Tallin is Queer: Inside Estonia’s Bold LGBTQ+ Transformation
Tallinn: The Rising Queer Capital of the Baltics
©VisitTallinn
Tallinn is quickly gaining international recognition as one of the most exciting LGBTQ+ destinations in the Baltic region. With marriage equality now a reality in Estonia as of January 1, 2024, the country is positioning itself as a progressive beacon for queer rights and visibility — and Tallinn is at the heart of it all.
We came to Tallinn Estonia with a mission: to meet the people and organizations behind the change, the visionaries making Tallinn more welcoming for both the local and international LGBTQ+ community.
Vikervaade
Virgo Founder of Vikervaade Digital Magazine and Voice of the Estonian LGBTQ+ Community. ©vikervaade
Our first stop was with Virgo, founder of Vikervaade , a digital magazine that has become the voice of Estonia’s LGBTQ+ community. With daily updates on LGBTQ+ news, events, and culture, Vikervaade is a key player in ensuring the community stays informed and connected.
Vikervaade is the blog and voice of the Estonian LGBTQ+ community.
Virgo reminded us: “What would you do if you were not scared? You only have one life, so do what makes you happy. Every day.” His words are a call to action for all of us working in queer media — to keep building platforms that amplify our voices.
Tallin Bearty
We also had the pleasure of meeting Tallinn Bearty, a unique non-profit NGO that for over 10 years has worked to break stereotypes around the bear community and LGBTQ+ life in general.
website: Bearty.info
Tallinn Bearty is a small non-profit NGO, whose aim is to bring awareness to the public of LGBTQ+ issues of equality and acceptance by breaking stereotypes built by societies during past half a century.
The power duo behind Tallinn Bearty: Dimitry and Alvar
Led by Alvar and Dimitry, Tallinn Bearty organizes art exhibitions, conferences, workshops, their iconic annual pool party, and much more. Their work is a reminder that bear culture is about community, creativity, and celebration — not just nightlife.
Q-Space
Our final meeting took us to Q-Space, an organization founded by Gulya Sultanova, based in the creative hub of Põhjala tehas.
©Gulya Sultanova - The the founder of Q-Space
“It's important to us that lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer, asexual and intersex people feel free and can be themselves in all places”.
Q-Space: developing queer culture, organizing educational events, and supporting the community. ©Q-Space
Q-Space develops queer culture through festivals, film events, debates, and training across Estonia. Their mission is to create safe spaces where everyone — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, and intersex people — can express themselves freely and without fear.
These meetings were more than just conversations — they were the beginning of building bridges between Nordic and Baltic LGBTQ+ media platforms. Visibility is not just our mission at Queerland Media, it is our responsibility. By working together, we can strengthen our global queer community, making sure every voice is heard, from Tallinn to the rest of the world.
Special thanks to Virgo, Alvar, Dimitry, and Gulya for their generosity, information, and inspiration.
