Queer people often get two pieces of advice when travelling. And this advice feels contradictory.
Firstly, stay safe by not ruffling the feathers of the local culture. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Secondly, be your authentic self.
That’s fine if you’re a diesel dyke, radical faerie or gender nonconforming goth in San Francisco or Berlin, or a basic Walmart gay in Edmonton. But what if you’re a flamboyant anime-inspired gender-fluid gamer on a trip to Saudi Arabia or small-town America? Should you change how you present in public? By how much? Is it necessary to go entirely back in the closet or can you stay safe by adjusting a few accessories?
New York-based artist, activist and content creator Ravi Roth, known as Raviroundtheworld, has a penchant for flying the Pride flag in the most unexpected places, usually while rocking a kaleidoscopic mumu and a pair of bedazzled high heels. We thought he’d have some sage advice on how to balance authenticity against attracting unwanted attention.
Roth tells Pink Ticket Travel that it’s important to make such decisions based on research into local laws and attitudes. He also sees a distinct difference in the sorts of places he’s recommending queers visit and the places he fearlessly wants to go but wouldn’t necessarily recommend to everyone.
First off, how long have you been doing this travel influencer thing?
I’ve been doing it for almost 10 years now, building up for the first four or five years. Then the pandemic happened and everything took off. It’s been a full-time job since then, which has been awesome and amazing and weird and crazy. I never had any intention of being an influencer or a YouTuber, I just wanted to have a travel show. I started posting long-form videos on YouTube, then on Instagram back when they were still doing long-form content. It keeps evolving and changing—now I’m doing mostly short-form videos.
In your videos, you’re very colourful, flashy, camp—you name it. You’re not afraid to attract attention with your wardrobe, which wouldn’t be considered “male” in many cultures. What are some of your considerations when visiting a new, unfamiliar place?
At the moment, there are 63 countries in the world where it is illegal to be gay, and 12 countries where the death penalty could be implemented. So safety is always number one. I have gotten to travel to places—Morocco, Kenya and Qatar—where it is illegal to be gay. Even as someone who is so loud and proud, I know I’ve got to be mindful of the local laws. There’s an element of code-switching, being a lesser version of myself to make sure I don’t get killed. People in the queer community have been code-switching our entire lives. It brings me back to high school! But just because we’re gay doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be allowed to see the rest of the world. You just have to do it in a way that’s responsible, and I have a responsibility to my followers and my brand to be honest about how it is out there and how you can travel safely to those places. There are group tours that make it safer. There are people that you can work with on the ground that can really help you with the safety element. Certain countries have rules, and no matter if you’re gay or straight, you know you have to follow those rules. Doing something to make a political statement is not always the best move.
There are places, though, where the rules aren’t necessarily against us, but attitudes aren’t great.
I’ve had homophobic incidents in New York City, so it happens everywhere. There are places like Istanbul, where it’s not illegal, but it’s not widely accepted. Straight men hug and kiss each other, but if you’re holding hands with somebody as you walk down the street, you might get comments or someone might hit you. You always have to be aware of your surroundings.
As someone who wants to communicate to your followers the reality of a place, do you purposely push boundaries just to test things?
I went on a trip to Morocco for my best friend’s birthday. I was with a group of eight other gay men. Did we ever feel not safe? There was one moment where we were walking in the market and someone said faggot. We ignored it and kept walking. I didn’t wear my rainbow gown or put glitter on my face, but I was still living out loud. I would normally wear nail polish, but in Kenya I decided I wasn’t going to. I’m still myself, but I’m not waving my rainbow flag and promoting those destinations. For those places, I’m communicating what it feels like from my own perspective, going there as a gay traveller. I always take rainbow flag pictures everywhere I go, and I did so in the Sahara Desert, when we were in a place where it was safe to do that. But I then talked about what it was like being a gay man in Morocco and what travellers should know when they go there.
Are there places in North America and Europe where you’d be anxious about wearing nail polish?
I did a road trip last summer all around the U.S.A. and I purposely went to gay parts unknown around America: tier-three or tier-four cities. I still wore my nail polish. I only had two pairs of shoes: one pair was rainbow-coloured and the other looked like glitter. I went into a gas station in Montana. There was a man inside with a MAGA hat. He looked at me and said, “Hey, you.” I got really nervous. “Did anybody ever tell you look like Freddie Mercury? That’s fucking rad, man.” That gave me a little hope for America. Because whatever we see on the news about how divided everything is and, like, how the Republicans hate the gays or whatever, I can say that first-hand, by myself around the country, I felt safe being myself everywhere I went. I didn’t tone it down at all. I was in Arkansas, Idaho, Nevada, the Bible Belt. And I felt safe to be me. But that is just me talking as a gay man. I don’t and can’t speak for the whole community. I can speak of my own experience.
Do you pack more conservative clothing as a backup in case you get nervous?
I’ll pack a sensible button down, but I never think, “Do I need an outfit that’s going to be toned down?”
I was just in Minneapolis after going around Portland and Oregon focusing on LGBTQ2S+ travel. I didn’t have clothes that were more conservative. I had a “Born This Way” tank top, another that said “I’m Magical,” with a unicorn on it. A glitter shirt. So no, I didn’t pack more conservative clothes. But I went out and it was fine. People are so much more expressive in 2024. I walked into the Minneapolis airport with my mismatched dangly earrings and my tank top, and the agent was like, “I just love this. I feel like this is not what the world loves, but the world needs more of this.”
Where wouldn’t you go?
The Middle East right now, for both safety and political reasons. But I definitely want to go. I want to go to Afghanistan. I want to go to Iran. I want to go to Jordan and Egypt. But I think if I did those places, it would have to be through a proper tour company. There are a lot of places in Africa that I still would love to go to, but I wouldn’t go anywhere that has the death penalty for homosexuality.
What advice would you give people who may be gender nonconforming or as bright and bold as you are?
Be you, live out loud in a safe way. I don’t think anyone should have to code-switch ever again. But the reality is that if you want to travel to a place where LGBTQ2S+ folks are not welcome or accepted, then you’re going to have to change a little part of yourself to go there. You should always know the local laws and restrictions. Know where the embassy is, if you need help.
You’re hosting a cruise to Antarctica for LGBTQ+ travellers and their allies for Pride Tours from February 6 to 14, 2025. That’s the only continent with no permanent human population, though I suppose there might be a few penguins to impress or outrage. Do you have any outfits for Antarctica picked out yet?
Yes, I already have. An iridescent snowsuit from tipsy elves and hot pink gloves and hot green ear muffs while rocking the Pride flag!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
