Atlanta, the city long known across the country as the “Black Mecca” of America, was recently donned with yet another title: “America’s Gayest City”
Atlanta scored the highest of all cities when tallying up same-sex households per capita, gay bars per capita, alternative lifestyle cruising spots per capita and statewide marriage rates. The Southeast’s most important city, also known as the “Capitol of the South”, also got high marks for gay elected officials, gay dating and “hookup” profiles per capita, and gay films in Netflix favorites, according to a study conducted by Advocate magazine.
Advocate is the nation’s oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender publication. Based on established criteria, Atlanta has become the epicenter of gay and lesbian life in America, surpassing Burlington, Vt.; Iowa City, Iowa; Bloomington, Minn.; and Madison, Wis.
The cities traditionally recognized as gay-friendly cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles [including Beverly Hills], Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and New York City, do not even register near the top of the Advocate magazine rankings.
While the magazine’s correspondent Mike Albo admitted the research was unscientific, he said Atlanta nevertheless deserved the “Gayest City” title based on several very tangible characteristics.
“Atlanta is undoubtedly our gayest city. With 29 gay bars here, there’s a reason it’s dubbed Hotlanta,” Albo wrote. “Atlanta guys are hunky, the ladies are gracious, the gay sports leagues are seriously well organized, and its housewives — and their gay BFFs complete with handbags and heels — are now camp icons. And who doesn’t love the sweet lilt of a Georgia accent on a knockout guy or gal?”
Albo also noted how gay lifestyles have been more readily incorporated in the cultural fabric of Atlanta than in other major cities. Interestingly enough, most of the cities that ranked were considered “secondary” or smaller cities. Others that ranked high are: Albuquerque, N.M.; Austin, Texas, Portland, Maine; and Asheville, N.C. –terry shropshire
