designed for the gay and lesbian community officially launched this week

Sensing an opening in the marketplace for a travel information website that allowed gays and lesbians to search for venues and events in a given location during specified dates, the Gaypedia.com team dove headfirst into building a social networking site where their team as well as members would add content, upload photos and videos, and produce travel diaries about events and vacations that could be shared with gaypedia friends around the globe.

“The gay world changes so quickly that we were finding information in travel guides to be constantly out-of-date or inaccurate,” says Ryan Haynes, Gaypedia.com’s Marketing Manager. “With such a large international gay community and pride festivals getting bigger and bigger we designed a site where gays and lesbians can find everything in one place.”

Simultaneously the site also hopes to keep the international GLBT community up to date on the gay friendly destinations where they can safely vacation without fear of discrimination or homophobia, as well as places within the boundaries of less gay friendly destinations that are gay and lesbian havens.

“It was essential we included a section detailing legislation and equality for homosexuals in each destination, many countries still discriminate against us however there is often a strong underground gay scene. Gaypedia will give travelers the insider information,” Haynes said.

Gaypedia.com expects to eventually branch out into all aspects of gay and lesbian lifestyles to provide an integrated interactive information portal, but will launch with over 45 destinations, 1,500 venues and nearly 100 events worldwide as well as its fully integrated Gaypedia mapping service which identifies where all venues and events are within a chosen city, courtesy of a gay Googling tool.