In honor of LGBT Pride Month, Vocative used a combination of data sets to create the Queer Index, to determine the top queer friendly cities in America. Data was collected from the 100 most populous metropolitan areas, according to 2013 census data, as well as, state and city-level information and sources like Facebook, Craiglist and GayCities. The index used a total of 32 data sets to measure 16 factors including livability indicators like same-sex marriage laws and hate crime rates in the cities. Data like the concentration of out singles and the availability of hookup opportunities were also considered. Information on bisexual and transsexuals was not readily available in certain categories.
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The Queer Index aims to see a snapshot of LGBT life in metropolitan areas across America. Some top LGBT cities include: Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; and Des Moines, IA. A few cities towards the end of the index are: Syracuse, NY; Bakersfield, CA; Buffalo, NY; and Oxnard, CA. The index can be searched by city to look at how individual areas scored in certain categories or by category to find the highest ranking city.
Click here for the Vocativ report.