Does it feel less queer around Atlanta lately? That’s what The Advocate seems to think as they unveiled their 7th annual Queerest Cities in America list today and Atlanta dropped from last year’s number two spot to the number nothing spot—we’ve fallen off the list completely.
The magazine uses traditional criteria like non-discrimination laws and LGBT sites on the national register but also throws in more light-hearted ones like LGBT film fests and whether Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepson and Madonna have performed in town. A new factor added for this year’s list was places with landmarks that went rainbow for marriage equality.
Here’s a list of the criteria:
1. LGBT Film FESTs
2. Non-discrimination protections in adoption
3. Muscial Tours: 1 point for each tour of Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepson, Madonna
4. Chapter of the national LGBT Chamber of Commerce
5. Openly queer mayor
6. Workout: 1 point for each SoulCycle studio, Barry’s Bootcamp studio, Shaun T Beachbody event
7. LGBT sites on the national register: 1 point for each
8. Gay bookstores
9. Places with landmarks that went rainbow for marriage equality: 1 point for each location
10. Scream Queens/American HorrorStory viewing parties
And here’s the ones to make the list this year, topped by Hartford, Connecticut.
15. Berkeley, CA
14. Manchester, NH
13. Waterbury, CT
12. Eugene, OR
11. Rochester, NY
10. Boulder, CO
9. Edison, NJ
8. Salt Lake City, UT
7. San Francisco, CA
6. Washington, D.C.
5. New Haven, CT
4. St. Louis, MO
3. Cambridge, MA
2. Inglewood, CA
1. Hartford, CT