The USA is the birthplace of the modern Pride movement – from Stonewall in New York to the Castro in San Francisco. How open the country feels depends very much on the state: big cities and coastal states are very liberal, while parts of the South and Midwest are considerably more conservative.
Legal situation: Same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide since 2015 (Obergefell) and further secured by the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act; in November 2025 the Supreme Court declined a request to review the ruling. Federal law has protected against workplace discrimination since 2020, but further protections vary greatly from state to state – New York and California are among the most progressive. Under the Trump administration, the rights of trans people at federal level have been restricted since 2025, for example regarding gender markers in passports (provisionally upheld by the Supreme Court in 2025), and in 2025 the court also upheld bans on gender-affirming treatment for minors in individual states.
Cities
Our city guides are being translated into English step by step. Guides marked “German” are currently only available in German.
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic 12
Florida 9
The South 9
Texas 6
Southwest & Rockies 8
Midwest 14
California 14
Pacific Northwest, Alaska & Hawaii 4
Major gay destinations are shown in bold.