Cities most and least friendly to alternatve sexes

Lawn Starter We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on 20 indicators of an ideal LGBTQ city, such as anti-discrimination policies, the share of same-sex households, and LGBTQ support resources. We also factored in affordability, LGBTQ-friendly health care access, and Pride-readiness.

Most LGBTQ-Friendly Rank City 1 San Francisco, CA 2 Washington, DC 3 Seattle, WA 4 Denver, CO 5 Boston, MA 6 Portland, OR 7 New York, NY 8 Pittsburgh, PA 9 Oakland, CA 10 Atlanta, GA Least LGBTQ-Friendly Rank City 1 Hialeah, FL 2 Miramar, FL 3 Garland, TX 4 Pasadena, TX 5 Augusta, GA 6 Laredo, TX 7 Killeen, TX 8 Mesquite, TX 9 Brownsville, TX 10 Pembroke Pines, FL

Key Insights: True Colors: Alaska is the only red state among the 20 states (plus the District of Columbia) that have not passed at least one of the 83 anti-transgender bills introduced in 2023 (at the time of data collection). So far, North Dakota has passed the most bills, 11. LGBTQ-Unfriendly Florida: Of the 18 states with active “Don’t Say Gay” bills, only Florida has passed such legislation.  Twins of a Different Cloth: Some “twin” cities performed differently in our ranking — one tends to be more inclusive and progressive than its sibling. Minneapolis (No. 19) and St. Paul, Minnesota (No. 68); Dallas (No. 57) and Fort Worth, Texas (No. 129); and Fort Lauderdale (No. 18) and Miami, Florida (No. 144) all have big gaps in rank. Battle of the Sixes: Salt Lake City (No. 20 overall) and its suburb West Lake Valley (No. 185) are polar opposites in Health Care Access. SLC placed 6th best, whereas WVC placed 6th worst. This outcome may be a reflection of the declining Mormon population in Salt Lake City and its continued domination in West Valley City. Stay Hydrated: Eight of the 10 cities with the highest concentrations of gay bars and clubs are all by water. In first place is New Orleans (No. 53 overall), followed by other seaside or riverside cities like San Francisco (No. 1), Providence, Rhode Island (No. 15), Pittsburgh (No. 8), and Seattle (No. 3). Rest Easy: Transgenders, genderqueers, and gender non-conformists can easily find inclusive restrooms in the biggest U.S. cities. Several Midwestern cities — such as Warren, Michigan (No. 157), Kansas City, Kansas (No. 124), and Akron, Ohio (No. 101) — have the fewest gender-neutral bathrooms at bars and restaurants.