3. Houston
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Houston may be a tiny blue dot in the sea of red that is Texas, but this multicultural city, now the 3rd largest in the nation, has an extremely strong gay population that continues to grow each year. Houston is currently the largest city with a lesbian mayor, incumbent Annise Parker. Houston also recently made NerdWallet’s top 20 LGBT-friendliest American cities, one of the reasons being that it has proven itself as the Texan city with the most gay-friendly employers. The city’s broad cultural intake and ethnic diversity also help to build a solid foundation of acceptance and eclecticism. Yee-haw, cowboy!
4. Dayton, OH
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Rated this year’s “Queerest City in America” by The Advocate, Dayton has plenty to offer the LGBT community in terms of culture and inclusion. Not only does Dayton provide trans-inclusive nondiscrimination laws, but the theatre scene in the city is hopping, with an impressive list of Broadway shows coming to town every year. The downtown and South Park neighborhoods of the city, locally described as “the fruit loop”, is where most of the action takes place and where many of the city’s gay bars are located. Allegedly people from all over the state to visit one of the city’s biggest clubs called Masque, named one of the top 50 in the U.S.
5. Atlanta, GA
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The gay epicenter of the South, ATL attracts all those below the Mason Dixon line looking for a truly cosmopolitan, gay-friendly home to call their own. Like Houston, its surroundings may be quite conservative, but Atlanta boasts one of the strongest infrastructures of gay rights organizations in the country. With the 19th largest gay population in the nation, a massive support system for people living with HIV/AIDS, two LGBT choirs, a gay gun club, incredible bars, festivals, arts districts and more, it’s no surprise this city has ended up on The Advocate‘s “gayest cities” list several times over.