Matador

Thank you for the great uplifting advice. You are right, you should always look at the beauty of a thing, not it's shortcomings.

I originally wrote because I was concerned from a lot of the news I was hearing about how black U.S. citizens, in particular women, were treated abroad. The news at the time was divided between the search's done at airports and a few articles I have read about black women traveling abroad being treated as if they were prostitutes by the natives.

This last news item was of particular interest to me, because there were reports of black women being spit on and targets for overt sexual harassment based off the reported influx of African immigrant women into European countries to sell their goods, so to speak, to a wealthier market.

The reports said that many of the attacks were provoked by a prevailing European thought (which is not that different from Americans, really) that African women brought disease, AIDs, to be specific, into their country.

So, I hope this clears up why I was, and still somewhat am, concerned. I don't have a high tolerance level when it comes to ignorance. I can get really violent really fast when physically provoked, so it was a concern for my overall bodily safety as well as my mental state.

I don't PLAN on anything like that happening, because I am pretty even-tempured otherwise, but I like to know what to expect which is exceedingly difficult when venues, and travel arrangements tend to lean toward educating a certain group of people.

I think this is why "gay friendly" travel articles, brochures, and guides were developed, which, by the way, I read because I figure that if they are gay-friendly, they will be a little more open to having someone like me go too. While traveling to New York, something I do quite often, I stay at all the gay friendly places and frequent all the gay friendly bars. I like acceptance I feel in those places and the people I meet.

This is not to say that people anywhere are outright racist or even subtly racist (as you mentioned you found in London) or that I have to plan my trip around places with people who are. My prevailing idea still is, why should I pay a lot of money, spend a lot of time, and spend a lot of energy to be somewhere where I am not welcome and to be treated like trash?

And in reply to the woman who had a daughter who is half Asian/ half black. I must say that I am happy to hear that your daughter is o.k. in Spain, but I certainly don't want the exoticized sexual attraction of men that your daughter is getting. That would not make me feel more comfortable anywhere. See above.

But thank you Matador. I would be interested to here more about where you stayed while in Madrid and if you are going back anytime soon. And I will definitely write down the name of the bar you gave.