Buenos Aires

The Argentine Constitution contains an 1853 provision that was well ahead of its time.  (Yes it is not a typo, I said 1853).  The provision reads: "The private acts of men, while they don't affect the public moral or order, are exempt from the competence of the judges, and can be only judged by God".  This provision has prevented Argentina from criminalizing private gay behavior for more than 150 years.

Since 1996, the Buenos Aires constitution has expressly forbidden discrimination based upon sexual orientation.  In 2003, Buenos Aires became the first Latin American city to recognize civil unions.  There is currently an effort in the Argentine Congress to legalize gay unions nation-wide.

 Like in the rest of the world, the presence of Constitutional and statutory protections do not guarantee against individual acts of discrimination.  While I have visited on a number of occasions and have never experienced any hostility or homophobia, that does not mean that such incidents do not occur.  In short I would say that in this regard Buenos Aires is comparable to any major city in Western Europe, the United States or Canada.

I would note that the Argentine people tend to be reserved and public displays of affection are less common both among heterosexuals and homosexuals.  (That is other than the ubiquitous kissing on the check that accompanies most greetings).