Petr, first of all: It's a good thing that Prague Tourism seems to be more interested in gay tourists, isn't it?
Absolutely, it is definitely a positive move for the Czech State organizations to acknowledge gay tourism and realize the value of gay visitors to Prague. It has been a great start but as always there is room for improvement. The Prague Information Service (PIS) website recently included a new category - Queer - Prague fit to your taste. The site has a press release quoting their Director Ing.Lucie Ramnebornova, but I think the wording sounds like a very old cliché to me. Instead of Queer, LGBTQ or Gays she speaks about „homosexuals“ as „a very active group of tourists....who can invest more in traveling and entertainment because they don’t have children, don’t need to invest into a family and have well paid jobs”. Materials PIS has issued according to her “should offer to homosexuals an opportunity for a quality service and professional entertainment“. This creates an image of LGBTQ visitors as some “homo-sexual machines for money and entertainment with no sense for family”. Well, I just hope she is not completely right there. I think she would be very surprised at the number of gay and lesbian parents there actually are!
How did you find out about the gay map? Were you informed by Prague Tourism?
No, actually it was a previous client from Germany who mentioned it to me. I found out the maps were available at the Prague Tourist Information Centers and picked up a copy at the Old Town Square office while guiding a client. They should be also available at the Prague Airport and Main Train Station.
Did you find the gay map easily?
LOL. They were not on display - we had to ask for it and the lady behind the desk was quite surprised and unprepared. It appeared to make her feel a bit awkward: "What map? For who?", but she found them eventually. When I asked „why are they not on display“, she said they have only few of them - "...so this way people just don’t take them..." I thought this a little ironic, as straight people are not likely take one and some gays may prefer not to have to ask for one!. She then said the map is actually on display and pointed behind her colleague, they were inside a glass cabinet covered by a HELP HAITI t-shirt! She was unable to give any advice about the content of the map or who / why it was created. I was given a telephone number for the Secretariat of the Director if I wanted more information!
Well, all beginnings are difficult. Let's talk about the content of the map. How do you like it?
The map itself is nicely presented and easy to read. On the reverse is a list of 27 cafes, clubs, saunas, hotels and apartments colour coded indicating 4 categories (Day life, Night life, Gay club and Gay friendly). There is also a map of the Prague Metro and a short description on the most popular monuments. There is also information on Foreign Medical Centers and Tourist Information Services with a lot of space also given to advertising – for example, do you fancy private health Clinic right in historical center?
Will gay tourists find everything they need in the map?
Generally yes. However, considering the space available, I would have thought it would have been a good opportunity to mention health risks, especially information about the situation regarding sexual transmittable diseases, which are unfortunately again on the rise in Prague! It is also shame there is not a short description of the venues, only their address, phone number and internet page are listed. Escort and sex clubs placed in the Cafés and Clubs section could result in a shock if visited unawares. Or maybe a pleasant surprise depending on your outlook! LOL There are also 3 well established venues missing from the listing. According to the statement of Ing. Ramnebornova on the PIS website “we did not want our map to contain clubs with a bad record or low-quality services“. I was therefore very surprised to find places which offer escort services included in the list.
You also do gay tours in Prague. What do you offer?
Our company Prague4gay.com is a guiding company with a goal to promote gay tourism and the gay movement in the Czech Republic. We specialize in private tours introducing Prague as a liberal and gay friendly cultural metropolis to all LGBTQ visitors and their friends. Apart from a guiding service, Prague4gay serves as a gay info resource offering information such as a full list of gay venues, information on Czech gay partnership law, LGBTQ culture and life, advice on accommodation, dining and many others.