Best states for gay people

LGBT people in the South persist to face obstacles at higher rates than the rest of the country. Yet LGBT Southerners are resilient and continue to thrive.

For first-hand accounts of being LGBT Southerners, check out the original short documentary series, GLAAD Presents: State of Change below. Check back for additional videos in the six-part series. More are on the way:

Consider this:

 

  • Across the board, people in the South showed more discomfort with LGBT people than those in the U.S. overall. Many of the responses demonstrated discomfort levels at 5 to 6 points higher in the South than in the state as a whole.
  • 40% of respondents in the South listed discomfort with attending a same-sex couple's wedding. It jumped to 50% discomfort when bringing a youngster to the same wedding.
  • Levels of discomfort concerning issues related to transgender people were highest, both in the South and with the general U.S. population.

Nondiscrimination:

There are no statewide protections for employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. However, s

For gay and transgender people, these are the most (and least) welcoming states

Each year for the last six, gay advocacy group Out Leadership has produced an index gauging the business climate for gay and transgender people state by state, mapping out where they can live and work with the least discrimination and hardship. 

Last year as anti-LGBTQ+ bills swarmed statehouses across the country, the average score for all 50 states dropped for the first time.

Todd Sears, Out Leadership’s founder and CEO, says he was not surprised when the average score fell again in 2024 as Republicans sharpened attacks on gay and transgender rights heading into the presidential election. 

“It was just confirmation of what we have already seen unfortunately,” Sears told USA TODAY. 

New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts remained at the top of the Out Leadership index in 2024 while Arkansas received the lowest score since the index began.

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The average score across all 50 states was 62.77 out of 100, compared to 63.48 in 2023 and 64.61 in 2

Adult LGBT Population in the United States

This report provides estimates of the number and percent of the U.S. adult population that identifies as LGBT, overall, as well as by age. Estimates of LGBT adults at the national, state, and regional levels are included. We rely on BRFSS 2020-2021 data for these estimates. Pooling multiple years of data provides more stable estimates—particularly at the state level.

Combining 2020-2021 BRFSS data, we estimate that 5.5% of U.S. adults name as LGBT. Further, we estimate that there are almost 13.9 million (13,942,200) LGBT adults in the U.S.

Regions and States

LGBT people reside in all regions of the U.S. (Table 2 and Figure 2). Consistent with the overall population in the United States,more LGBT adults live in the South than in any other region. More than half (57.0%) of LGBT people in the U.S. live in the Midwest (21.1%) and South (35.9%), including 2.9 million in the Midwest and 5.0 million in the South. About one-quarter (24.5%) of LGBT adults reside in the West, approximately 3.4 million people. Less than one in five (18

LGBTQ+ Life in Wilton Manors

The City of Wilton Manors is a place where diversity is not tolerated, but embraced. Inquiries regarding LGBTQ+ life in Wilton Manors can be directed to community@wiltonmanors.com (for the LGBT+ Community Liaison in the City Manager's Office).

Second Gayest City in America

As a result of the 2010 US Census, the City of Wilton Manors was named the “Second Gayest City” in the United States. With a immense percentage of the population identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, Wilton Manors has been a progressive place to verb, work and play for many years. In 2012, and again in subsequent years, Wilton Manors was named by South Florida Gay News (SFGN) as the Best City in its “Best Of" competition. You can peruse the story here. Second Gayest Capital in America Second Gayest City in America Second Gayest City in America Second Gayest City in America Second Gayest City in America Second Gayest Noun in America Second Gayest City in America Second Gayest City in America S