Is Atlanta the gayist city in America? (Sandy Springs, Marietta: neighborhoods, living in)

[jennb_devon]

I'm about to move to ATL this summer, probably to the Buford or Dacula area, and my sister told me that I shouldn't move there. She said that she heard on the Mo'nique show about 2 weeks ago, that Atlanta is the gayist city in America. What is your take on this? I'm a single female (looking to start dating), with two teenage boys and this whole thing really scares me. Please express yourselves honestly and openly.

[atlantamoi]

lol, this can't be serious.

edit... okay, I see you have started other serious posts, so maybe you are serious. I can't believe I'm about to answer this, but if you are living in Buford or Dacula you probably won't have to worry about catching "the gay" or having your kids see, gasp!, two people of the same sex walking together. Personally, I think it would do you good to be around a gay area and get over whatever reasons you fear this. Do you picture people walking down the street wearing pink feather boas?

[PokerPlayer1]

There are TONS of gays in Atlanta and it's hilarious how relatively unknown this fact is...

But don't worry- they're easy to avoid. Just stay out of the cleanest neighborhoods with the best classic architecture and highest property values (and an unusual amount of bookstores) and you'll be A-OK...

I can understand your being worried, though. There's a great deal of evidence that participation in homosexual activity is directly related to social norms (unless people think that the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans were 'genetically different' than people of today, in which case, LOL, you suck at understanding genetics). I would bet that living in a heavily gay environment would probably remotely increase the likelihood (although not guarantee as certainty) that a young person may experiment with that sort of thing.

It's an interesting question, to be sure. I don't know if I'd want my kid exposed to some Magical Kingdom of Gayland, in spite of the fact that the gays I know (here in Chicago, anyway) are generally a higher caliber of people than almost any other identifiable subgroup, albeit a far more decadent and self-indulgent one. I firmly believe that social norms dictate what sort of interests people express with their sexuality- and I believe a lot of those "norms" are BS- but I don't know if I'd want my kid being the guinea pig set out there to bust the gay-social-acceptableness paradigm.

I say this as a person who, if given the choice, would proactively choose and encourage gays to live in my neighborhood. Those people are urban property value magicians. So, the short of it is; LOL, yeah, you're definitely from Arkansas, but I think it's an "Arkansas" that exists- to a certain degree- in most of us.

[ramblinwreck17]

Moving to Buford or Dacula this is the least of your worries.

[tonygeorgia]

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgeder Americans


The initials LGBT (also GLBT) is in use (since the 1990s) to refer collectively to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. The acronym is an adaptation of the initial LGB. In modern use, the acronym relates the diversity of the Gay culture.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, one in nine couples is a same-sex couples. 22% of male partners and 34% of female partners report having children in the household. With 57% of Gay males living in national cities and 45% of Lesbian women living in national Suburbia. Spending power of gay Americans is expected to reach over $608 billion in 2007, representing a cumulative growth of 35%.

Here is a list of the top 10 US metropolitan areas with the highest GLB population in terms of numbers of total gay, lesbian and bisexual residents:
1. New York City - Northern New Jersey - Long Island, NY
2. Los Angeles – Long Beach, CA – Santa Ana, CA
3. Chicago–Naperville–Joliet, IL
4. San Francisco - Oakland - Fremont, CA
5. Boston - Cambridge, MA - Quincy, MA
6. Washington, DC
7. Dallas - Fort Worth - Arlington, TX
8. Miami - Miami Beach - Fort Lauderdale
9. Atlanta - Marietta, GA - Sandy Springs, GA
10. Philadelphia - Camden, NJ - Wilmington, DE

Source: Wikipedia
Source: Out Magazine | The World’s Leading Gay Fashion & Lifestyle Brand
Source: GLCensus Partners (www.glcensus.org)

LGBT Market - Markets (http://www.ethnicevents.com/markets/LGBT-American-Market - broken link)

[tonygeorgia]

I would be more worried moving to Dallas, DC, Boston, NYC, LA, etc^^^^

[TakeAhike]

9. Atlanta - Marietta, GA - Sandy Springs, GA

That's the first time I've ever seen that.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by ramblinwreck17

Moving to Buford or Dacula this is the least of your worries.

I agree; you won't be seeing too many rainbow flags flying in either of those communities. Most of the 'fabulousness' is found inside I-285.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgeder Americans


The initials LGBT (also GLBT) is in use (since the 1990s) to refer collectively to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. The acronym is an adaptation of the initial LGB. In modern use, the acronym relates the diversity of the Gay culture.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, one in nine couples is a same-sex couples. 22% of male partners and 34% of female partners report having children in the household. With 57% of Gay males living in national cities and 45% of Lesbian women living in national Suburbia. Spending power of gay Americans is expected to reach over $608 billion in 2007, representing a cumulative growth of 35%.

Here is a list of the top 10 US metropolitan areas with the highest GLB population in terms of numbers of total gay, lesbian and bisexual residents:
1. New York City - Northern New Jersey - Long Island, NY
2. Los Angeles – Long Beach, CA – Santa Ana, CA
3. Chicago–Naperville–Joliet, IL
4. San Francisco - Oakland - Fremont, CA
5. Boston - Cambridge, MA - Quincy, MA
6. Washington, DC
7. Dallas - Fort Worth - Arlington, TX
8. Miami - Miami Beach - Fort Lauderdale
9. Atlanta - Marietta, GA - Sandy Springs, GA
10. Philadelphia - Camden, NJ - Wilmington, DE

Source: Wikipedia
Source: Out Magazine | The World’s Leading Gay Fashion & Lifestyle Brand
Source: GLCensus Partners (www.glcensus.org)

LGBT Market - Markets (http://www.ethnicevents.com/markets/LGBT-American-Market - broken link)

Keep in mind though, those numbers are from the 2000 census. In other words 1.2 million people ago :P

To the OP, like others have said you will be moving to an area that's very far away from the "gayest" part of Metro Atlanta, which is your right to be uncomfortable with. However, I would say that if you ever planned on coming in to the city then you might want to readjust what you can handle. It's 2010, and Atlanta is a very gay friendly place, so if you aren't accustomed to seeing men or women being affectionate with the same sex then it's probably time to be.

Besides, your boys can't "catch" anything they already are. I spent 5 years in my 20s living in a gayborhood where I swear I was the only straight man for a good 10 blocks. What happened to me? I got lots of dates with women, and my neighbors were clean and quiet.

Except for Pride weekend, when the feather boas (and leather) do come out!

[tonygeorgia]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Keep in mind though, those numbers are from the 2000 census. In other words 1.2 million people ago :P

To the OP, like others have said you will be moving to an area that's very far away from the "gayest" part of Metro Atlanta, which is your right to be uncomfortable with. However, I would say that if you ever planned on coming in to the city then you might want to readjust what you can handle. It's 2010, and Atlanta is a very gay friendly place, so if you aren't accustomed to seeing men or women being affectionate with the same sex then it's probably time to.

Besides, your boys can't "catch" anything they already are. I spent 5 years in my 20s living in a gayborhood where I swear I was the only straight man for a good 10 blocks. What happened to me? I got lots of dates with women, and my neighbors were clean and quiet.

Except for Pride weekend, when the feather boas (and leather) do come out!

The % are still the same. Those groups of people continued to move to NY, LA, Dallas, DC, etc. It should be the same in the 2010 census