QUEER ANDORRA | Entre Nous, the only gay bar in the village

September 2023. Oriol and I are flying to Toulouse for a road trip in Occitania and (French) Catalonia. We include the Principality of Andorra, which I can finally tick off the bucket list, and Llívia, Spain‘s exclave in France. Besides Toulouse we visit Mont-Louis, Villefranche-de-Conflent, Perpignan and Carcassonne.

One does not associate the Principality of Andorra, where one of the two Co-Princes is the Roman-Catholic bishop of Urgell (the other one being the president of the French Republic) as a gay haven. But, next to our Eurostars Andorra hotel, we found Andorra’s rainbow zebra crossing. We saw quite a few other rainbow flags integrated in the cityscape. We also had cocktails at Andorra’s only gay bar, Entre Nous (Carrer de la Sardana 3).

LGBTQIA+ rights in Andorra

“Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Andorra have advanced significantly in the 21st century. Civil unions, which grant all the benefits of marriage (including adoption), have been recognized since 2014, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is constitutionally banned. The General Council passed a bill on 21 July 2022 that would legalize same-sex marriage in 2023, and convert all civil unions into civil marriage”, the Wikipedia page on the subject says. It came into effect in 2023.

That law was signed by Co-Prince Emmanuel Macron. Bishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicília didn’t.

Wikipedia is a great resource for LGBT issues in a country and you should check them when you travel.

A law prohibiting same-sex sexual activity was abolished in 1791. As such, Andorra is, alongside France (which has also never criminalised homosexual conduct between adults since 1791), the nation in which homosexuality has been legal for longer. The age of consent is 14.

Transgender rights

A new Family Law passed by Parliament on 21 July 2022 allows trans people to update their name and gender on legal documents through a simple process without medical intervention. The law came into effect six months after its promulgation.

Discrimination on account of gender identity and expression in areas such as employment, the provision of goods and services, etc., is prohibited. Additionally, the Llei 14/2019, del 15 de febrer, qualificada dels drets dels infants i els adolescents (‘Law 14/2019, of 15 February, on the rights of children and adolescents’) establishes that transgender children must be respected in their gender identity.

Blood donation

Men who have sex with men (MSM) can donate blood to the Banc de Sang i Teixits de Catalunya, and to the Établissement Français du Sang in France.

Activism

In 2019, LGBT group DiversAnd was formed. It was established after the association Som com Som (‘We Are As We Are’ in Catalan) ended its work in 2018. DiversAnd focuses on preventing and addressing bullying and discrimination in schools, advocating for transgender people’s rights to change their name and gender, and same-sex marriage. It organised a pride parade in June 2019.

The first LGBT demonstration in Andorra occurred on 6 September 2002. On 23 June 2003, Som Com Som organized the first gay pride parade in the country, which took place at the Plaça del Poble in Andorra la Vella.

Out Prime Minister

On 11 September 2023, Prime Minister Xavier Espot Zamora (Democrats for Andorra) came out publicly.

“I’m gay. I’ve never hid it. Now, if I’m not asked I don’t have to say it either, in the sense that it doesn’t define the entirety of my person and even less of my person politics. But at the same time, I think it shouldn’t be a problem to express it. And if this helps many children, young people or teenagers, who are going through a difficult time, see that in the end, regardless of their condition or sexual orientation, in this country you can prosper and reach the highest magistracy, because I am happy to express it, he said on RTVA.

. @XavierEspot confessa públicament la seva orientació sexual – RTVA https://t.co/BoddQ14lhT pic.twitter.com/bHMJo7IJHh
— RTVA (@rtvandorra) September 11, 2023

Now re-enter Andorra to the Eurovision Song Contest!

ILGA-Europe

In the 2023 Rainbow Europe Map & Index by ILGA-Europe, Andorra scores 37.18% and is 24th out of 49 reviewed countries in Europe and Central Asia. Andorra scores way better than Liechtenstein (38th with 20.28%), San Marino (43rd with 13.77%) and Monaco (44th with 13.18%). Vatican City is unsurprisingly not reviewed.

Grindr

Oriol and I did go on Grindr in Andorra and it didn’t feel that different than going on Grindr in Antwerp. Talking yes, action no. Real Andorrans where scarce though. Maybe “they all know each other”.

Entre Nous

We did have cocktails in Andorra’s and Andorra la Vella‘s only gay bar Entre Nous. A very small place, but surely it can be turned into a small party place. Entre Nous, ‘Between Us‘ in French, is described as “hetero friendly”.

Owner Hocine Haciane returned from gay hotspot Barcelona in 2019 and opened Entre Nous in 2023.

“I am very happy with both the Andorran LGTBIQ+ public, as well as the tourists from the group who visit us. It’s a very good audience, which doesn’t give many problems, has a good purchasing power… it’s ideal”, he says in El Periòdic.

“I have not had any homophobic problems or conflicts since I opened the bar. In fact, I feel that there is more open-mindedness from all the people who come, because despite being a gay bar, no straight person is excluded from entering it. I was particularly amused by some comments from people who are not part of the community, asking me if they can come. Of course they can! I’m telling you, I feel like there’s a lot of community and it’s totally accepted. Everyone who comes likes the relaxed and free atmosphere, where you can be yourself without any conflict.”

So?

Andorra might be a beacon of queerness, it doesn’t sound too bad. Then again, Malta, which is smaller than Andorra and which hasn’t a gay bar (I believe), is number one on ILGA-Europe’s ranking.

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