rainbow flags NYC gay communityI don't think it's the least bit silly -- even though I'm straight -- to really want to live in a gay-friendly city. My city here in Northern California is by no means gay-friendly enough for me -- not the best it could be but it's alright. The downtown area near us has a vibrant gay and lesbian scene, and the neighborhood where we live and where our kids go to school is very open to gay and lesbian families.

So how gay is your city? Is it gay enough for you? Find out after the jump.

Living in a gay-friendly neighborhood is important to me because I believe deeply in equality for everyone, and I want to live in a place that demonstrates that type of tolerance and openness on a regular basis -- whether that be by showing its fair share of support signage for gay rights politicians and policies or by providing an atmosphere that is open and friendly to the gay community in general. This is the world I want to show my kids -- even if it's not the whole world. I want them to know the possibilities.

The Advocate just released its annual listing of the gayest cities in America. And no, they're not the cities you might think. The Chelsea in NYC and West Hollywood in SoCal didn't even make the top 15, and the most happening GLBT communities aren't simply limited to the big urban, forward-thinking cities anymore. And this is good news! I think it means we're actually evolving as a nation.

Here's the list.

Top 15 Gayest Cities in America, according to The Advocate

  1. Minneapolis, MN
  2. Santa Fe, NM
  3. Las Vegas, NV
  4. Orlando, FL
  5. Pittsburgh, PA
  6. Vancouver, WA
  7. Atlanta, GA
  8. Washington, D.C.
  9. Seattle, WA
  10. St Louis, MO
  11. San Francisco, CA
  12. Cleveland, OH
  13. Denver, CO
  14. Oakland, CA
  15. Miami, FL

Happy to see two of my favorite NorCal cities -- Oakland and San Francisco -- made the list.

Did your hometown make the list? Do you think it should have? Is your city gay-friendly enough for you?


Image via CarbonNYC/Flickr