Not Very Gay Rio - Is this accurate?

[goingtorio]

This came from a Lonely Planet forum -- is it accurate -- I am going in late March and now worried ?@?

 

Rio de Janeiro is definitely not gay during off season. I went to Rio de Janeiro with my boyfriend during the later part of May. Before leaving I was told by all of my gay friends that "Rio is sooo gay", with a gay district ("Ipanema"), gay beaches, tolerance of sexuality, very gay friendly, etc. Your book on Rio described it as "The gayest" city in Latin America". Upon arriving, the hotels that I had searched from a gay travel website, which I assumed were at least gay friendly were not. The desk at one hotel called our room to complain when a male visitor was in our room for more than 2 minutes. Much of the time, my boyfriend and I were the only gay men on the gay beach- where Rua Farme de Amovedo hits the ocean. There were a few gays on the gay beach on the weekend...I was extremely surprised at the low level of gayness everywhere including Ipanema, Copacabana, Rio and outright homophobia of the atmosphere during the winter...

However, I did meet up with a gay friend who lived there in Rio, he took me to a couple of clubs, (always closing and opening under a new name, because "customers get tired off the same thing for too long and want something different"). I went to a gay-themed party at an amusement park at night. I am very resourceful and do much investigation before travelling, have travelled and lived abroad before. But despite all of this, I would not have experienced any part of Rio's gayness (other than a couple of clubs on list) had I not met up with a gay friend who actually lives there. I found out that the gayness of Rio can be found during the summer which is from October-April approximately. Serious warning to gay/lesbian travellers about Rio in the "off-season" so they won't be as shocked as I was.

[Guest Tomcal_]

Everyone has different viewpoints on places they visit and alot has to do with how they approach it and also their expectations. If The person who wrote the reveiw was expecting to find in Rio, the public displays of affection that you see in West Hollywood, Chelsea, S.F., etc. Then he would be disappointed. In seven trips there(next week will be the 8th and the end of March when you are going will be 9)I don't recall ever seeing guys "holding hands" or walking arm in arm. Although at Corujinhas at night the guys will come up and kiss you hello with no problem.

As far at the gay beach at Farme, when the reviewer stated that no one was there except he and his friend, I think that either he went on a rainy day or he is lying. When I have been there, and the first time was in Oct. and the second time in April, there were HUNDREDS of Brazilians in Speedos, I know because I got dizzy from turning my head so fast to see them all!! LOL

As far as the clubs changing names and or moving. LeBoy has been operating as LeBoy at it's location for at least 3years and maybe alot longer. It is very busy on weekend nights.

Anyone, read the archieves for this site, there are so many posts from so many of us, that you should be able to get a fairly accurate picture of the gay scene in Rio

One other point, On one trip, 9 of the M4M's as well as 3 or the boys went to Leme(very upscale part of Rio, north of Copa) for dinner at a Zaget top rated restauarant. It was apparent that we were a gay group, and this was definitly a "straight" restaurant, we had to wait outside for about 20 mins for a table, several men from the restaurant came outside to smoke and came up to ask us for a "light", I said, "I did you know we would have a lighter?" and he said "oh we figured since you guys were gay some of you had to be smokers!"

not sure why he thought that, none of us were smoking at the time and I think in the group there were only 2 smokers, but my point being, there were certainly no outward signs of discrimination towards us in "non-gay" areas, I think overall Brazil is much more tolerent of gays then most other countries.

[sf traveler]

I have to agree with Tom. While everyone's experience is of necessity different, I think Rio is quite gay friendly. As any reader of the posts on this site knows, the hotel's concern for a male guest in your room is most likely a concern for security and not any comment, positive or negative, on what you were or were not doing. As to clubs, they open and close frequently in many cities, not just Rio. There are some long established clubs, like Le Boy, but it would bet the younger set changes allegiance frequently just like they do here. So what? There certainly is no gay district--clearly not Ipanema, but that's true of many gay cities today. Even the Castro in San Francisco is much less gay than it was even 10 years ago. Like everywhere else, we gentrified it and now we can't afford it. But basically, I can see that Rio isn't terribly "gay positive"--it's more like who cares who people fuck and let's get on with the party! But a positive suggestion for any gay traveler's next trip would be to use Carlo Romano as your travel agent so he can make sure to set up the types of experiences your're looking for. SF Traveler

[ohgwm226]

I totally agree with the observations of Tomcal and SFTraveller. Rio is not West Hollywood, no men holding hands on the street, but rarely any man would get even offended if you stared at him at the beach. It is closer to who cares attitude, rather than embracing the gay life-style. Hotels do not allow guests to your room regardless, if you were straight or gay. I have been 5 times to Rio in last 2 years, and I never had a homophobic encounter. Enlisting the help of a Rio native, or a guide can be certainly very good idea, as in any other city.

Do not hesitate to go to Rio in any time of the year. I am sure you'll start thinking of your next trip there before leaving, and you'll hate leaving. I did.

I have also been in Rio during high, and low seasons. I prefer their low season. Better weather, less competition...if there is such a thing in Rio, hunks are in abundance..

 

OHGWM226

[+ Axiom2001]

I think TomCal's assessment is indeed accurate in terms of the "beat" in Rio. One does not see blatant displays of affection between men or women, and I personally appreciated this, but the city is DEFINITELY open to its gay denizens and visitors.

 

Sao Paulo, on the other hand, is purported, as well as reported, to have a greater "gay scene" than Rio. Its Gay Pride events in, I think, July or August had over 1 million participants. When I was there in October-- I went to a fabulous restaurant which is frequented by gays although owned by a straight couple. I loved the ambiance and the male visions. To my surprise I was even cruised (by an extremely hot man) which really got my blood gushing. My gay guide drove me to some of the distinctive gay areas in the centre, and we went to a long-established gay club for the over 30 crowd. The huge park is rather cruisy after 5PM during the week as well as on weekends. Because my time was limited, there was much, much more that I missed, but I DO PLAN TO RETURN!

 

But to get back to the topic at hand: I LOVED Rio, its culture, its beat, its people, and yes-- the omnipresent handsome men.

As SF Traveler stated in so many words: the times are a changing. And as TomCal mentioned, "Don't expect Rio to be like the "gay ghettos" on the East and West coasts of the USA.

I'll just have to say that one has to experience Rio and Sao Paulo for himself and make the BEST:9 of his experiences!! Develop and appreciate the differences as well as the similarities!:-) :9 :-) :9 :-)

[goingtorio]

Thanks for all the input -- perhaps I should have been clearer, as I do not expect it to be WeHo. What I was concerned about was whether (1) it would basically be a dead scene as for anything gay - i.e. not a soul on the gay beach, and (2) whether if someone figured u were gay, there would be overt discrimination -- both of these points I am not the least concerned about now...thanks.

[lfarj]

At first, reading you post about how Rio is not gay friendly, etc. , I thought you were in the wrong city. But to a certain extent you´re right when you say that the beach is empty . That is funny but right. During the winter people only go to the beach on the week ends although it is hot and sunny. But the other places: discos ( there are 2 main ones that have the same name for years: Le Boy and Incontrus). Some other "modern" places like Dama de Ferro, Galeria Café, etc. Cafés like Bofetada in Ipanema and Corujinha are open all year long with a good amount of boys, tourists nad local patrons. During the winter Rio is not as "glittery" as it is during the summer. But gay friendly it always is.

Felipe

[Mavica]

Gay Scene vs. Hustler Scene, Exaggeration, etc.

 

My experience and observation has been that one needs to discount by, say, 50% the hyperbole many people spout about "gay Rio" . . . and you'll be left with a reasonably accurate idea of what to expect.

 

I sensed that people/businesses in Rio were tolerant of the diversity of lifestyles . . . not overly "gay friendly", but not homophobic, either.

 

Someone seeking a gay scene similar to what's found in the United States will be disappointed, I think . . . because you'll find something different in Rio. The biggest "gap" is going to be the differences between the culture of where you live in the U.S. and Rio . . . which includes whether or not you have the ability to communicate in Portugese (or, to some degree . . . in Spanish).

 

With the Exception of LeBoy (which is a "world class" gay disco, IMO), I found most of the bar scene horribly boring - akin to what one would see in the U.S. 35 years ago (actually, less interesting than that). A lot of the social interaction among gays is taking place at sidewalk restaurants, etc., not in "gay bars."

 

While I liked the beach at Copacabana, I enjoyed the "gay beach" at Ipanema more. As others have commented, time of year is going to determine the visits to the beach by locals - I'll venture a guess that you'll find lots of people on the beach in March.

 

I'll be surprised if many contributors to this particular forum known much about Rio other than how to get from their hotel to one of the commercial hustler sauna outlets . . . so don't expect to very much accurate/reliable information about the "gay scene in Rio".

 

If you're looking for information about the commercial hustler scene, than you'll find some helpful (but exaggerated) information here. If you're looking for more general information about the gay scene in Rio, I'd look elsewhere . . . even Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, which can be a very accurate source.

 

With a bit of searching, you'll be able to find, on the www, some good and reasonably reliable information about "gay Rio".

 

Enjoy the vacation!

[trilingual]

RE: Gay Scene vs. Hustler Scene, Exaggeration, etc.

 

Some of our posters indeed haven't sampled "gay Rio" beyond the commercial sex scene (and of course this is a website about exactly that scene). Many of us, though, have branched out beyond that. Some of us have been going to Brazil for a very long time and have certainly done more with our time than just hang out in saunas. And some of our posters are native Brazilians, like lfarj and Carlo Romano, who live in Rio and who are very familiar with the local scene.

 

Off-season, the beaches tend to be slow except on weekends when the weather is good. In season, the beaches are pretty crowded every day unless it's very overcast or rainy. Rio is indeed a "gay-friendly" city and getting friendlier by the day. The press is lately quite full of stories about the value of gay tourism, and believe me, the local merchants would like to get their hands on our gay money, so you can expect a warm welcome almost anywhere. Rio has passed state and municipal sexual orientation non-discrimination laws.

 

Mavica has it right that the scene happens in different venues than in the U.S., like in the sidewalk cafés, but there are a number of popular bars (more European than American in style), discos scattered all over the metro area, circuit parties, a sex club, outdoor and T-room cruising scenes, gay beaches, numerous non-escort saunas, gay community organizations, gay businesses, a gay pride parade, an MCC, various events and awards ceremonies, AIDS support groups and most of the other accoutrements of a well-developed gay community. (All of this is replicated in virtually every large Brazilian city.)

 

Because tourists tend to cluster in Copacabana and Ipanema, not all of the local gay scene is immediately apparent, and the language barrier impedes some visitors from getting to know the scene better. But with a great deal of interest, and very little effort, it's possible for a visitor to meet local people and start seeing the sides of Rio (including its non-tourist gay scene) that most visitors don't get to experience.

 

Because most single young people live with their families there isn't as much of a gay ghetto as you'll find in similarly sized North American cities. But many gay people do live alone (or with a partner), and many of them live in Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, as well as in the neighborhoods towards town, like Catete. Barra is also starting to develop a local gay population as it continues to burgeon. In short, there is indeed a sprawling, well-developed and complex gay scene in Rio. Just because it isn't all immediately apparent to visitors doesn't mean it doesn't exist! But it's hardly a secret, and people who make the effort to scratch beneath the surface will find it easy to branch out into the local gay scene.

[Guest Deweywop]

RE: Gay Scene vs. Hustler Scene, Exaggeration, etc.

 

I I go to "the South" to escape the homogeneity and attitude of the gay scene in the US and Europe, though I do appreciate its vastness and easy accessibility. I have had some great fun in countries where the "gay scene" is officially non-existent, like in some Arab countries.

 

But to answer the question of the thread, Rio is a big-ass city and there's always something happening, even if it seems less full-blown than West Hollywood or Chelsea. (Hey, I remember when Chelsea wasn't all that gay either.) I found that the attitude of Brazilian straights can be ambivalent. Once, I saw two men come into my Rio hotel looking for (I presume) a quicky room (even though it's not that kind of an establishment). They haggled gently with the management because the room had two single beds and ultimately left. Afterward, the lady at the desk, while still polite, said something slightly dismissive about them being "enamorados." Another time, in Florianopolis, two guys I met were discussing which beaches to check out. One rather curtly ruled out one option as "Praia Gay."

[Guest Gringo]

RE: Gay Scene vs. Hustler Scene, Exaggeration, etc.

 

I would like to express a word or two about the accuracy of the information available on this site. I believe I may be among the senior experienced Brasilian travelers here. My first trip was in 1982. That first visit was so incredible, I decided to return for more extended periods just to see if the charm would tarnish. I am happy to report that, for me, the magic has only increased. Now, 24 years later, I am officially at the legal limit of 6 months in Brasil per calander year. Still I find the beauty, freedom, and charm of Rio to be greater than that which I have found in any other city. Having said that, I can assure the posters here that I have found the wealth of information available here, and especially in the extensive archieves, to be current and 99 per cent reliable. Venues change, and individual experiences vary, but the core of information here is accurate and valid. I have been here during my current visit for Christmas and New Years. I will be here another six weeks through Carnavale. If anyone would care to hook up or have any questions I might be able to answer, please email me. Enjoy your trip. :+

[+ Axiom2001]

RE: Gay Scene vs. Hustler Scene, Exaggeration, etc.

 

Gringo-----lucky, lucky, fortunate you!!!!!! I positively ennnnnvy you. A few minutes ago I finished watching a film that I'd presume took place in Bahia; almost all of the characters were African Brasilian. The beautiful language that I heard spoken and the music brought back posssssssssitive memories. I again thought about my good friend and I moving to Rio and staying in Bohemian St. Theresa. Just a wishful thought.

The film's title was-- translated-- "Funeral Samba".

 

I immediately went to my computer and fired off an email to the guide that I had while I was in Salvador (Bahia). After doing that I came to this board and to your response (especially) which is written with ever so much ease and clarity, thus making for a delightful-- very interesting read!

 

Continue to enjoy yourself, my cyberfriend; perhaps we'll meet (in person) one day in Rio if not before! Axiom (Edd)

[Guest Gringo]

Friends

 

Thanks Ax---I hope one day we will be face to face in a magic place:+