MusclFurPeX's Blog

Lexington picked as one of top 10 cities for gays, lesbians
13th March 2007
By MusclFurPeX

By Andy Mead
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
At various times, Lexington has been ranked the 13th best city for women (Ladies' Home Journal) and the 9th best for business (Forbes').

Now, our fair city is among The Advocate magazine's first "Top 10 Best Places For Gays and Lesbians to Live."

The March 27 issue of the magazine lists Lexington along with Dallas, Tucson, Ariz., and Ferndale, Mich., as places that are part of a "new American landscape" that goes beyond urban gay ghettos.

For Lexington, the magazine cites gay public officials (Vice Mayor Jim Gray and state Sen. Ernesto Scorsone), the Bar, which it describes as "an enormous gay nightclub... which has offered drag shows and disco for decades" and the city's 1999 ordinance that protects gays and lesbians from job and housing discrimination.

The author of the article, John Caldwell, visited Lexington and talked with several people, including the artist Bob Morgan.

Morgan said he talked at length about Lexington's gay history, including visits by a young Rock Hudson, and local characters, such as the drag queen Sweet Evening Breeze and the artist Henry Faulkner.

In an interview with the Herald-Leader, Morgan said Lexington long has been a magnet for young gay people from rural Kentucky. Now, he said, it is attracting gays from larger cities.

Jeff Jones, a UK employee who also was in the magazine article, said Caldwell was surprised to learn that, instead of a gay pride parade, Lexington's gays and lesbians take part in the city's official Fourth of July parade. The article included a photo of people marching in the parade, as well as a row of Victorian homes in springtime, a horse farm in summer and the Kentucky River palisades in full fall color.

It's not clear just how Lexington got to be among the chosen 10. The Advocate did not respond to a phone call and email Tuesday. Jones said he thought Lexington was chosen after an online poll. Morgan said he thought it was "gaydar."

The article will be good for Lexington, Jones said.

"Anytime Lexington gets some press that it is a progressive, growing, tolerant city, somebody's going to read that and say 'Maybe we should move to Lexington,'" he said.

Asked about the magazine article, Mayor Jim Newberry, who was traveling, issued a statement that said Lexington offers "something for everyone."

"Our diverse community has much to offer, including a rich arts and culture scene, a vibrant downtown and we are surrounded by a unique garden -- our farms," he said.

Martin Cothran, senior policy analyst for the conservative Family Foundation, said he didn't want to argue with the magazine.

"If The Advocate's saying Lexington's a great town, we agree with them, which may be a first."


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