Cambridge Named Third-Queerest City in America

Hartford took top honors in The Advocate's 2016 ranking.

Cambridge has been named the third-queerest city in America by The Advocate, an LGBT publication. Hartford took top honors, while Inglewood, California came in second.

“There are only a few true LGBT megalopolises in America—and that’s often by virtue of their sheer size,” The Advocate editor-in-chief Matthew Breen said in a release. “What’s more fun, and more illuminating, is to look at the queer quotient of some less-expected locales, using criteria that don’t focus on more expected factors. The results are always unanticipated, and this year’s list delivers some absolutely surprising cities. We love sparking conversation in those places about what makes a city LGBT-friendly—and whether that city’s spot on the list is honestly earned.”

The Advocate‘s criteria ranged from straightforward factors—non-discrimination protections, LGBT sites on the National Register, an openly gay mayor—to more lighthearted ones, like LGBT film festivals, Madonna tour stops, and workout spots (one point for every SoulCycle and Barry’s Bootcamp).

“The queer community in Cambridge exists outside the walls of Harvard Yard; just ask the city’s openly gay mayor, David Maher, or the two mayors before him who were also out of the closet,” The Advocate writes. “The progressive city, often jumbled together with Boston, is also home to a thriving gay– and lesbian-owned business scene in which many belong to the Greater Boston Business Council. Attend a gay-friendly event at Porter Square Books or book a room at the gay-owned and super-stylish Clarendon Square Inn.”

Here’s The Advocate‘s top ten.

The Advocate‘s Top Ten Queerest Cities in America

1. Hartford, Connecticut

2. Inglewood, California

3. Cambridge, Massachusetts

4. St. Louis, Missouri

5. New Haven, Connecticut

6. Washington, D.C.

7. San Francisco, California

8. Salt Lake City, Utah

9. Edison, New Jersey

10. Boulder, Colorado

Other New England locales on the list: Manchester, New Hampshire (No. 14) and Waterbury, Connecticut (13).