Lesbian & Gay Travel

Ottawa is an open, friendly and welcoming destination for gay and lesbian travelers. Canada's Capital has an LGBT pedigree that extends back to the first-ever gay and lesbian public demonstration in Canada (1971), and that in recent years included perhaps the most public gay marriage of all time between two gay stars of the TV program The Amazing Race. Today, Ottawa is home to a proud and active gay and lesbian community with an ever-expanding variety of clubs, organizations, activities and events – including a very boisterous annual Pride Week celebration – that reflects the diversity of the local community. The centre of gay and lesbian life is the area around Bank Street and Somerset in the downtown core. Our growing gaybourhood has shops and bars and is the home base for local institutions serving the LGBT community. Explore it by day—or by night. But don't feel you have to limit yourself to one neighbourhood. There are things happening all over. On Sunday evenings, for example, there's a lesbian coffee club in suburban Barrhaven. You'll find gays and lesbians all over the city, doing the active things Ottawans do. Check publications such as Capital Xtra for listings and up-to-date information.