Macon, Columbus are 2 of least LGBTQ+ friendly cities in US, study says. One is dead last.
All over the U.S., there are numerous cities celebrating and welcoming the LGBTQ+ community into town for Pride Month.
However, Macon and Columbus may not be the best places to visit this June, according to a new report.
According to LawnStarter’s study, Macon is ranked last on the 196 most LGBTQ-friendly cities in 2022, and Columbus isn’t much better at 185 on the list.
The study uses 19 factors for its criteria, some of which include an equality index, the share of same-sex households, the presence of LGBTQ support groups, affordability, safety, access to LGBTQ-friendly health care and Pride-readiness.
And it seems the southern parts of the country received the lowest scores in the entire study.
“The South is revered for its warm, welcoming vibe, but our data suggests this region would not be the most welcoming of LGBTQ incomers. Southern cities make up the entirety of our bottom 25, dinged by their poor performance in Equality, Community Support, and Pride-Readiness,” the study stated.
Columbus passed an anti-discrimination ordinance in May 2021, but halted a resolution three months later that would protect Columbus residents regardless of a person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, familial status and veteran status.
Council Walker Garrett, who was the primary sponsor of the resolution, said misinformation and pressure from religious groups caused it to fail.
Macon-Bibb County approved a non-discrimination ordinance in late 2020, but the legislation was vetoed by then-Mayor Robert Reichert.
There is some good news for Georgia, though.
Atlanta was ranked number six overall; this can be attributed to the city’s amount of LGBTQ social groups and its Pride-readiness ranking.
Other U.S. cities that ranked very low: Grand Prairie, Texas; Miramar, Florida; and Clarksville, Tennessee.
U.S. cities that rounded out the top five: San Francisco, California; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Orlando, Florida; Seattle, Washington; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 4:17 PM.
