Washington D.C. has been named the gayest city in the United States by LGBT-interest magazine The Advocate, in its annual ranking of queer-friendly cities.
Surprised that San Francisco didn’t top the list? The Advocate has a unique way of ranking what cities are the “gayest” with a list of criteria intended to “uncover the hidden factors that give a city its queer cred.”
A city gets points for LGBT elected officials, the percentage of the population that are lesbian couple households, and whether it has bars listed in Out magazine’s 200 Best Bars list — as well as tongue-in-cheek points for concerts by Mariah Carey, Pink, Lady Gaga, or the Jonas Brothers. The points are then divided by the population, which gives a per capita LGBT quotient, according to The Advocate.
The magazine’s editors chose the nation’s capitol for its 17 gay elected officials, its many LGBT-friendly districts, and the presence of little-heralded gay icons like House Speaker John Boehner. “Bring extra Kleenex if you invite him over for a Nora Ephron flick on movie night,” said the magazine.
These are this year’s top five gayest cities:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Pasadena, Calif.
3. Seattle, Wash.
4. Cambridge, Mass.
5. Atlanta, Ga.
Last year, Tacoma, Wash. was declared the gayest city, but D.C. was still in the top 5.