Gayest Cities in America

11. San Francisco

Heaven will be much like San Francisco, according to Belize, a character in Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America. “Big city. Overgrown with weeds, but flowering weeds. On every corner a wrecking crew and something new and crooked going up catty corner to that ... and big dance palaces full of music and lights and racial impurity and gender confusion.” The description of San Francisco, gentrifying but still scrappy, suits the gay daddy of American cities. The gay-friendliest straight mayor in history, Gavin Newsom, is leaving office to become California’s lieutenant governor, possibly to be succeeded by the city’s first openly gay mayor. Possible candidates include out pols Bevan Dufty and Tom Ammiano.