Ann Arbor No. 6 on gayest cities in America list; Grand Rapids No. 10
It may be no surprise to find Ann Arbor on a list of gayest cities in America, but we’re not sure why our fair city should be given credit for an establishment that’s actually in Inkster.
Ann Arbor was No. 6 on the list, which didn't praise Ann Arbor for its nightlife, but instead mentioned Stiletto's, an establishment in Inkster.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Ann Arbor made the list at No. 6. But, surprisingly, it gives the city credit for Stiletto’s, which it says is one of the few clubs in Michigan catering to lesbians. It's actually located in “nearby Inkster.”
Among other surprises on the list: Grand Rapids, which has a decidedly conservative reputation, comes in at No. 10, and perhaps most shocking of all, Salt Lake City, home to the Mormon Tabernacle, is No. 1.
Comments
napoleon
Thu, Jan 12, 2012 : 2:51 p.m.
Where is the "straightest" city in America located or what are the top 10 straightest cities? Just in case i wanna move to one of those places.
BhavanaJagat
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 7:27 p.m.
What is my relationship with myself? : I wish that we must concern ourselves to know the relationship issues by posing the question, "What is my relationship with myself?" If I look into the mirror, I should have the ability to recognize my own face. We need to discuss about Identity and as to how the Individuality survives while the Identity changes all the time during different stages of existence such as infancy, boyhood, youth, adult, and oldage. How do I maintain my identity and individuality while being a part of a social group? <a href="http://bhavanajagat.com/2008/01/18/what-is-my-relationship-with-myself/" rel='nofollow'>http://bhavanajagat.com/2008/01/18/what-is-my-relationship-with-myself/</a>
bunnyabbot
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 3:31 p.m.
censorship at its worst. Even my comment regarding the advocate not being a legitimate news source was removed however someone elses exact same comment was not removed. Obvisously this website has an agenda that is anti open discussion regarding the gay life style, that is unless completely agree with everything homosexual.
Bertha Venation
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:21 p.m.
Don't take it personally, Bun'. My experience is that the guidelines don't seem to matter. It all depends on the politics of the individual doing the "monitoring." We all have opinions, even if we don't agree. I respect your opinion.
Sparty
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:20 p.m.
How is the national magazine, The Advocate, not a legitimate news source? It has a readership in the millions in case you had that question and has been a news source, an advocate and a champion for gay people for decades? What is so "obvisously" an issue to you about this? Hippity hop.
Rod Johnson
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 4:12 p.m.
"At its worst"? Really? Overdramatize much?
Gorc
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 2:04 p.m.
Does Ann Arbor have a gay bar?
Bertha Venation
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 3:52 p.m.
As far as I know, there is only the AUT bar on Braun Ct., near the Farmer's market. They're food is not bad, either.
jns131
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 3:17 p.m.
I know Ypsilanti did at one time. Not sure if it is around still or not.
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 1:23 p.m.
Maybe homosexual friendly, gay-friendly, but gayest? Is that even a word? So, does that make Bad Axe most hickyest friendly?
Bertha Venation
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:17 p.m.
probably, maybe most likliest.
Lovaduck
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:31 a.m.
I LEFT Ann Arbor for parts unknown 'cause it was so non-gay. Just sports, sports, sports (not that gays can't enjoy sports!). One bar and you're dead at thirty years of age.
Bertha Venation
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 3:51 p.m.
I'm with you, Ducky. Not that I troll the bars, but it would be nice to have a place to socialize with one's peers.
JustMyOpinion
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 2:28 p.m.
Straight singles are getting "dead at 30" in the bar scene. I think you are supposed to develop other interests in life that further meeting people, unless you are simply trolling.
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 1:24 p.m.
What?
YpsiLivin
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 5:02 a.m.
I bet A2 could have ended up in third or fourth if the judges had seen the Water Tower.
RoboLogic
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 2:20 a.m.
Apparently, the article or research had flaws. A2 is not Inkster and vice versa. Another wannabe journalist who does not fact check. Thats what I get from it.
scott
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 1:58 a.m.
Rick Snyder hates Ann Arbor, also Grand Rapids.....
Billy Bob Schwartz
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.
You don't have to like the place to live in it. (But it helps.)
jns131
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 3:16 p.m.
Is he gay too? Or just lives in Ann Arbor?
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 1:24 p.m.
Rick LIVES in Ann Arbor.
Angry Moderate
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 1:53 a.m.
Bizarre. Ann Arbor makes the list not for Aut Bar, Common Language, Necto, Spectrum Center, etc., but for a poorly-attended bar way out in Inkster?
jcj
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 11:43 p.m.
Absolutely worthless article that uses an even more worthless article as a source! News Producer how appropriate is the title?
Sparty
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:15 p.m.
Then why are you responding to it ?
David Briegel
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 9:32 p.m.
They would never reach that conclusion if they judged by the posts here by the A2.com Curmudgeon Club!
Billy Bob Schwartz
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 7:39 p.m.
Yeah, so what's it to ya?
Sparty
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:14 p.m.
Amen to that ... clearly Ann Arbor hosts more than it's share of Curmudgeons.
Billy Bob Schwartz
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 2:22 a.m.
Got a problem with curmudgeons? Nobody has yet claimed that Ann Arbor is curmudgeon unfriendly.
Salinemary
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 9:18 p.m.
When I first read this headline, I thought it said "No. 6 on grayest cities in America list" and I thought, well that doesn't surprise me one bit. We have more cloudy days than sunny.
Bertha Venation
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:15 p.m.
Ha! You've got THAT right, Mary!
arborani
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 11:03 p.m.
that's lots OF seniors.
arborani
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 11:02 p.m.
Or another possibility: lots or seniors.
Smart Logic
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 8:57 p.m.
That list is bunk by virtue of Saugatuck missing while Ann Arbor is not.
Machine
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 8:41 p.m.
Hm. I would have said Saugatuck. Maybe Grand Rapids gets "credit" for that the same way Ann Arbor somehow gets "credit" for Inkster.
jns131
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 3:15 p.m.
Saugatuck is or was a gay community and they rebuilt that vibrant area when it was crumbling around them. Marthas Vineyard also was rebuilt by the gays as well. I have no problem with them. To each his or her own.
joe.blow
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 6:53 p.m.
A conservation can't be gay? aa.com, you sicken me.
Sparty
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:12 p.m.
Yes, I've never heard of a "conservation" being gay. Conserving something doesn't make one gay or straight to the best of my knowledge.
JustMyOpinion
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 2:26 p.m.
@jow.blow: I'm a Catholic too, but I think our church is wrong here in so far as they argue that gay marriage somehow defiles straight marriage. Straight people defile marriage every day, evidenced by its decline and the whopping increase in divorced Catholics - just like the rest of the nation. I fail to see where committed gay couples who have families are somehow harmful to the rest of married unions. I cannot fathom God creating abominations of His own to plant here as some cosmic test or joke for the rest of us. Either He created them or He created none of us. If He created us all - then it stands to reason the things made by God which do not involve free will are pure and right.
joe.blow
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 2:59 a.m.
I'm a catholic and a conservative. I have many gay friends, we've never really talked about it because it's a non-issue. Gay marriage is a different issue, although I support civil unions.
JustMyOpinion
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 9:08 p.m.
I have said it here before, Conservatives have gay children too and love them as much as anyone else. As society (read Religion) has less ability to shun and punish families, parents are empowered to defend and stand by their gay kids - and do so, with little respect for religions that call their children evil or wrong. It's a new world, and a better one. GR may not be over the top yet, but they are moving.
GoBlue1984
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 6:27 p.m.
Read the comments in the Advocate article... even gay people think it's a ridiculous and inappropriate list. The Advocate was trying to get people to read about them (and apparently they succeeded) ... albeit at the cost of their legitimacy as a news organization :-/
Sparty
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:11 p.m.
The Advocate has been exactly that, an advocate for gay people for decades ... and a champion for LGBT people for those that prefer that terminology. How refreshing.
5c0++ H4d13y
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 11:52 p.m.
I'm not sure a magazine titled "The Advocate" can be considered a news outlet
smokeblwr
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 4:53 p.m.
Given this fact I'm surprised the Wurst Bar didn't open in AA!
rusty shackelford
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 4:17 p.m.
Yes, they always use somewhat quirky metrics. That's kind of the point. Everyone knows gay life is huge in SF and NYC. There'd be no point in writing an article saying that. I think they're trying to let people know about other places in the country that might be more gay-friendly than expected.
Frank
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 3:37 p.m.
how come nude yoga classes is a criteria, but "percentage of the population that is gay" is not?
rusty shackelford
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 4:15 p.m.
There's no reliable national survey that measures percentage of gay population.
Bertha Venation
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 3:33 p.m.
They've GOT to be kidding! With only one gay bar full of students, and NO piano bar? My social life went from 60 to ZERO when I moved back to A2 from the east coast.
David Paris
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 12:50 p.m.
Piano Bar? Wow, I need to get out more!
A2newbie
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 12:58 a.m.
There is nothing to do in Ann Arbor, whether gay or straight.
smokeblwr
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 7:17 p.m.
That sounds like a stereotype....
hut hut
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 3:30 p.m.
I'm happy. How about you?
Bertha Venation
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 4:14 p.m.
I like a Gershwin tune.... how about you?
Brad
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 3:15 p.m.
Shock value nothing. It's high in entertainment value, though.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 3:14 p.m.
why is nude yoga a "gay thing"?
thefoodandwinehedonist
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 6:24 p.m.
I just did a quick search and the only nude yoga in A2 is all men's. Not necessarily gay, but probably more so than "Co-Ed Nude Yoga". Unfortunately, such thing doesn't appear to exist. Does it? There's the hot yoga where everyone's scantily-clad, but that stinks to high-heaven.
djm12652
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 8 p.m.
at my age....yoga is difficult enough...let alone trying to control gravity! It's not a gay thing but a young thing.
Usual Suspect
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 7:19 p.m.
:)
arborani
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 6:48 p.m.
Usual Suspect, you just gave me my laugh (out loud) of the day.
Usual Suspect
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 4:42 p.m.
Maybe they play show tunes.
Usual Suspect
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 3:08 p.m.
Wait.... I thought we weren't supposed to say this or that is "so gay," but that's exactly what this article is doing. This town is #6 "gay," that town is #10 "gay." Looks like a double standard to me. "Salt Lake City, home to the Mormon Tabernacle, is No. 1." In other words, the article was written just for shock value; to annoy people.
arborani
Sat, Jan 14, 2012 : 4:35 p.m.
If we could locate a Mr. Leather Competition finalist here, would we be #5?
Billy Bob Schwartz
Wed, Jan 11, 2012 : 2:17 a.m.
Sparty...a happy way? Is that some sort of pun?
LAEL
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 6:32 p.m.
Usually when someone says that's "so gay" they mean it in a derogatory or insulting fashion. The use of "gay" in this article is descriptive, not derogatory.
GoBlue1984
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 6:24 p.m.
They're not saying this town is the "gayest" meaning "dumbest" -- they're saying this town is the "gayest" meaning "gay friendly" ... there is a big difference when you use the word "gay" as a pejorative and when you use it in this way. Equating "gay" to "stupid" like people so often do when they say "this is so gay" is very, very wrong and hurtful. This list does not do that.
Sparty
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 6:09 p.m.
Why would it annoy people? I would think it would surprise people in a happy way, showing how we respect diversity in our community? Or is that a shocking thought for closed minded people in Ann Arbor ?
WalkingJoe
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 4:50 p.m.
Usual Suspect, I think you said it all in your last sentence. Another publication that is using controversy to sell issues.
Ben Connor Barrie
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 3:02 p.m.
It seems like the Advocate's formula is a little wonky. It sums the total of things like openly gay politicians, LBGT bookstores, and anti transgender discrimination laws then divides by population. Larger cities are basically penalized for their populations. SF and NYC don't even make the list. I posted the entire formula here <a href="http://www.damnarbor.com/2012/01/ann-arbor-6th-gayest-city.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.damnarbor.com/2012/01/ann-arbor-6th-gayest-city.html</a>
Hmm
Tue, Jan 10, 2012 : 2:55 p.m.
Now this is a headline you dont see everyday!