Well, for my travel style I can expand just a bit more with your perspective...

To me, it's important to be comfortable and welcomed culturally. I won't name countries to avoid offending anyone, but there are places I will simply not go for various reasons (culturally homophobia, "death laws", high crime rates, etc).

I thought Iceland was very accepting/welcoming and has an excellent and safe reputation. We had a wonderful time and while the "gay bars" are essentially coffee houses, they were very nice and had an awesome crowd of everyone there. But, we weren't there for the bars. We explored and spent time at the Blue Lagoon and the Lava fields/caves. Food was amazing and prices (except liquor) were quite low. The nightlife and dancing was an amazing mix of cultural experiences. One song would be Taio Cruz and the next a Bollywood number that I did not know, then an asian techno song.

We didn't get out of "Sydney" (beyond the city zone I mean) and explore the outback, but we had a total blast with amazing fine dining, the zoo was outstanding, shopping expensive, and very safe overall. We stayed in King's Cross, which was an interesting experience by itself, but amazingly fun!

I'm a big history buff, so I love going to museums and historic areas/places (palaces, churches, memorials). The ANZAC memorial in SYD was so neat. My family is from TLL, so scandinavia and eastern europe are my personal meccas. I cannot wait for ARN. Culturally could care less about anyone gay, but there is a real "scene" there if one wanted bars and clubs. Amazing history, excellent dining, and gorgeous countryside if you escape on a day hike.

My dream destinations currently (that are not booked) are JNB with a luxury safari and BKK...but those are VERY different ends of the spectrum as you can tell. I want to (as best as possible) blend in with the locals and enjoy the city and the vibe; however, I won't "hide" or put myself in an unsafe situation.

EDIT: Should add - another thread referred to it as well, but the rent boys in many of the Balkans are numerous if that's what your ideal might be.

I should have also added, TLL is an AMAZING city with TONS of history and has really exploded since the occupation ended. Can be expensive to get there, but you can always combine it with a Baltic tour/boat (HEL, ARN) easily. I was single at the time, but culturally had zero problems. There wasn't much of a "scene" but the city is awesome and very safe and accepting.