Portugal, in general, has a long history of repression and public intolerance of homosexuality. Gay and lesbian sex and marriage is legal in this part of the World and therefore in
the Madeira Island. The age of consent in Portugal is 16.
But in Madeira the
(local) gay and lesbian activity is
still very discrete. In Funchal there are no specific
clubs and bars for gays and lesbians, which is uncommon for a European
city with over 100,000 inhabitants. Although the gay and
lesbian community seems to be dormant in Madeira, a notable part of the population enjoys this lifestyle. It
seems that being gay in Madeira is actually quite acceptable, as long as
you don’t brazenly flaunt yourself in front of the church elders at
mass, perhaps. Many individuals enjoy a healthy relationship with like
minded persons.
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It may surprise some visitors that there is even two gay beaches in Madeira, although not
so popular since the beaches are not really made of golden
sand but steep cliffs and rocks. The first is the steep
cliff beach just off the Ponta Gorda, below the esplanade that
separates it from the “Magic Gardens” near the Pestana Grand Hotel. The
other is in Caniço de Baixo.
On Madeira Island, gay and lesbian travelers and indeed locals are becoming more mainstream and definitely more acceptable. The “pink” community is actually much larger than it at first may seem. There are no specific gay and lesbian bars or clubs although you will find that most of the larger nightclubs and mainstream bars are very mixed and gay friendly.
Unfortunately, there are still some anti-gay feeling among more
conservative elements in Portugal. The consistently reactionary and
influential Catholic church, for example, is still light years from
accepting the homosexuality as normal. Also issues like single-sex
marriage and adoption by homosexual couples still have to be resolved,
as in other countries.
Before coming to Madeira, you might want to write to
the 'Opus Gay Association' (Rua da Ilha Terceira 34- 2º 1000-173
Lisboa) or contact them by phone (+ 351 21 315 13 96). Their e-mail is
opusgaynorte@hotmail.com.
On the Internet you will find a few Portuguese gay and lesbian sites. The most comprehensive is www.portugalgay.pt that is available in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and German.
