Historically, it is said that the Canary Islands’ physical distance from catholic, mainland Spain gave it enough refuge for an environment to flourish in which gay men could be freer than in most other places.
And all of this even before homosexuality was decriminalized. The progressive attitudes granting gay men freedom quickly spread around Europe by word of mouth, and thanks to this Gran Canaria is still one of the biggest gay tourist destinations in the world.
This freedom, on the most basic of levels, has always been intrinsically linked to the idea of sexual freedom. These ideas still permeate the island today, making Gran Canaria a great destination for cruising, sexual liberation, and its connection to nature.