Gay Guide to Ghent
Belgium legalized same-sex marriage in 2003, the second country in the world to do so, and adoption followed in 2006. Ghent, a canal-laced medieval city in East Flanders, is relaxed and openly welcoming, its queer life smaller than Brussels or Antwerp but easy to find.
The scene is spread through the old centre. Casa Rosa, the city's LGBTQ+ house on Belfortstraat near Sint-Jacobs, holds the cafe-bar A-Pluss and a cluster of community groups, and Kingstreet on Kammerstraat is the city's oldest gay bar.
Club Adonis, out on Deinsesteenweg, has run men's parties since 2005, with DJs, shows and a summer outdoor pool. Rokko on Steendam is a feminist and queer bookshop and coffee bar, GenderGender sells gender-affirming clothing and binders, and Queer Gym runs classes and open gym.
Each July the city fills for the ten-day Gentse Feesten, its biggest festival.