Gay friendly cities

[waccamatt]

Snowguy is right; how can they know how many gay and lesbian people are in every state when so many people are not out of the closet. Also, alot of gay couples don't necessarily live together because we can't file taxes jointly, etc. My experience has been that unless a couple has been together a long time, they rarely live together. Then you add in single people and those who aren't out and how do you come up with accurate figures? If they think everyone is honest on their census questionaires, I have some swampland to sell.

[runawayjim]

I don't mean to sound ignorant, but what does gay friendly cities mean? Why would you marginalize yourself based on the fact of what sex you are attracted to, and besides peoples personal ideas about gay&lesbian's what is really opressing a gay person? Marriage, well only a few offer that option, so besides that I don't see how you can be in an unfriendly enviornment. Also inequality will always exist with hierarchy capitalist government, its just how people deal with the situation. ie. race isn't the problem, racism is.

[sprtsluvr8]

There are still people everywhere who are outright hostile and violent toward anyone they perceive to be gay, even in the gay-friendliest cities. Note the word "perceive" to be gay...sometimes straight men are gay bashed because they are in a gay area of town or they just aren't very masculine. It just magnifies the ignorance of the bashers...

I guess you could say there is safety in numbers, so gay people tend to move into larger cities that end up being gay friendly just because of the large gay population. It makes experiencing discrimination or even violence less likely.

I think Atlanta has been labeled a gay friendly city probably because of its large gay population along with lots of clubs/shops/restaurants/etc that are gay owned. But outside of the city that can change dramatically, although with large numbers moving to other cities around Atlanta and it's suburbs the atmosphere there is changing also. Atlanta is located in a state that is notoriously NOT gay friendly.

[Snowguy716]

My grandparents are some of hte most conservative people I know. They are very strong Christians and they live a very devoted life.

They have never once even mentioned a thing about gay people, because my mom's best friend from childhood is gay and he has been that way since he was a child and hasn't shown an inkling toward changing. My grandparents love him very much and would never think of him as a "sinner" or anything like that. It's just the way he is, and God bless him for putting up with so much crap and still living a dedicated life.

I don't think I've ever met someone or discussed the issue with anyone that was really honestly homophobic to the core. The most conservative talk I get is "to each his own".. and that is acceptable. If you don't like the gay lifestyle, that's your choice. It is not my calling to convert people to acceptance. I would only ask that you let people be who they are without interfering or passing a loud judgment.

[dgreco]

Are you gay or bi?

[runawayjim]

The thing is hostile people don't make a city not gay friendly, I mean if people have personal beliefs we should be strong enough as humans not take ignorant people into consideration. I just think it sounds very oppressing to say gay friendly.

[buster]

Snowguy is right; how can they know how many gay and lesbian people are in every state when so many people are not out of the closet. Also, alot of gay couples don't necessarily live together because we can't file taxes jointly, etc. My experience has been that unless a couple has been together a long time, they rarely live together. Then you add in single people and those who aren't out and how do you come up with accurate figures? If they think everyone is honest on their census questionaires, I have some swampland to sell.

[crossroad]

I found an interesting website, where you can find employer's policy (HR, Benefits, etc) towards homosexual individuals on http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Work_Life :

http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Se...archSubTypeID=1

Simply put in the employer's name (partial or in full), then press "enter". Try it out!

Gay friendly companies tend to be located in an open-minded state/or city. I didn't have time to run correlation in SAS or SPSS but I believe it's true. A few homophobics can't change a city, but can change the policy of a firm/company and the influence can be long term locally.

[crossroad]

Some ppl just do not want to face the fact that gays are just not very likely to be in comitted relationships, and they use things like this comment as an excuse.

[Snowguy716]

This is really just not accurate. Deciding to live together has nothing to do with filing taxes - it's about committment and saving money on rent/mortgage. Some ppl just do not want to face the fact that gays are just not very likely to be in comitted relationships, and they use things like this comment as an excuse.

[dgreco]

2. Heterosexual couples' divorce rate is as high as 50% today. I wonder how much more committed heterosexual than homosexual.

[runawayjim]

That statistic is false. The problem is they measure the ammount of marriages in a year say we have 10 marriages in 2006, and we have 5 divorce's in 2006, it would be 50%, but the problem is those people divorcing weren't all married in 2006. They could of been married any year, so you would have to compare it year to year. the divorce rate is actually somewhere around 20%.

[erdogs]

What if you're African American and gay? There aren't a whole of cities in the U.S. that are more accomodating than NYC or Atlanta.

[erdogs]

You cook and your partner does all the laundry? OMG can you guys move in with me?

[Gceres]

This might get me a little grief, but...

I think the gay movement should drop the transgender push, and maybe even tone down some of the craziness at the pride parades. Let's face it, many many parts of this country have not accepted gays, much less embraced them, and many are even hostile toward them. When the housewife in Kentucky sees the transgenders or the crazy costumes at the parade on TV, it's easy for her to 'dehumanize' gays in general. But I do think progress is made. I credit programs like "Will & Grace" and even "Queer Eye" for putting a human face on homosexuality. Remember it was only a few years ago that ABC made "Ellen" run a special warning before her coming out episode aired.

Ultimately, I think people, even conservative ones, will accept gay people when they see them as regular folks just trying to get by. How can you discriminate against regular folks? But when the TV sets splash images of guys decked out in drag, it's easier for people to turn their backs and vote for gay marriage bans in record numbers.

Movements in America can be successful, but they move slowly - it takes people a long while to come around. If the gay movement presents the image of average people, who happen to be gay, struggling with every day issues ,hen I think that process will be greatly expedited. Working towards acceptance of transgenders, etc, can come later.

[Recchia]

I think the actual percentage is probably a bit higher and more uniform across the country. But a gay kid growing up in rural Montana is going to have a tougher time of it than a gay kid growing up in Boston.

[Choirboy622]

Austin Texas will become the destination for gay folks who want get out of the city, stay in the country and get to the city for some serious fun late at night. We have the hill country in western Austin and you can get to the nearest club scene in about 15 to 20 minutes. Me and my partner of seven years are going to open a bed and breakfast in the hill country in a few years for the gay community, but all are welcome. I will do the culinary cooking and he will do all the laundry you want. Austin is the best place I have been as a gay man, including DC, New York, Atlanta, etc. I will cook you a French style breakfast, lunch and dinner, all for a reasonable price. If you don't already know, come visit Austin, it's not your expected Texas town!

[dtown]

Its not really fair to say that.

[erdogs]

As nice as Austin might be (I've never been there), in my mind it already has one strike against it just for being in the state that put the current occupant of the White House where he is.

[Choirboy622]

And Austin residents voted overwhelmingly against him.

[skylinefan]

I applaud the residents of Austin for doing that. IF I had to live in Texas, I think Austin is where I would want to be. I have heard a lot of good things about Austin.

[suburban george3]

In a recent USA today article, it listed the results of a Gallup poll by region of the country where it gauged the percentage of the population who considered homosexuality acceptable. The article was about teens coming out earlier than in the past.

This is how the regions fared:

1 - New England 69%

2 - Pacific 66%

3 - Mid-Atlantic 54%

4 - South 53%

5 - Southwest 52% (t)

5 - Rockies 52% (t)

6 - Great Lakes 41%

7 - Plains 38%

I thought the South would fare worse and the Great Lakes would fare better, IMO.

USA Today article on Teens coming out earlier.

[runawayjim]

In a recent USA today article, it listed the results of a Gallup poll by region of the country where it gauged the percentage of the population who considered homosexuality acceptable. The article was about teens coming out earlier than in the past.

This is how the regions fared:

1 - New England 69%

2 - Pacific 66%

3 - Mid-Atlantic 54%

4 - South 53%

5 - Southwest 52% (t)

5 - Rockies 52% (t)

6 - Great Lakes 41%

7 - Plains 38%

I thought the South would fare worse and the Great Lakes would fare better, IMO.

USA Today article on Teens coming out earlier.

[Snowguy716]

Look at how the map is split up. You have to remember that the plains and great lakes have older populations as many young people have left for the sun belt. Older people, while continuing to be more "liberal" in some senses, are less likely to accept homosexuality.

People over the age of about 55 were probably taught in school that it was a mental illness.

Also, the great lakes includes the conservative central Illinois/Indiana/southern Ohio belt that includes several medium to large cities. Wisconsin and Minnesota and Chicago are probably the more accepting of the Great Lakes while the rust belt is more conservative.

New England has Boston overshadowing much of it. I think the high percentage of accepting people are probably from Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts with more conservative outlooks in New Hampshire and Maine.

I think the south would have the largest dichotomy. The urban areas are probably much more accepting while rural areas are probably very conservative. Also, Florida is included in the "south".. we all know how southern Miami is.

If they were to separate it state by state, I think the results would be entirely different.

[Cotuit]

In northern New England it depends on how you ask the question. Northern New Englanders (especially Mainers) tend to have a 'do whatever the hell you want just don't bother me' attitude about life. If you ask a conservative Mainer if they think homosexuality is acceptable, they may well say no. If you ask them if they have a problem with consenting adults having same sex relationships, they'll likely say 'I don't care, as long as they don't bother me.'

Northern New Englanders tend to be tolerant, if not accepting, and there's a big difference. Mainers did finally vote to uphold the state's gay rights law. For decades the legislature would pass a gay rights law, and then there would be referendum where it would be repealed (by a relatively narrow margin). This went back and forth year after year until they finally voted to uphold the law. It's notable that they are one of the few, if only, states to actually vote on and pass gay rights by popular referendum. Most state's have done so through the legislature. The results of the vote were heavily split between the southern Portland area passing, and the rural Downeast areas voting against it though.