diego7david said:
maybe its because porteno life is more liberal and accepting then most places and people can just be themselves and not so hung up on being gay that they need to live separate lives and keep themselves in a closet.
Really? You think? I don't know, it's getting better but I'd say the scene is pretty underground. Then again, I'm from Vancouver and lived in the West End before coming here, so to me "three gay couples at the bar" in Milion doesn't really constitute much of a scene, lol!!!
In most areas of town, yes people are tolerant, but the actual bar scene etc is pretty underground considering BA keeps trying to market itself as the Gay Destination of South America. There are some websites, and if you're in the shops in Palermo etc you'll see some mags (I think one is just called Gay in BA) with listings for club nights / bars etc. I guess the same districts that cater to foreigners are also more gay-friendly (San Telmo, Palermo, etc)
Also, I'd say that there's a lot of closeted gays here. Some of my best friends here in fact. I knew one of my friends for almost 2 years before he finally "confessed" that he was gay (as if I hadn't figured it out). His partner is a local and told his family at the age of 36. His family has vowed never to discuss it again and his partner is never allowed to step foot in the house. My friend started an MBA here, it would have been the ideal opportunity to just tell his work group that he's gay, but he has never told them and when they come to his house he makes his partne leave for the day.
Ok, to each his own, and I know I'm more tolerant than a lot coming from Vancouver, but I'd say that there's still a lot of people in BA that would prefer to operate on the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy.
Sorry, can't remember from the original post right now if you were looking for the scene in BA, or if you were just trying to find out from other gay expats how life is here. (Sorry, I've been working 15 hr days for the past week and my brain is a bit zonked so this post seems to be more stream of consciousness than any help... maybe just ignore me... I really need some sleep, lol)...