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Atlanta is one busy city, with its rumbling Marta trains, the Phillips Arena and midday traffic. Holding steady as one of top 50 largest cities in the United States, Atlanta is well-known for a number of things—the Georgia Aquarium, the Coca-Cola Company and its night life. However, many people may not know Atlanta holds the largest population of homosexuals in the US.
Atlanta’s gay and lesbian population makes up for almost half of city’s population at about 38.4 percent. With a multitude of gay bars, clubs and churches, Atlanta’s “gay friendly” atmosphere may be the reason why so many people choose to relocate to the city. The city recently experienced a surge in its population, with the count rising to over five million since 2007.
With many events that cater to the homosexuals of the community, it’s no wonder the city has developed such a large following. The Atlanta Pride Festival, one such attraction, keeps local business owners occupied due to the large amounts of people that frequent the activities. Held in Piedmont Park, the Atlanta Pride Festival is the center of the “National Coming Out Day” that frequents major cities annually to celebrate the gay and lesbian community. Because of its success last year, Atlanta has again been chosen as one of the cities to host the festivities on Oct. 9 and 10 this year.
Also among the events is Mondohomo, an event held in May that celebrates art, food and Burlesque music and dancing.
Located at the center of midtown Atlanta is “Outwrite Books,” a gay bookstore and a successful business. It is one of the city’s major attractions.
Atlanta not only contains the largest population of gays and lesbians, but also one of the largest populations of gay African Americans in the US. Within the African American community, Atlanta is known as the “Black Gay Capital of the Country.”
Atlanta’s African American gay and lesbian community has even been recognized in “Noble Magazine,” the first and only Atlanta-based magazine targeting the gay African American and Latino communities. Created by Eric Gilbert, the magazine got its start in 2006, and its subscriptions are under $5.
The heart of Georgia holds some of the state’s biggest attractions, and with the gay and lesbian communities accounting for almost half of the city’s population, Atlanta has done an excellent job at accommodating the needs of these city-goers.