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Travel + Leisure
08-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Caribbean Destination Is One of the Most Queer-friendly Places My Husband and I Have Ever Been
San Juan is our kind of town, we decided while lounging on our balcony in the city's beachfront Condado neighborhood. My husband, Triton, and I had hesitated to visit Puerto Rico as an openly gay couple—some queer people have faced discomfort and even violence in other parts of the Caribbean. But friends in California had raved about San Juan's queer-friendly vibe, tropical climate, and vibrant arts scene. And once on the ground, any concerns we had quickly melted away. Despite a long Catholic history, Puerto Rico is one of the most LGBTQ-friendly destinations in the Caribbean—same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015, and same-sex couples can adopt. A number of hotels, beaches, and tours cater to the community, and there's a thriving Pride weekend each June. Related: The Family Behind '2 Dads With Baggage' on What It's Like Traveling the World As a Gay Couple With 2 Daughters To kick off our weekend, we joined a food and drink outing with Spoon Experience Tours, led by Elliott Cintron, who grew up near San Juan. First, we ducked into Juanes Restaurant for a taste of mofongo, a delicious mash of green plantains and garlic that was topped with a tangy chicken stew and, we learned, best enjoyed with an ice-cold bottle of Medalla Light. Along the way, we found comfort in seeing more than a handful of rainbow flags displayed from balconies and windowsills. From left: A walking tour in San Juan led by Spoon Experience Tours; a wall mural in the Santurce neighborhood. From left: Spoon; Getty Images Next, we hit the bar scene along Calle San Sebastián, a street with historic buildings painted in rainbow hues. Earlier we had passed an establishment claiming that it had invented the piña colada, and with coconuts on our mind, we ordered two of the tropical drinks at a gay-owned bar inside a pink building. A few doors down was El Cafetín, which had thumping club music pouring out the door and tons of gay men inside (perhaps because of the hunky bartenders who rip off their shirts at the ring of a bell). We ended the night at Jibarito Social Club, for some salsa dancing and one last drink. The next morning, we wanted to understand the city's artistic evolution, so we walked around the Santurce neighborhood, a short ride from Condado and Old San Juan. This culturally rich area has dozens of street murals, some four stories tall. Related: These Are the Best Times to Visit Puerto Rico We were fortunate to be led by Antonio Cruz, a guide from WanaTourPR, who had an encyclopedic knowledge of the artists, many of whom are LGBTQ. Afterward, we had a lunch of avocados stuffed with fresh shrimp at a gay-owned restaurant, Areyto, and chatted with Cruz about gay life and politics in Puerto Rico. 'When I was growing up in this predominantly Catholic country, there used to be a lot of prejudice about gay people, even from my own family,' Cruz told us. 'In recent years people have become so much more relaxed and accepting, especially in the bigger cities like San Juan.' A version of this story first appeared in the June 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline "One For All."
The Guardian
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: teals under pressure, the mastermind behind Labor's win, Carney meets Trump
Morning everyone. The teal class of 2022 has lost one of its most prominent members and another is on the ropes as the federal election count goes into overtime. The fightback might help the Liberals regain some pride but whoever succeeds Peter Dutton as leader faces 'instability', MPs say. We also report on Labor's election mastermind, how queer Australians fear travelling to the US and a comeback for Mr G. Speaking of the US, the victorious Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has had an interesting trip to the White House overnight. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh Photography/The Guardian Border fear | Queer Australians are axing travel plans to the World Pride festival in the US as Donald Trump targets LGBTQ+ rights and fears grow about entering America. Mik Bartels from Canberra (pictured), says 'given my appearance as identifiably queer', they would not be confident of being able to gain entry. Wilson wins | Tim Wilson looks likely to reclaim his inner-Melbourne seat from the teal independent Zoe Daniel in a nail-biting race that swung the Liberals' way on postal votes. Another class-of-2022 independent, Monique Ryan, is under threat in nearby Kooyong from Liberal challenger Amelia Hamer, while Greens leader Adam Bandt might be ousted in Melbourne. The next Liberal leader faces period of 'instability' and must be prepared to be regularly criticised and challenged, MPs have said, as the party wrestles with its future following its disastrous election defeat. Trading up | Labor insiders say assistant trade minister Tim Ayres' move to pass up promotion last year in favour of female colleagues will all but guarantee him a spot in Anthony Albanese's looming reshuffle. Meanwhile economists hope that the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will work to boost productivity after the fall of inflation. Windy gap | Successive cyclones have opened up a gap a few dozen metres wide in an uninhabited strip of Bribie Island, leaving the Sunshine Coast vulnerable to storm surges, residents fear. Pain relief | Helping people with chronic pain manage their emotions can lessen their experience of pain, according to an Australian-led study, with participants joining online therapy reporting up to a 10-point decrease on a 100-point scale for pain intensity. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images 'Just friends' | Donald Trump has said he 'just wants to be friends with Canada' after his first post-election meeting with Mark Carney, who shot down any prospect of his country becoming the 51st state. Here are five takeaways from this fascinating encounter. Meanwhile the US supreme court has allowed Donald Trump's ban on transgender members of the military to take effect. Gaza 'destroyed' | A far-right Israeli government minister has vowed that 'Gaza will be entirely destroyed' as a result of a victory by his country's forces and that its Palestinian population will 'leave in great numbers to third countries', raising fears of ethnic cleansing. Bundestag bungle | The German parliament has formally elected Friedrich Merz as the country's 10th postwar chancellor after a humiliating loss in the first round of voting that raised doubts about the stability of the next coalition government. Moscow grounded | Moscow's airports have closed as Ukrainian drones targeted the city for second night ahead of a major military parade. Bear attack | A black bear has killed a man and his dog in Florida in what is believed to be the first fatal mauling of a human by a bear in the state. Composite: Paul Tyquin/Reuters The mushroom murders trial begins Reged Ahmad speaks to reporter Nino Bucci about the first week of Erin Patterson's trial for murder. Full Story The mushroom murders trial begins Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ In-depth Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP In his victory speech on Saturday night, Anthony Albanese described him as 'a 'magnificent campaign director'. But who is Paul Erickson, the mastermind behind Labor's win? Henry Belot traces his rise from student politics in Melbourne through the Labor machine. As one observer says: He's a true believer who wants to beat Tories and get Labor governments elected to do good things.' Not the news Photograph: Princess/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock When it came out nearly 20 years ago, Chris Lilley's Summer Heights High took a place in the comedy pantheon, but more recently has been mired in controversy. Now Lilley is back with a mock podcast in which the show's main character, Mr G, revisits those imagined wrongs. But our own Luke Buckmaster thinks it exposes how Lilley has failed to move on, saying it feels 'a little desperate'. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Sport Photograph: Benoît Tessier/AFP/Getty Images Cycling | Caleb Ewan, at his peak as one of Australian cycling's greatest talents, has stunned the sport by announcing his immediate retirement. Ewan won five Tour de France stages but never fully recovered from a heavy crash in 2021. Rugby union | The Wallabies coach, Joe Schmidt, tells us how he is preparing his team for the Lions tour and what he can learn from AFL. Football | Inter host Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with the tie level at 3-3. The Age reveals that the Victorian Liberal party went into the election campaign in turmoil with a possible Fair Work dispute hanging over senior figures. Catholic schools in NSW believe children are being nudged towards easier subjects by distortions in the HSC exam award system, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Liberals are in revolt at the party's policy unit for holding back a raft of officials policies so long that candidates had no chance to talk them up, the Australian reports. Emotional scenes for the Adelaide Advertiser as the owners of Valerie the dachshund are reunited with their dog. What's happening today Sydney | Experts will give evidence at the Fair Work hearing between the NSW government and psychiatrists. Health | The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health measures survey will be released at 11.30am. Foreign policy | A discussion on the future of Australia's alliance with the US at La Trobe University with Gareth Evans and Robert Manne will take place. Sign up If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. Brain teaser And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
