Rainbow flag, symbol of gay pride (source: Wikimedia Commons)
There are hundreds of gay or lesbian readers of Brno Now – I actually feel sorry for not having published this short guide earlier.
How gay/lesbian friendly is Brno?
Czech republic may be one of the most liberal countries in Europe and it legalized the “registered partnerships” of same-sex couples four years ago. However, south Moravia is probably the most conservative part of the country. This means:
- Holding hands on streets is generally OK for women, as this is recognized as a sign of a good friendship. I have never seen two men holding hands; it would probably look weird for some conservative folks.
- Generally speaking, same-sex kissing is OK on parties in clubs.
- Most gays and lesbians I know are not shy to tell their co-workers or schoolmates about their sexual orientation.
- You can still face homophobia but this kind of behavior is getting rare. Czech republic has a strong anti-discrimination policy (you can not be fired or disadvantaged for being a homosexual) and I do not know about any acts of homophobic violence in Brno. However, the first gay pride parade in Brno was harrased by skinheads several years ago, and the town refused to donate the GLBT film festival Mezipatra (although mayor’s son was acting in a gay porn) last year. So: the battle for equal rights is not over.
Gay or gay friendly clubs and restaurants
Of course, you can have a date in every restaurant in the town. However, there are venues that call themselves “gay friendly”, which means (among other thing) that it is somehow easier to find a mate there.
As far as I know, there is no “gay hotel” in Brno. I’ll let you know if that changes.
- Richard Club is, according to its website, the oldest gay club in the Czech republic. (Richard Club on a map.)
- Áčko is a nice café located right in the centre. It is one of the most popular places among the GLBT community. (Áčko on a map.)
- Some of my straight female friends love to party in Red Cat gay club, because there are no sleazy straight men harrasing girls that just want to have fun. (My friends are pretty clever.)
- I have spotted many gay and lesbian pairs in Salon Daguerre, although the café does not advertise itself as a GLBT venue. The same with café Spolek.
- My friend recommended me Depo Club at 7 Pekařská st., “the biggest gay disco in Brno”. I have never heard about it, just try it out for yourselves.
- Las Palmas is a gay wellness club, offering sauna and similar attractions.
- Feeling horny? Gibon club is a place to pick up some boy or man to have sex with. (Gibon club on a map)
- Dave’s club opened at 8 Hybešova st. in June 2011.
I would be glad for any feetback, further tips and so on. Let us know in the comments.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
pity you forgot to mention any venues for lesbians.
plus: homophobia isn’t that rare in public transport (especially late at night), at sports events, at some workplaces, not even at schools. most gays and lesbians I know are not that open and “out” simply because they’re older (and so are the people around them) or they study/work at typical Czech schools/companies. Czech people like to think they’re tolerant but when you confront them, most of them aren’t.
even the Queer Pride had problems (with
…with the city council two years ago) and is having problems even now.
Sorry for breaking up the comment into two -)
Sylva, are there any clubs for lesbians? As far as I know, Gender studies at the Faculty of social sciences organize some events, but nothing regular.
Unfortunately there is tolerance and there is Tolerance. Czech people are tolerant to same sex pairs only when they are not confronted directly with them or are not in a situation where there would have so called first hand experience.
On the other side, a huge step has been made in the right direction in the Czech republic to grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights as heterosexual people. We need to keep in mind that Czech republic has a nearly 40 years of Communism behind, in which gay and lesbian people have been kept on the side line and the government tried to “heal” them. The direction is good :D
Martin> Communist Czechoslovakia was one of the first countries that decriminalized same-sex intercourse (in early 1960s). Anyway, I agree with the rest of your comment.
Why, there is definitely a lovely cafe for gay gals on Hybesova, run by Wendy. I don’t know its name or exact address, but it’s on the left going away from the centre, and it’s just before the corner where the Millennium Centre is.
And I heard that there is a certain part of the Osada nude beach that gay men like to visit…
Hi there, I will be going to Brno for work from 17/10 till 30/10. Is there anyone that can tell me where i can go out (safe)? Or tell me how Brno is by night, any tips would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance :-)
Hans
Hello Hans,
generally speaking, Brno is safe everywhere. Only the streets in the eastern part of the town get slightly wilder in night – but still no one is going to kill you there.
It his hard to tell you where to go, as I do not know anything about your preferences. But there are many useful posts in the archive of Brno Now!
Hello Michal,
Thank you for your comment. I was wondering if anyone can tele me anything about the Gibbon Klub (and then the special evenings on thursday and friday) How is the crowd?
For Hans…
Gibon club is little bit dirty place to be decribed very detailed on this website. I`m sure you can understand me. Just go`n`try :-)
Hi there,
is the Gibons Klub still open? Do they still have naked party at friday?
Hoi hans,
wij zijn in de GK geweest. Ik vind het daar geweldig leuk vooral op vrijdag.
Hi,
1. gay clubs in Brno suck. I have lived here for 6 years and rather go to Vienna or Prague if I am desperate. Dirty, sleazy people, terribly smoky, no good pub with atmosphere… Sitting in H46 on Sat night watching a bunch of drunk queens dancing on Helena Vondrackova music, sorry that’s pathetic … and the spa Las Palmas – noone will see me there again. For the same price Babylon in Prague can offer you much more (cleanliness, comfort, privacy… MORE MEN :-) )
2. Martin’s comment – to grant gl couples the same rights = in other words to tick in a questionnaire for census: married, single, divorced, registered-partnership with same-sex partner (I say f88k off to this kind of same rights thing… )
3. To other comment about safety in Brno: depends where you go and none would kill you – I disagree. Avoid Cejl and that area behind the rails… noone wants to own up, we have problem with weird people, drunks, aggressive assholes, gypsies, etc. just be careful and usually you are fine. Visit Austria and come back to get a culture shock :-)
I forgot – Osada may be good, mixed with str8s, a few of permanent visitors crunching in the upper corner closer to town waiting for their “victim” ;-)
Good luck, you may get a tick in the better case :-)))