Copenhagen Cool – One of the world’s most LGBTQ-friendly cities

One of the most popular public figures in Denmark just happens to be a gay American man, Rufus Gifford. Of course it helps that Gifford is gorgeous and mediagenic and married to an equally stunning man, husband Stephen DeVincent. Oh, and he was also the American ambassador to Denmark—with his own documentary series, which won him the Danish equivalent of an Emmy. The series generated huge ratings and turned him into a household name.  

US Ambassador to Denmark Ruford Gifford, right, and his legal married partner Stephen DeVincent, left, Monday, Jan. 16. 2017 in front of Amalienborg Palace, in Copenhagen, Denmark, after they were at a farewell audience with Queen Margrethe of Denmark. Rufus Gifford has been ambassador to Denmark since 2013. In January, the ambassador left his ambassador’s residence in Charlottenlund, North of Copenhagen. (Jonas Olufso/Polfoto via AP)

Gifford’s popularity amongst Danes says a great deal about a culture that, for decades, has been at the vanguard of LGBT equality. The critically-acclaimed film The Danish Girl (based on the novel by David Ebershoff) chronicles the story of Danish artist Lili Elbe, who received sex reassignment surgery in 1930. The world’s second oldest LGBT organization was founded in Denmark in 1948 and it was to Denmark that Christine Jorgensen traveled in 1952 for sex reassignment surgery, becoming the first widely known American transsexual. In 1989, Denmark became the first country in the world to legalize civil unions before legalizing same-sex marriage in 2012. 

As Gifford attests, “In Danish society—and Scandinavian/Nordic more broadly—there is a sense of personal liberty, personal privacy. The conservative vein of religion has never bled into the culture, the politics, which has allowed for a more progressive ‘live and let live’ atmosphere. This sense of ‘what you do with your private life is none of my business.’ It’s a bit of a libertarian vibe.”

Home to the oldest monarchy in Europe, Denmark has welcomed queens for generations. Hans Christian Andersen, creator of “The Little Mermaid” and “The Ugly Duckling,” flourished in Copenhagen, as did Karen Blixen (author of Out of Africa and Babette’s Feast) whose many works written under the male pseudonym Isak Dinesen celebrate homosexuality.

There’s also Tivoli Gardens, which Gifford lists as one of his three “must visits” for LGBT visitors. During their wedding week, Gifford and DeVincent hosted a cocktail reception at Nimb Bar of the Nimb Hotel, which overlooks Tivoli. Opened in 1843, the Danish forerunner to Disneyland is the second oldest amusement park in the world.

Alongside its regard for human rights, Denmark has become the center of the Scandinavian gastronomic revolution. Opened in 2004, René Redzepi’s restaurant Noma (a Danish acronym for “Nordic food”) soon became known as the world’s best restaurant and an exemplar of New Nordic cuisine. With more than 4,000 miles of coastline, Denmark has access to extraordinary maritime bounty—one reason for Copenhagen’s celebrated restaurants, which now boast 20 Michelin stars (including the city’s first three-Michelin star restaurant), making the city the most Michelin-starred Nordic capital—as well as home to the 2011 Bocuse d’Or titleholder of the “World’s Best Chef.”

Little wonder then that Gifford includes a “foodie tour” as one of his favorite activities for visitors. “Copenhagen street food…is fantastic,” states Gifford. “At Papirøen (Paper Island), especially in the summer—it’s just full of people and full of energy.”  

Copenhagen’s ever-evolving culinary landscape stems, in part, from the numerous pop-up restaurants from acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs. When Noma headed to Australia, its premises were claimed by 108, which was awaiting the completion of its eponymous restaurant a few blocks away. Helmed by alums of Copenhagen’s top kitchens, 108 offers Nordic innovations such as salt baked celeriac, caramelized milk skin, linseed pie, and preserved rose hips.    

Awarded the title of best restaurant in the Nordic countries, KOKS, which opened in 2011, is located in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago that is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. For nine weeks in 2016, the restaurant relocated to Copenhagen, complete with a “hjallur” (or smokehouse) named Skerpi and head chef Poul Andrias Ziska, whose “culinary coquetry” coaxes complex flavors and fragrances from the Faroese landscape like an agrarian magician. Simple and pure produce from the sea and seabed and the islands’ green-carpeted hills complement locally-produced (and fermented) meat and fish. A meal at KOKS is nothing short of revelatory and immediately causes guests to commence planning a trip to the Faroes. 

“I’m very into the foodie culture,” states Gifford. “I’m excited to eat food [that is] out of my comfort zone.” At Ante, guests arrive at an unmarked door alongside windows completely swathed in blue velvet. Nothing within is glimpsed from outside so that when a guest crosses the threshold, there’s the sense of entering an undiscovered world. Started by the culinary wiz team behind the more casual Bror, located just down the block, Ante elevates the dining experience into a sensory explosion of flavor, sound, and vision. Intimate and seductively romantic, the 16-seat candlelit restaurant seems to have sprouted from the imagination of David Lynch, with a 12-course menu that marries the best Northern Europe produce with a sense of fanciful play that provokes both awe and giddiness. At the end of the three-hour event, you want to applaud the chefs, as well as the farmers, fishermen, and hunters—and then hit replay and savor it again. 

Tivoli-Gardens (Photo by Juan-Carlos-Munoz)

“I adore Copenhagen,” says Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, star of The Danish Girl. “There is beauty, stillness—and you get a light that is so specific.” Visitors to the Danish capital can walk in the footsteps of the film’s stars on a stroll from the maritime charms of Nyhavn to Fredericksstaden, recently nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Much of Copenhagen’s city center has been untouched by modern development, which impressed Tom Hooper, the film’s director, who loved shooting scenes at the main harbor where the 1920s were recreated with fisherwomen and sailboats. 

Gifford is partial to “the outdoor spaces, the transformed urban spaces like Islands Brygge, the waterfront which has been created. You’ve got these swimming pools and then you can rent little boats. Get a bottle of wine and sandwiches. In the summer, it’s full of beautiful people. I would send all my gay friends there.”

Design aficionados journey to Charlottenlund (not so far from Dyrehaven, the Royal Deer Park, which is also on Gifford’s “must see” list) for a pilgrimage to Ordrupgaard Art Museum with its celebrated black lava concrete addition by Zaha Hadid. As well, the museum owns the neighboring residence of architect Finn Juhl who designed the United Nations Trusteeship Council Chamber and whose L-shaped home is perfectly preserved and filled with furniture of Juhl’s own design.

Discover San Sebastian del Oeste

One of the most celebrated museums of recent years opened in 2013 in an erstwhile dry dock within view of Hamlet’s castle in Helsingor. Designed by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and surrounded by a Morse code message from the architects, the subterranean M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark chronicles more than 600 years of seafaring history. Visitors access the museum via bridges that spiral gently downward into an interactive sensory journey that evokes nautical life from the Vikings to 21^st-century global shipping.

Co-created by film director Peter Greenaway, the museum’s upcoming exhibition “Sex & the Sea” examines the sexuality of sailors as based on interviews. Films and artifacts reveal the sexual fantasies of seafarers around the world—and for those who wish a more lasting imprint of their time aboard the M/S Maritime Museum, there’s also a tattoo parlor.

Based on sailors’ records (and legal proscriptions against entering certain establishments), Centralhjørnet is conceivably the oldest gay bar in the world. Located within sight of City Hall on Rainbow Plaza where the world’s first same-sex civil unions were performed, Centralhjørnet is a nexus of Copenhagen gay life with a penchant for outrageous décor marking every gay holiday.

Each year in August, Copenhagen Pride attracts more than 300,000 visitors with a massive parade, followed by Pride Show at City Hall, as well as numerous parties at various clubs. This year, Copenhagen hosts the most significant LGBTQ event in 2021, combining WorldPride, EuroGames, an eclectic arts and culture program, and the biggest ever LGBTQ+ human rights forum. EuroGames is a four-day event that will officially kick off with the Opening Ceremony on August 18th. 6,000 athletes will together celebrate and walk The Parade of Nations across Copenhagen, or The Proudest Mile in the World. EuroGames will also end with a bang with the Closing Ceremony on August 21st.

Kronborg-Castle (Photo courtesy of VisitCopenhagen)

A few blocks from Centralhjørnet, Restaurant Kronborg (named for the castle in Elsinore) focuses on traditional “smørrebrød” in a convivial classic eatery from 1796. Literally translated as “buttered bread,” the open-faced sandwiches, which date back to the Vikings, remain an integral part of Danish cuisine, complete with a dining protocol that most often includes aquavit in abundance. Owned by longtime partners, Claes and Walther, the restaurant exudes “hygge,” that essential quality of Danish life which roughly translates to a state of contented bliss.

Once the red-light center of Copenhagen, Vesterbro is also home to the meatpacking district—but while the girls still walk and the meatpackers still butcher, the neighborhood is more widely recognized for its art galleries, clubs, bars, and restaurants. As Gifford states, “I love all the restaurants around the meatpacking area; there’s always a new, interesting restaurant popping up around there.”

Located in the heart of the action, a few blocks from the city’s central rail station, Andersen Hotel features Philippe Starck furnishings alongside textiles from English Designers Guild, all in a vibrant palette of fuchsia, rose, crimson, and purple. Owned and operated by the same family for three generations, the 73-room boutique hotel is part of Absalon Hotel Group, which owns Absalon, the sister hotel across the street. Notable for their amiable staff and stylish design (as well as bicycles for every guest), both hotels are exemplars of “hygge,” which is why guests feel immediately at home in these chic and cheerful Vesterbro gems.

Much of Copenhagen’s reputation as a bastion of LGBT hospitality stems from Gay House (or Bøssehuset in Danish), the cultural community center located within the semi-autonomous neighborhood of Christiania. A haven of activism and theatre since its inception in the 1970s, Gay House has hosted decades of parties and cabaret shows, as well as its beloved annual Eurovision satire. 

Similarly, Oscar has been a popular LGBT bar and café for years. Named for the Irishman who believed in yielding to temptation, Oscar serves classic comfort food, as well as buckets of Champagne which line its legendary 40-foot long bar. 

Founded in 1986, MIX is one of the world’s longest-running LGBT film festivals. Each autumn, more than 12,000 viewers partake in screenings and events that reflect LGBT life and work to increase the visibility of LGBT stories in film and media.

You think a lot about happiness in Copenhagen—for this is the country reputed to harbor the world’s happiest people. “Danes have a wonderful sense of the moment,” states Gifford. “It boils down to the concept of ‘hygge.’ They make an effort to make the moment special. Whether that is lighting candles or bringing out blankets. Creating an environment in which conversation can be warm. It’s a spirit.” Surely, there must be some connection between the acceptance of others as they are and a citywide satisfaction.

“When I think about myself in the LGBT community,” Gifford says, “I’ve never viewed myself as an activist in any way, but I believe that it’s 100% my responsibility to advocate for the issues and to be honest about how I feel. You realize how people can change their minds the more open you are.”

Perhaps this, too, is a kind of “hygge”: the ability to find comfort in the celebration of self and the happiness that results. Leave it to the Danes to coin a term for the ineffable glow of the soul.

(Originally printed in Metrosource Magazine.)