All across the nation, LGBT folk are scratching their heads at the cities The Advocate.Com picked as America's gayest. They admit it was not a precisely measured study, but a subjective one based on things like gay civil rights and marriage, openly LGBT elected officials, the number of gay bars, social organizations and number of cruising spots. The obvious choices like Manhattan, San Francisco, Provincetown and even Northampton do not appear, since some of the measurements were based on per capita same sex couples living together according to the census.
It is surprising that Burlington, Vermont is #2, but not as jaw dropping as Springfield, Massachusetts being in the top fifteen. The reason Springfield was chosen, they wrote, is "When you think of gay Massachusetts, you may think Northampton or Provincetown. But now, thanks to a string of pro-gay municipal actions and progressive former mayor Michael Albano, Springfield has become an example of how a state’s pro-gay legislation can transform a city."
Burlington, Vermont made second place. "Vermont’s largest city may seem deceptively sleepy (Vermonters tend to be quiet about their beliefs), but it’s the epicenter of the state’s equality efforts. There are several out members in the state legislature (if not on the city council), and nearby Ben & Jerry’s renamed its Chubby Hubby flavor “Hubby Hubby” to celebrate the state’s marriage equality law."
Here are the rankings according to their fascinating survey:
1. Atlanta, GA
2. Burlington, VT
3. Iowa City, IA
4. Bloomington, IN
5. Madison, WI
6. New Orleans, LA
7. Fort Lauderdale, FL
8. Portland, ME
9. Austin, TX
10. Seattle, WA
11. Gainesville, FL
12. Asheville, NC
13. Springfield, MA
14. San Diego, CA
15. Albuquerque, NM
Read the full story in The Advocate. (Not to be confused with the embarrassing local Advocate here in the Berkshires, once a usable arts guide but which regularly gives up its precious space to homophobic letters for some reason. Homophobia continues to appear in the Topix columns of the Eagle and Transcript as well. Sometimes openly, more often disguised, but clear to anyone who reads there. Not only are these continuing attacks hurtful, but the hostility of anonymous cranks who bash every business in the area are driving advertisers away.)
