Graphic credit goes to The Advocate
The Advocate uses their influence as the largest gay magazine to publish a list of 15 Gayest Cities in America list is surprising. Mike Albo introduces the list (emphasis mine):
Intrepid amateur sociologist Mike Albo searches for America’s 15 gayest burgs—based on a finely tuned (if totally arbitrary) calculus.
Long ago, gay people settled in our nation’s largest cities. There they spruced up all the property, created every art and fashion movement, and taught entire populations how to dance. They created gayborhoods like WeHo, Chelsea, South Beach—and pretty much queered all of San Francisco until even Laundromats had rainbow flag decals in their windows. About 10 years ago everyone else moved back into these nicely gentrified metropolises, and the lavender diaspora began. Now a slew of secondary cities are becoming gay epicenters.This admittedly subjective search reveals spots that are much more pink than you might think. Determined by a completely unscientific but accurate statistical equation, these gayest cities may surprise you.
The “criteria” used to calculate this list is as follows (various value points were attributed to these and not included in the below quote):
- Same-sex couple households per capita based on HRC and U.S. Census data (no reliable data on single-person households by metro-politican statistical areas.)
- Statewide marriage equality
- Gay elected officials
- Gay dating and hookup profiles per single male population (not age specific but over 15)
- Gay bars per capita
- Cruising spots per capita
- Gay films in Netflix favorites
I hate math but it doesn’t take a mathematician to see that this “arbitrary calculus” has some highly questionable variables.
Is the criteria above for such a “lavender diaspora” truly what The Advocate thinks being a gay epicenter is about? By the criteria above it appears they are saying that being gay is about political power/redefining marriage, gay activist data contextualizing the census, anonymous sex/online dating, gay bar culture and people who like to watch Brokeback Mountain or Birdcage.
You’d think that far right political activists wrote this article as a cultural meme to reinforce simplistic, and a couple of campy, stereotypes.
Mr. Albo includes zero criterion about gay centered or pro-gay churches/religious centers, no gay support groups, no attempt to study attitudes of the not gay neighbors … what about people who are in homosexual relationships but don’t identify as gay? … or with gay culture?
Not that I affirm any of that or would presume to know what makes a “gayborhood … lavender diaspora.” Plus, what good does it do to try and quantify the “gayest” cities? Regardless of the answer to that and even with the obvious satire the article could have been more thoughtful in trying to make its case.
Granted, Mr. Albo does say it is subjective and not scientific. He obviously meant to deliver this article with a sense of humor. He seriously doesn’t think the only creative dancing people in the world identify as gay … right?
The resulting list makes for an odd mix of cities that brings serious doubt about the accuracy of the results being truly reflective of the title of the article. It also makes the purpose of publishing such an article suspect.
So without further ado, here are their results:
15. Albuquerque, NM
14. San Diego, CA
13. Springfield, MA
12. Asheville, NC
11. Gainesville, FL
10. Seattle, WA
9. Austin, TX
8. Portland, ME
7. Fort Lauderdale, FL
6. New Orleans, LA
5. Madison, WI
4. Bloomington, IN
3. Iowa City, IA
2. Burlington, VT
1. Atlanta, GA
If interested, please read the whole article.
About Randy Thomas
*sigh* If a heterosexual person, or worse, a post-gay person used any of that criteria in order to quantify the gay lifestyle, they would be lambasted.
I can already hear someone saying “It’s different when we call each other that.”
*sigh* If a heterosexual person, or worse, a post-gay person used any of that criteria in order to quantify the gay lifestyle, they would be lambasted.
I can already hear someone saying “It’s different when we call each other that.”
Hey Randy…
Don’t the first two words make it clear it’s a silly opinion piece?
Intrepid = Fearless, bold brave
Amateur = Someone who is unqualified or insufficiently skillful
Intrepid amateur = Someone wandering fearlessly (i.e., playfully) into topics despite having no professional qualifications or skills
Take care…
Hey Randy…
Don’t the first two words make it clear it’s a silly opinion piece?
Intrepid = Fearless, bold brave
Amateur = Someone who is unqualified or insufficiently skillful
Intrepid amateur = Someone wandering fearlessly (i.e., playfully) into topics despite having no professional qualifications or skills
Take care…
Well, it’s obviously a humor piece. I can’t say I totally agree with the, “It’s different when we call each other that” philosophy, but unfortunately that’s the world we live in. Women can say things about other women that men can’t say. Black Americans can say things about other black Americans that whites can’t say. Gays can say things about other gays that straights can’t say. It’s just the world we live in.
Asheville is a pretty gay-friendly town. But that’s only in the sense that it’s a very easy-going, open-minded, “hippie” town. The culture there is certainly not like the more glamorous, rich settings of South Beach or West Hollywood. You’ll also find people there with more academic and liberalized ideas about sexuality. More than just the gay/straight black and white ideology. I have a gay friend there who doesn’t identify as gay. See, now I don’t know what to call him; he has relationships with men but I can’t call him gay. Whatever. Anyway, he is more-or-less just a very New Age kind of hippie. I would say that’s why Asheville is ranked on the list. It has a reputation as a hippie town more than a gay town. Granted, that’s why I adore it and want to move there.
Well, it’s obviously a humor piece. I can’t say I totally agree with the, “It’s different when we call each other that” philosophy, but unfortunately that’s the world we live in. Women can say things about other women that men can’t say. Black Americans can say things about other black Americans that whites can’t say. Gays can say things about other gays that straights can’t say. It’s just the world we live in.
Asheville is a pretty gay-friendly town. But that’s only in the sense that it’s a very easy-going, open-minded, “hippie” town. The culture there is certainly not like the more glamorous, rich settings of South Beach or West Hollywood. You’ll also find people there with more academic and liberalized ideas about sexuality. More than just the gay/straight black and white ideology. I have a gay friend there who doesn’t identify as gay. See, now I don’t know what to call him; he has relationships with men but I can’t call him gay. Whatever. Anyway, he is more-or-less just a very New Age kind of hippie. I would say that’s why Asheville is ranked on the list. It has a reputation as a hippie town more than a gay town. Granted, that’s why I adore it and want to move there.
“Intrepid amateur sociologist Mike Albo searches for America’s 15 gayest burgs—based on a finely tuned (if totally arbitrary) calculus. … This admittedly subjective search reveals spots that are much more pink than you might think. Determined by a completely unscientific but accurate statistical equation, these gayest cities may surprise you.”
With an introduction like this, complaints that the content is arbitrary and unscientific miss the point a bit.
Clearly the “gayest cities” claim was just a hook on which to hang a “fun” travel piece about a few gay-friendly cities in America. The Advocate can hardly be said to be disguising that aim, or the flimsy foundation of its tongue-in-cheek claim.
Jay, without commenting on The Advocate’s article specifically, I take issue with the idea that certain groups aren’t entitled to a certain self-effacing, self-deprecating humour that would often just be offensive coming from anyone else. I think it’s just human nature, and not a negative. Don’t we all accept a certain amount of joking and insults from people close to us that would be offensive from a stranger? For example, I’m fat. If a good-natured friend cracks a joke related to my size, that’s far different from someone in the street making the same comment. I think by extension the same attitude applies to larger “kinship” groups we feel a part of.
As stated in the post, I know they, Mr. Albo specifically, were being satirical in the intro and throughout. But the criteria … are you, and David Farrel, saying its ok to make self-deprecating fun by saying “gay marriage” is an equal criterion of hooking up or cruising spots? Putting Seattle, San Diego, Austin, even Atlanta (not as number 1 though) as gay(er) cities is understandable but Gainesville, Iowa City? <— if that is satire that is really bad and boring satire. Plus, they didn't say this privately from one person to another… they reinforced negative simplistic stereotypes to millions outside of those who identify as gay.
After thinking about it some more I wonder if those cities are in regions that have rapidly declining subscribers for The Advocate?
As I said, I was responding to Jay’s comment, not the article. So no, I’m not defending anything specific to the article.
I am indifferent at best to that style of gay writing (hence the quotation marks round “fun”), so I didn’t bother to read the entire piece. But the excerpts you quoted made it clear enough that the “15 gayest cities” claim is not meant to be taken as anything other than tongue-in-cheek.
“Intrepid amateur sociologist Mike Albo searches for America’s 15 gayest burgs—based on a finely tuned (if totally arbitrary) calculus. … This admittedly subjective search reveals spots that are much more pink than you might think. Determined by a completely unscientific but accurate statistical equation, these gayest cities may surprise you.”
With an introduction like this, complaints that the content is arbitrary and unscientific miss the point a bit.
Clearly the “gayest cities” claim was just a hook on which to hang a “fun” travel piece about a few gay-friendly cities in America. The Advocate can hardly be said to be disguising that aim, or the flimsy foundation of its tongue-in-cheek claim.
Jay, without commenting on The Advocate’s article specifically, I take issue with the idea that certain groups aren’t entitled to a certain self-effacing, self-deprecating humour that would often just be offensive coming from anyone else. I think it’s just human nature, and not a negative. Don’t we all accept a certain amount of joking and insults from people close to us that would be offensive from a stranger? For example, I’m fat. If a good-natured friend cracks a joke related to my size, that’s far different from someone in the street making the same comment. I think by extension the same attitude applies to larger “kinship” groups we feel a part of.
As stated in the post, I know they, Mr. Albo specifically, were being satirical in the intro and throughout. But the criteria … are you, and David Farrel, saying its ok to make self-deprecating fun by saying “gay marriage” is an equal criterion of hooking up or cruising spots? Putting Seattle, San Diego, Austin, even Atlanta (not as number 1 though) as gay(er) cities is understandable but Gainesville, Iowa City? <— if that is satire that is really bad and boring satire. Plus, they didn't say this privately from one person to another… they reinforced negative simplistic stereotypes to millions outside of those who identify as gay.
After thinking about it some more I wonder if those cities are in regions that have rapidly declining subscribers for The Advocate?
As I said, I was responding to Jay’s comment, not the article. So no, I’m not defending anything specific to the article.
I am indifferent at best to that style of gay writing (hence the quotation marks round “fun”), so I didn’t bother to read the entire piece. But the excerpts you quoted made it clear enough that the “15 gayest cities” claim is not meant to be taken as anything other than tongue-in-cheek.
ummm guys, it’s satire. Not to be taken seriously. Funny filler piece. Humor. Definitely not meant to be taken as a serious story.
ummm guys, it’s satire. Not to be taken seriously. Funny filler piece. Humor. Definitely not meant to be taken as a serious story.