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.

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From PurpleRoofs.com

Ohio’s capital city, known as one of the most gay- and lesbian-friendly destinations in the U.S., is making final preparations for its Columbus Pride Festival, which attracts more than 100,000 visitors. One of the 10 largest gay pride celebrations in the country, this year’s festival is slated for Fri., June 17 through Sun., June 19, while June is filled with Pride-related events around Columbus. Complete travel information is found at experiencecolumbus.com/glbt and Pride Celebration event information is available at columbuspride.org.
With the support of various Columbus patrons and Stonewall Columbus, the Columbus Pride Festival celebrates 30 years this summer, having debuted in 1981. Stonewall Columbus uses the event to raise funds to support its pursuit of fairness, equality and safety for the GLBT community.
The annual event includes a festival, rally and parade, which takes place at noon, Sat., June 18, beginning in downtown Columbus and finishing at Goodale Park in the nearby Short North Arts District. June 19 features a Pride Brunch and the Columbus Lesbian and Gay Softball Association’s wildly colorful and popular Bat n’ Rouge softball game, pitting the Drag Queens against the Dykes.

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Columbus discovered America. Then, gays discovered Columbus. This cool Ohio city stakes claim as the third-most-welcoming GLBT town in the land (after—duh!—San Francisco and Key West).

Columbus boasts three-dozen gay bars. A gay men’s chorus. A gay hockey league. Gay tennis and bowling clubs. Creative positions with the big-name fashion brands headquartered here, from Abercrombie to Victoria’s Secret.

And who restored all those glam brick homes, the pride of German Village? Who keeps the Short North retail/entertainment district ahead of the curve? Who populates Franklin Park Conservatory, whose flora comes adorned with Chihuly glass? Who’s posing in the topiary garden, amid Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon…done in clipped shrubs?

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“I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being — to prove that we are a human race, to prove that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame.” – Elizabeth Taylor

The lights on Broadway will be dimmed tonight in honor of Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth was not only a Hollywood icon; she was a friend and champion for the LGBT community. A bold humanitarian, she spoke out in the beginning of the HIV/AIDS crisis, and helped to lead the fight to end this terrible epidemic. Let us remember that she stood up for our community in a time when her position was not popular. Even in death, the Westboro Baptist Church is tweeting that Elizabeth is burning in hell for being a friend to our community. So even in death she stands with us, a loyal and brave ally.

This year Columbus celebrates our 30th Pride Parade. This year Pride will honor those who lived through the days when people were regularly arrested and fired for being who they are. Thirty years ago many who marched did so in disguise or wore paper bags over their heads. Many more were afraid to march or even to watch the parade from the sidelines. A brave few in our community organized and banded together to march down High Street to celebrate our community. This year we hope that all of our community and our allies will march together to celebrate how far we have come, to honor those who lived through the last 30 years and who championed our cause and to let the world know that we still fighting for equality.

Click here for more information about participating in the pride parade.

Karla Rothan, Executive Director