With relative frequency in recent years, news outlets have touted how more conservative areas of the U.S. are becoming home to growing populations of LGBT residents.
Whether it be the yearly list of the “gayest cities” compiled by LGBT magazine the Advocate, which often includes head-scratching locations most people couldn’t pinpoint on a map, to stories about San Francisco’s Castro district losing its LGBT residents, the impression given is that California and other liberal coastal states are no longer attracting as many LGBT people as they once did.
The latest round of headlines cropped up earlier this month after the website ConsumerAffairs.com released a map it said showed “LGBT people are moving to traditionally red states.” The website Daily Beast mirrored many news outlets with its coverage that posited, “LGBT people are leaving urban, coastal hubs for conservative cities.”