Is the Twin Cities losing its 'gay greatness?'

Posted at 3:28 PM on January 10, 2013 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Surveys and trivia

What did the Twin Cities do wrong?

Just two months after it led the state in rejecting the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, Minneapolis has dropped in The Advocate's ranking for "gayest cities in America."

We're number 10 now, Advocate.com says:

The formerly "just roommates" cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are now fully domestic partners and have become a Midwestern gay mecca, and it's not just because of pro-LGBT senator Al Franken. It might have something to do with early antidiscrimination ordinances, a no-nonsense attitude, the hunky Mayhem rugby team (MayhemRFC.com), and the Town House Bar (TownHouseBar.com), popular with the ladies. (Don't even try to resist the Mall of America -- you'll need a car to get there and lots of trunk space to haul your wares home.)

That's a drop from #7 last year when it said:

It's technically two cities, but oh, what fun there is to be had here. The region is a draw for upper Midwestern LGBTs, and Minneapolis (pictured) topped this list in 2011 for so many reasons. These two cities can't get enough of each other: There's the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus (TCGMC.org), Twin Cities Pride (the 40th annual is June 23-24), and even Quorum: The Twin Cities GLBT and Allied Business Community. Sheesh, just get domestic-partnered already!

And it's a huge drop from the year before, when the Twin Cities was named the gayest city (sic) in America:

Minneapolis has become the gay magnet city of the Midwest. It makes sense: People here are no-nonsense, practical, and don't deal well with hypocrites. This is where the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America took a historic leap forward and voted to accept gay and lesbian pastors, including the Reverend Mary Albing, the denomination's first openly lesbian pastor. And Minnesota senator Al Franken introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act to protect LGBT youth from school bullies. But that's not all. Minneapolis also has the very hot Mayhem rugby team (MayhemRFC.com) and a thriving bear community with events like Bob's Bear Bash, every Wednesday night at the Saloon (SaloonMN.com).

Last year's #1 -- Salt Lake City -- slipped to #6, to make room for Tacoma, which -- for the record -- wasn't even in the top 25 last year.

What'd you do that was so great, Tacoma?

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Comments (3)

I blame you, Bob. More posts on design, show tunes and other gay-friendly topics, please. Then watch your numbers soar!

Posted by Robert Moffitt | January 10, 2013 4:16 PM

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Since when do you need a car to get to MOA? The light rail is right there, as is the 54 line to St. Paul. Plus the other various bus lines, but you don't need a car to get there unless you're going on some crazy shopping spree.

Posted by Jeb | January 10, 2013 4:29 PM

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They said they've been changing the criteria, some I agree with (support groups, HRC corporate ratings, trans groups) and some I don't agree with (number of certain concerts, "fabulous shopping," roller derby). Gay friendly cities should be more about community, support, and a safe place to be than when the last time Glee singers came to town or how many pottery barns we have.
How's that for practical?

Posted by Phillip | January 11, 2013 12:45 PM

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