The most accepting cities in the world and states in America have been revealed by a new study on what life is like for the LGBTQ+ people in them.
The research, which was carried out by Money.co.uk, studied five key criteria to determine where each state falls in terms of its LGBTQ+ inclusiveness:
- How easy it is to change the gender marker on your birth certificate and driver’s licence
- The level of state support for the LGBTQ+ adults wanting to start a family
- Work safety
- Percentage of adults over 18 who identify as LGBTQ+
- Percentage of LGBTQ+ adults aged over 25 raising children
Hawaii came out on top, with 4.6% of the population identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and the state scoring 5/5 on work safety and the process of changing a gender marker there.
It did fall short in its support of LGBTQ+ adults who wish to start a family, scoring just 2.5 out of 5.
Maine was a close second with Vermont a close third, both achieving a perfect score when it came to the ease of changing a gender marker.
When it came to cities around the world, Money.co.uk looked at three criteria:
- LGBTQ+ acceptance level (an indicator sourced from Social Progress)
- Number of dedicated LGBTQ+ establishments per 100,000 people
- Average rating of these establishments
Reykjavik in Iceland debuted at number one on the list, being the only city to score 10/10 for its acceptance of the community.
It was also found to have 2.5 LGBTQ+ establishments per 100,000 people.
Amsterdam and Rotterdam finished in second and third place, respectively – both scoring a rating of 9.8/10.
Cities in the USA made up one quarter of it with San Francisco ranking highest of these at fourth.
Also reaching the top 20 was Boston at 11th, Seattle at 12th, Los Angeles at 16th and Chicago at 17th.
Four UK cities made the list, Edinburgh at 7th, Cardiff at 8th, Glasgow at 9th and London at 18th.
Ten tekst powstał w ramach projektu „Biznes sojuszniczy – firmy przyjazne osobom LGBTQ” finansowanego przez Islandię, Liechtenstein i Norwegię z Funduszy EOG w ramach Programu Aktywni Obywatele – Fundusz Regionalny.