What Cities Can One be Openly Gay In?

[johnatl]

LOL, no panties are in a wad. I dont believe ATL has a "higher concentration" of gays than Chicago, SF, NYC, LA, or Miami. You will never convince me that. ATL is a great city, and has a great gay scene, but dont overplay it. Thanks.

Fine. I suggest you pay a visit to gaydemographics.com and poke around a little. The facts are there in black and white.

[Jerry2]

I think the title of the thread is "What Cities can one be openly gay in", not "Which cities have the highest concentration of gays". In fact, I would argue that cities such as Boston, where there isn't any real gay neighborhood anymore, is probably more tolerant than most cities in the US. It's that it's not such a big deal and there are no little protective enclaves - gay men and women can live comefortably anywhere, and don't feel the need to congregate.

Agreed. The Northeast ( Rt.95 from Baltimore to Boston ) wins hands down. There are no enclaves here. 1/5 of the country's population lives here and I'm one of them. There are no hip gay areas anymore. That's very 1990. We've managed to integrate ourselves a little better into society where the majority are considered normal. Massachusetts? Vermont ? NYC ? Now Maryland too?

[ppassafi]

Agreed. The Northeast ( Rt.95 from Baltimore to Boston ) wins hands down. There are no enclaves here. 1/5 of the country's population lives here and I'm one of them. There are no hip gay areas anymore. That's very 1990. We've managed to integrate ourselves a little better into society where the majority are considered normal. Massachusetts? Vermont ? NYC ? Now Maryland too?

Thank you!! These guys are actually saying ATL is the gay capitol of the east! That is just not the case!!!! I am unaware of the gay scene in places like Philly even but I am SURE these people would have something to say to these Atlanta people, much less those from New York!

Anyways, I thought this was about where can you be openly gay. And I think almost any city over 1 million you can do this, and as we know, in many smaller towns too.

I agree, the many large cities are pretty much gay friendly all over. But it hasnt been THAT long since the 80's when places like North Halsted or Midtown ATL were refuges for the gay culture. I do agree that the hip-hop culture is perhaps the biggest gay bashers though.

[ChristianDean]

I have noticed this board is more southern driven alot of times. At risk of feeding into this further, I will say that Chicago and at Atlanta are both pretty kosher places for gay people to be, but both are a completely different animal in crowd and approach. Also, while still pretty "gay" North Halsted is integrating pretty fast as "gay areas" become a passing fad. Just as Midtown Atlanta isnt the end all gay area anymore.

I want to know what is considered ultimately gay friendly, outside the fact that you dont want to be picked out of a crowd and yelled at for being gay. Is it clubs we are talking about, bars, baths, sex shops? I am gay and I have lived from LA to ATL to Biloxi and Mobile and many places in between. I have never felt singled out or uncomfortable, so I guess I just ultimately dont understand.

[Snowguy716]

My mother's best friend is openly gay and living with his boyfriend in a suburb of Milwaukee... I have no idea how gay-friendly Milwaukee is, however.

I think you could be openly gay in Minneapolis without a problem. The problem with Minnesotans, however, is that they'll be very friendly and respectful to you and really mean it with every ounce of their being.. and then go and vote for an amendment banning gay marriage... something I struggle to understand.

[johnatl]

Thank you!! These guys are actually saying ATL is the gay capitol of the east! That is just not the case!!!! I am unaware of the gay scene in places like Philly even but I am SURE these people would have something to say to these Atlanta people, much less those from New York!

Oh, come on now. I NEVER claimed that Atlanta is the gay capitol of the east. That is just ludicrous. The gay capitol thing is very hard to quantify, but some people (including myself) feel that the same-sex census results are an indicator of the "gayness" of a place. I'm guessing you didn't check out the web site I mentioned to you.

My whole reason to challange and respond to your posts was the usual stereotypical crap about the "deep south bible belt" starting right at the 285 Perimeter. That my friend, is total BS. I haved moved freely all over this State and region, and have never been threatened, called out or scared. The only "anti-gay" thing I have ever experienced was a couple of punks throwing eggs at my friends and I as we exited Traxx in D.C.

[ppassafi]

Oh, come on now. I NEVER claimed that Atlanta is the gay capitol of the east. That is just ludicrous. The gay capitol thing is very hard to quantify, but some people (including myself) feel that the same-sex census results are an indicator of the "gayness" of a place. I'm guessing you didn't check out the web site I mentioned to you.

My whole reason to challange and respond to your posts was the usual stereotypical crap about the "deep south bible belt" starting right at the 285 Perimeter. That my friend, is total BS. I haved moved freely all over this State and region, and have never been threatened, called out or scared. The only "anti-gay" thing I have ever experienced was a couple of punks throwing eggs at my friends and I as we exited Traxx in D.C.

Well then, I guess country GA is more accepting than country KY. Try going to small towns in KY or TN and see how you are treated. I really cant judge those ATL exurbs like Marietta, etc, bc Ive never "hung out" there--ive only stopped there to eat and stuff. But some of those areas seem soooo country, even compared to country parts of KY I have seen. I cant believe they wouldnt give you crap if you held hand with your boyfriend at the local applebees.

[teshadoh]

To give you an honest opinion of my experiences - not being gay - but knowing gay people & how they felt in certain areas. There are a number of gay people that do live in the suburbs of Atlanta - but in most cases they are not 'openly gay', so there is no hand holding at an Applebees in Marietta. There is some level of respect in the suburbs though, in most cases it is 'understood' that someone is gay & most often they are not persecuted for that. But I would still consider the 'intown' area of Atlanta as being a more tolerant area, where open expression is not discouraged. The only cases made public where that has not been the case is when gays are gentrifying a low income neighborhood, which a few years ago gays were under attack by a preacher who was supported by the council member. But that was also an additional complicated level of Black / White confrontation that could be found in any gentrifying neighborhood nationally.

[ppassafi]

To give you an honest opinion of my experiences - not being gay - but knowing gay people & how they felt in certain areas. There are a number of gay people that do live in the suburbs of Atlanta - but in most cases they are not 'openly gay', so there is no hand holding at an Applebees in Marietta. There is some level of respect in the suburbs though, in most cases it is 'understood' that someone is gay & most often they are not persecuted for that. But I would still consider the 'intown' area of Atlanta as being a more tolerant area, where open expression is not discouraged. The only cases made public where that has not been the case is when gays are gentrifying a low income neighborhood, which a few years ago gays were under attack by a preacher who was supported by the council member. But that was also an additional complicated level of Black / White confrontation that could be found in any gentrifying neighborhood nationally.

Thanks, seems like an honest assessment. A small town which is quite gay friendly is Bloomington, IN, home of IU. It claims to have the most gays per capita or something (like many towns these days) but it really is pretty cool. Anyways, it is still a small town in the heart of Baptist and nontolerant Indiana. Go 2 miles outside of town and prepare for trouble. Apparently, there have been some isolated incidents of soem serious gay persecution. After Sept 11, there was also some serious persecution of some Arab students, many of who left IU. But like I said, the town is a cultural bastion in a sea of well, farms I guess!

[teshadoh]

College towns are usually most likely to be 'havens' for gays, as is the case for southern college towns such as Chapel Hill, Charlottesville & Athens.

[socaguy]

ppassifi....Noone ever said Atlanta was the gay capital of the East. Neither did we say Atlanta was the gay capital of the South. All I said to start with was that Atlanta, Miami, New York, San Fran, and LA are all areas with very high gay pops. Then you went off on Atlanta, like you have a huge problem with it. And I know there are some places in Georgia...especially in the backwoods, where you would probably NOT be welcome being openly gay...its true all over the South. I have a friend who does live in backwoods KY and he wouldnt ever dream of being openly gay where he lives...in fact he felt better about being open when he lived in Upstate SC of all places (the f@ckin CAPITAL of the bible belt IMO). Do I see this changing in the next few decades? YES. Not only are more people becoming more accepting, but most areas of the rural lower South are experiencing a boom in population from Northen migrants. Plus the huge number of foreign born immigrants flooding the rural areas (usually they are much more accepting of gays and lesbians...at least the many I know are). So with hope, things are changing.

[pricemiller]

I don't have any problems or discomfort being openly gay here in Columbia. It has never been an issue at work, I live in a heavily gay neighborhood and there are dozens of gay and lesbian organizations here.

As a gay man, I am glad to hear that you feel really comfortable in Columbia. I have always had a great time there being openly gay with family and friends and the general community when visiting. Another really gay friendly city where I currently live is Palm Springs!

[jpl02]

Without a doubt, South Florida, especially in Broward County. After all, it's the most liberal county in Florida and the South for that matter. Fort Lauderdale is very gay friendly, and Wilton Manors has a gay mayor and a majority-gay city council.

South Beach also is friendly. While visiting South Beach before Christmas, I don't know how many gay couples I seen toting around their mixed children . Some have said the gay scene in SoBe has waned during the 90s, but I don't know since I'm not gay.

Even out in the burbs, gays seem to be accepted. A friend of mine who lives in Pinecrest bough their house from a gay couple. In Pinecrest of all places!

[ppassafi]

Well, here is my theory. Being gay in a straight suburb in 1985 was similar to being black in a white suburb in 1955. In 20 years, has our society progressed that much to accept all people? With the hate crimes against gays and the outcry against Brokeback Mtn by the religious right, I think not. But it has improved.

I know here in Louisville for example, there are gays all over the city and suburbs. Bisexual is huge here, as can be attested to by browsing profiles here: louisvillemojo.com

A very interesting, if not trashy site! It is expanding into Atlanta (atlantamojo.com) and several other southern cities and is already n Indy, Nashville, and Cincy.

[waccamatt]

Things have changed so much in the last 20 years that I've been out. If things proportionally change as much in the next 20 years I will be happy.

[UrbaniDesDev]

I think it's funny that there are people here saying, well what about Austin or, nobody mentioned Columbia, or Providence or Milwaukee. Just shows that we are everywhere. Someone mentioned that we moved to areas like Castro to be left alone. This is not the case. We moved to these types of areas because, in the 70s this was the beginning of urban redevolopment, particularly historic areas. The gays were pioneers in these areas because of our unyielding good taste ( ) , but we didn't fear inner city areas, along with the artist communities, as say, a straight white couple, where some women might feel victimised or not a place for children. Only later did they become gay neighborhoods, then gentrified then overpriced. I would venture to say, that any historic neighborhood in the world has a large concentration of gay people. West Village, East Village, Tribeca, Soho, Castro, Charleston, South Beach Deco District, Philly's Center City, DC's Dupont Circle, NO's French Quarter, Pittsburgh's Mexican War Streets, Cleveland's Ohio City, Boston, the list gows on an on. Places like San Diego and Orlando just have great weather and we do like the sun . I don't really like the new trend of gays moving to the burbs, but there we are.