[Cooool]

What are the most gay-friendly cities? I know San Francisco has a large gay population. I also know New York City and London are gay-friendly from what I hear as well.

Cities in Texas and Florida have a bad reputation and I think southern California can be somewhat homophobic.

 

[golodhendil]

Cities in Texas and Florida have a bad reputation and I think southern California can be somewhat homophobic.

Dallas, Houston, LA and San Diego have some of the largest LGBT communities in the US.

 

[Cooool]

Any city with a large population is going to have a large population of gay people, but that doesn't necessarily mean the city is tolerant. Fort Lauderdale also has a large gay population, however the mayor thinks gays are immoral. As well, in the past, Houston and Dallas have had gay bars raided for no reason. The southern regions in the US, are just an absolute disgrace in general.

 

[adma]

Dallas, Houston, LA and San Diego have some of the largest LGBT communities in the US.

How would Austin be on that count?

I suspect a rule of thumb would be anyplace with a substantial university/cultural-class-based economy...

 

[OttoSchloss]

"The southern regions in the US, are just an absolute disgrace in general. "

Atlanta is fairly gay (although I think it was also one of the cities that had a gay bar recently raided with patrons forced on the ground by police looking for "drugs" ). And New Orleans as well (except for a crackdown in public nudity and sex during Southern Decadence -the same can be said for Mardi Gras). But then there's "gay friendly" and then there's "sexuality is not an issue" places. San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Montreal, Berlin, Barcelona are all the latter.

 

[JasonParis]

Atlanta is indeed quite gay, particularly Midtown. Dallas too. It's important to keep in mind that these "red states" generally have very "blue" cities even in the south.

Of places I've been, I've found the following all very "sexuality is not an issue": Toronto, Montreal, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and San Francisco.

 

[Cooool]

It always seem the US does not have a "live and let live attitude" so I am surprised that cities like Washington DC or Philadelphia do not have a problem with gays.

Also, with cities like Atlanta and Dallas, I would imagine only the city centers are tolerant. But as soon as you step foot in the suburbs or the more rural areas of the state (especially Georgia and Texas) than that is a completely different story.There was a county in rural Tennessee that wanted to ban homosexuality altogether. People can tell me until the cows come home how gay friendly the South is, but this is not a progressive region.

I think Canada, France and the UK are much more tolerant of homosexuality, from what I can tell.

 

[golodhendil]

Any city with a large population is going to have a large population of gay people, but that doesn't necessarily mean the city is tolerant. Fort Lauderdale also has a large gay population, however the mayor thinks gays are immoral. As well, in the past, Houston and Dallas have had gay bars raided for no reason. The southern regions in the US, are just an absolute disgrace in general.

Perhaps I should have added, "and are known to be very gay-friendly (at least by US standards)." And this is coming from firsthand accounts of friends and colleagues (gay or non-gay) from those places.

Do inform yourself before spewing more nonsense.

 

[Hipster Duck]

What are the most gay-friendly cities? I know San Francisco has a large gay population. I also know New York City and London are gay-friendly from what I hear as well.

Cities in Texas and Florida have a bad reputation and I think southern California can be somewhat homophobic.

Just what we need: another Coool post that's a stupid generalization of America.

Florida has a bad "reputation"? You mean the same Florida that's home to Key West and South Beach? And what do you mean by Southern California, exactly? You do realize that this is a giant region of 23 million people that's home to places like West Hollywood? I mean, using your inane logic I could say that Southern Ontario is very gay unfriendly because there are certain communities and groups that are openly hostile to homosexuality. Hell, the most homophobic people I met were new immigrants in Brampton who practically advocated for a gay Warsaw ghetto - but, then again, I've also met new immigrants from Brampton who had an openly gay son.

What a stupid thread.

 

[Cooool]

Ugh, sometimes you guys can be sickeningly PC, especially you Hipster Duck. I am having a hard time truly believing that you do not understand where I am coming from. Florida may be gay friendly to you or other people, but when looking at the facts, it is simply not.

Florida recently had a vote during the 2008 election to ban not only gay marriage, but civil unions as well. Not only are their elected officials passing anti-gay legislation in Florida, but as I just demonstrated, the citizens are actively allowing anti-gay legislation to be passed.

It's quite simple, if it's not a progressive state, then they are not gay-friendly.

You guys can continue to tell me I have no basis for my contention that Florida and Texas are not the gay havens you guys seem to think it is, but the proof is in the pudding.

Hipster Duck, why do you keep telling people to keep their opinions to themselves? This is an opinion oriented forum and you seem to get offended at the slightest generalization that one might make.

 

[adma]

Given the results of various statewide anti-SSM referendums, is there *anyplace* in the States that's "gay-friendly" by such standards?

Oh, and keep in mind that in the thread title, you specified "cities" rather than "states". Like, just because a referendum is passed statewide doesn't mean it passed in Miami Beach or Key West. Get the hint?

 

[khris]

There are different definitions of gay friendly in this thread, hence why people are not understanding each other.

You can look at it from a political sense, or the way people in a region feel as a whole. Many politicians don't reflect the community they serve at all.

For example, I consider Toronto to be fairly gay friendly, but it still has a long ways to go. In 1996, I was attacked on the subway by neo nazis for simply looking "gay". (I had black nail polish on. I was 17 and going through a punk/goth phase.)

 

[adma]

For example, I consider Toronto to be fairly gay friendly, but it still has a long ways to go. In 1996, I was attacked on the subway by neo nazis for simply looking "gay". (I had black nail polish on. I was 17 and going through a punk/goth phase.)

Keep in mind who you were attacked by. (i.e. by Cooool logic, that'd make Toronto a hotbed of neo-Naziism)

 

[Cooool]

Ugh, I should have known better than to pose this question. A lot of the PC crowd on here would prefer no one to express their opinion.

The reason I am saying Florida is not a gay-friendly state as opposed to the individual cities is because Hipster Duck tried to depict Florida as a gay paradise. Which is simply not true.

Miami and Fort Lauderdale may have a large gay population, but I highly doubt that all constituencies would be in favour of gay legislation, whereas a tolerant city like San Francisco has most of the ridings voting in favour of gay legislation and even the liberal suburbs like Marin County and Berkeley. The mayor in Fort Lauderdale believes gays are immoral and are corrupting the city. If David Miller ever made such comments there would be an uproar within the city.

The truth is, the US, is not gay-friendly as a whole. Only 41% of US citizens believe being gay is okay, in comparison with 71% of Canada and the UK believing it is okay. There is such a religious understone, that they have less tolerance for gays. If anyone is to deny this, then they are not in touch with reality.

And adma, just because kristopher had an encounter with a skinhead in Toronto does not mean that the city is overrun by homophobes. No where have I suggested that. What I am suggesting, however, is that when state politics is dominated by those who choose to pass anti-gay legislation, maybe the state isn't as gay friendly as some of you would like to believe.

I wish some of you would stop pretending you have no idea where I am coming from.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Ugh, I should have known better than to pose this question. A lot of the PC crowd on here would prefer no one to express their opinion.

None of the people who have exposed your idiocy is PC. No one here is stifling opinion; if you openly express your opinion, however, you should be prepared to be challenged.

The reason I am saying Florida is not a gay-friendly state as opposed to the individual cities is because Hipster Duck tried to depict Florida as a gay paradise. Which is simply not true.

No. Nowhere will you find that I referred to Florida as a "gay paradise".

And adma, just because kristopher had an encounter with a skinhead in Toronto does not mean that the city is overrun by homophobes. No where have I suggested that. What I am suggesting, however, is that when state politics is dominated by those who choose to pass anti-gay legislation, maybe the state isn't as gay friendly as some of you would like to believe.

So I suppose that what happened to khristopher is just an isolated incident in your eyes, but one gay bar getting raided (for drugs, not for "vice") in Houston allows you to make a sweeping generation on behalf of the entire state of Texas?