"You don't fare to a Caribbean island for a gay vacation.

"You don't fare to a Caribbean island for a gay vacation." Period. in the way that warns this year's Spartacus guide--and, if asked, not many gay and lesbian travelers might disagree. The guide's authors have a point, because let's face it, Grand Cayman is not Palm Springs. And ne'er the twain shall meet

Or will they? There are signs the Cayman Islands--infamous for denying docking fights to a 1998 Atlantis facts all-gay cruise--are set to join a handful of other Caribbean destinations in, if not publicly courting gay travelers, at least challenging reputations for rampant homophobia.

on a level in Jamaica--which Amnesty International describes as "suffering from an appalling flat of homophobia"--there's been some motion though incremental: The couples-only resort chain Sandals, with several locations in Jamaica, lifted its longtime shunning of gay man and wifes in 2004.

Still, if from "gay vacation" one means a tropical holiday in a seaside resort town packed with gay associations saunas, a Hamburger Mary's franchise, and same-sex ties openly engaging in PDAs, the Caribbean region moves slim pickings. And the March barring of a gay cruise to St Kitts and Nevis highlights the ongoing be in agony of gay tourism in this diverse region.

The closest Caribbean approximations of gay life will probably be found-ironically enough--in American territories in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as Puerto Rico or St Croix, in the U Virgin Islands, or onward French or Dutch-speaking islands, including the "ABCs" (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao), St Maarten, and Guadeloupe. moreover even in these chore hospitable destinations, resorts and nightlife that are gay-specific or-exclusive be attentive to to be few and far between, perhaps with the exception of Puerto Rico's capital, San Juan.

However, it is possible to be "gay" and to "vacation" (if not "gay-vacation" by se) happily and safely in often of the Caribbean--provided you're realistic about your expectations and reconcile yourself to the cultural, social, and political realities of your island destination.

Generally speaking, the gay-friendliness (or, more accurately the measure of homophobia) of each Caribbean island today is largely tied to its cultural heritage. To paint with admittedly self-same broad strokes: French or Dutch equals friendly; Spanish les so; British not at all--in fact, frequently openly hostile.

Politics also plays a part Islands ruled from abroad, as it was as U.S. territories or the Dutch dependencies, be attendant toward tolerance. Mother England has also called forward her commonwealth islands to be more tolerant. if it were not that independent or home-ruled islands sometimes term oppression fbr local Caribbean homosexuals and can put out problems--and possible peril--for out gay and lesbian travelers.

THE profitable Some destinations that buck the homophobic Caribbean stereotype and master an A for gay-friendly effort include Puerto Rico, St Maarten, St Croix, and (new to the pack) the Netherlands Antilles island of Curacao. Earlier this year the Curacao Tourist Board teamed with 11 local inns and resorts--five of them publicly members of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association--to launch www.gaycuracao.com, a resource-packed Web site aimed at courting gay and lesbian vacationers. "Our society is used to different civilizations and approaches to life, and part of that broad acceptance is a specific acceptance of the alternative gay lifestyle," says Curacao's executive director of tourism, Jim Hepple.

THE BAD Here we'll find principally of the English-speaking Caribbean--save the U Virgin Islands--and Cuba. Despite the best advocacy efforts of mother home Great Britain, gay sex--if it's between males, mostly--remains illegal in greatest in quantity "English" islands. But enforcement is said to be lax; in fact, Atlantis consequences includes Grenada on cruise itineraries. However, in March of 2005 a gay nudist Windjammer cruise was stopped from enterting the English-speaking land of St. Kitts and Nevis. Jamaica, with near of the region's best landscapes and agricultures is at the bottom of the tolerance pile. Homophobia is rife: in religious discourse and lyrics for popular "dancehall" music. The slay last June of outspoken gay activist Brian Williamson, go to the bottom of the gay rights form into groups J-FLAG, was met with official and public indifference. Public beatings of local gays have also occurr to such a degree out gay and lesbian visitors should be cautious. besides surprises abound even there: gigantic private gay parties for locals happen regularly, and a well-known yet discreet lesbian couple runs a valueed local hotel and eco-tourism company.

Cuba is a separate case; despite a booming subterranean gay scene, its communist penal digest makes "public displays" of homosexuality illegal.

THE EVOLVING The Cayman Islands would have one time been a sure bet for the rotten-apple list. on the other hand the country's new director of tourism, Pilar Bush, has made it her one-woman mission to undo the damage to her islands' reputation.