Barry Lasswell is taking a one-year tour of the globe. Along the way, he is taking in the LGBT aspects of the worldand, as expected, there have been some very colorful moments. Lasswell has been to Prides in different countries, and visited the Priscilla Queen of the Desert musical in Australia. No doubt, Lasswell will have many more adventures in the future.
Lasswell told Windy City Times the story of his journey: "Last year was kind of a perfect storm for me; I was single for basically the first time ever ( well, since I came out 18 years ago ) , I was ready for a break from my job, I turned 40 and I realized that I liked to travel alone when I went to Buenos Aires [ in Argentina ] for my 40th birthday.
"So I decided to do something I always dreamed about. I quit working in December and spent the next two months getting ready to leave. It was probably the most stressful two months of my life! But everything has worked out beautifully. I left Feb. 18 and spent the first week in Rio, then traveled all over South America for four months, ending at Pride in Sao Paulo. I got to Europe on June 18 and am spending three months here ( 21 cities, I think. ... I am in Berlin now and heading to Stockholm overnight tonight. ... [ I ] can´t wait to go to the new ABBA museum!!! ) .
I´m wrapping up Europe with two weeks in Barcelona in September, then on to Africa Sept. 19. [ I will spend ] two weeks in Morocco, then seven weeks on a tour through seven countries, and then to Egypt, Greece and Turkey in December. I am planning to be in Dubai with a friend who lives there for Christmas and New Year's Eve."
As if that wasn't enough, Lasswell volunteered at the recent Outgames in Copenhagen, Denmark.