Columbus may soon beat out San Francisco and Minneapolis as America’s gayest city, according to a published report.

In the Best of GayCities:  The World According to Gays, Columbus was named the Up-and-Coming Gay City of 2011.

According to the publication, Columbus demonstrates something of an Eastern sensibility and the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population has $7.5 billion in purchasing power that has helped the community as an integral part of the culture.

The magazine also mentioned Columbus’ surrounding liberal arts colleges and gay-friendly business like Limited Brands and Abercrombie & Fitch, which are based in central Ohio.

Read More

Daily Beast Ranking Page

The Daily Beast ranked Ohio as one of the least tolerant states on gay rights. We’ll talk about how Ohio compares to other states as welcoming or not welcoming to gays, with Daily Beast Reporter Lauren Streib, Outlook Media Co-Publisher Michael Daniels, Real Living HER Founding Partner/Realtor Terry Penrod, and Family Policy Network Policy Analyst Alexander Mason.

46, Ohio
Tolerance score: 40 out of 100
Hate crime score: 15 out of 40
Discrimination score: 16 out of 40
Gay rights score: 1 out of 10
Religious Tolerance score: 8 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents:: 3.1 (33 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents:: 24.2 (44 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage:: 45%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life:: 76%

Thanks Terry Penrod and and Michael Daniels for expressing your views!

Watch the Show Here

Read the Columbus Dispatch article about Fred here

Read his obituary here

On the night the Columbus City Council approved extending health benefits to the gay and unmarried partners of city employees, more people showed up to talk about the Columbus Clippers.

It’s a testament to how much has changed in the 12 years since city leaders first tried to offer domestic-partner benefits. Then, people packed the City Council chambers to praise the council for taking the side of fairness or to rail against a decision that they said would undermine morals.

Then, opponents gathered enough petition signatures to place the plan on the ballot and the council rescinded it.

Last night, seven people – including two dressed as mascots – accepted a resolution honoring the Clippers on their AAA baseball championship.

And two came to talk about domestic partners: Jim Hartman, a city health inspector, had looked forward in 1998 to providing health care for his partner, Bob. Last night, he thanked the council for approving the benefit, though he said that he and Bob broke up in 2004 after more than 20 years together.

Shirley Cotter opposed the benefits. She said the council has a duty to “make God smile, not make Satan smile.” She said she withholds taxes because the government isn’t doing God’s work.

Councilman A. Troy Miller, who sponsored the benefits legislation, said it was the only opposition, “if that’s what it was,” that he’s heard since the plan became public last week.

Councilwoman Charleta B. Tavares, appointed in 1999, voted at her first meeting to rescind domestic-partner benefits in the hope of bringing them back later. Last night, she took satisfaction in approving the 2010 version.

“We will finally have health care for all of our employees that is fair and equitable,” she said.

This legislation allows health coverage for “an adult with whom the covered employee shares a permanent residence” and who can prove through bank statements, mortgage documents or other means that they are “financially interdependent with the employee.”

Columbus Dispatch, Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Read the Full Dispatch Article Here

16. Columbus, OH
Same-sex couples per thousand households: 5.27 

The Republican-Democratic battleground state of Ohio has become widely known for its anti-gay marriage protests. But that hasn’t stopped Columbus, the state’s capital city, from making the list. Columbus, in fact, has a gay culture all its own: There’s a gay men’s chorus, and it’s host to a huge GLBT organization, Stonewall Columbus. Plus there’s a massive annual gay-pride festival to boot.

Read the Full Story
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-07-20/the-20-gayest-cities-in-america/

Here is a preview of some of the art that will be on display at the Center during this weekend:

View the photos on Flickr

Click To Play

Click here to watch this video in full screen

On Wednesday, September 13, 2007, Chad McCoury, Rick Carrick and Karla Rothan served as panelists for the Columbus Metropolitan Club luncheon. The topic for the afternoon was the recent LGBT survey and the preliminary results were released. Janet Jackson of the United Way facilitated the discussion and the audience asked questions of the panelists. The final results will be available toward the end of the year, but for those of you who were unable to attend the event you can watch it here on Stonewall TV.