Providence Ranked 4th Most LGBT-Friendly City in U.S.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

GoLocalProv News Team

After Gallup conducted a national poll that found 60% of Americans support same-sex marriage, NerdWallet looked into which cities are the LGBT-friendly in the U.S -- and Providence ranked as the fourth most friendly.

NerdWallet, a personal finance website that offers data-driven tools and advising, took into account the percentage of the population identifying as LGBT in each metro area, LGBT-related hate crimes per 10,000 residents who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, and the Human Rights Campaign’s number of leaders in LGBT health care equality.

Writes NerdWallet,

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In the Providence metro area, 4.4% of the population identifies as LGBT. When it comes to health care equality, the Human Rights Campaign recognized 2.6 hospitals for every 10,000 LGBT residents in the city, the second-highest score on the list. The area also has Pride RI, Youth Pride Inc., ACLU of Rhode Island and other civil rights organizations promoting equal rights and visibility for the local LGBT community. In June, Providence hosts its annual RI PrideFest, which includes the Illuminated Night Parade. The Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau even has its own “Glambassador,” Haley Star, a YouTube drag queen.

Top Ten LGBT Friendly Cities, According to NerdWallet

Here's a look at the top 10 and how other cities stack up to Rhode Island's capital city.

1.) San Francisco, California

2.) Portland, Oregon

3.) Austin, Texas

4.) Providence, Rhode Island

5.) Baltimore, Maryland

6.) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

7.) Seattle, Washington

8.) Salt Lake City, Utah

9.) Los Angeles, California

10.) Orlando, Florida

Related Slideshow: The Most and Least Diverse High Schools in Rhode Island

The data below reflects the 2012-13 academic year as provided by the Rhode Island Dept of Education. Values have been rounded to the nearest whole percent.

Providence Ranked 4th Most LGBT-Friendly City in U.S.

Top Ten LGBT Friendly Cities, According to NerdWallet

Related Slideshow: The Most and Least Diverse High Schools in Rhode Island

#49 Ponaganset HS

North Scituate, RI

#48 Scituate HS

Scituate, RI

#47 Tiverton HS

Tiverton, RI

#46 Coventry HS

Coventry, RI

#45 Burrillville HS

Burrillville, RI

#44 Exeter-West Greenwich

West Greenwich, RI

#43 Chariho Regional HS

Wood River Junction, RI

#42 North Kingstown HS

North Kingstown, RI

#41 Mt. Hope HS

Bristol, RI

#40 Narragansett HS

Narragansett, RI

#39 Barrington HS

Barrington, RI

#38 Smithfield Senior HS

Smithfield, RI

Total enrollment: 772

#37 Portsmouth HS

Portsmouth, RI

#36 Lincoln Senior HS

Lincoln, RI

Total enrollment: 1,067

#35 North Smithfield HS

North Smithfield, RI

#34 Warwick Vets HS

Warwick Veterans Memorial HS, Warwick RI

#33 Toll Gate HS

Warwick, RI

#32 Pilgrim HS

Warwick, RI

#31 South Kingstown HS

South Kingstown, RI

#30 Cranston HS West

Cranston, RI

#29 East Greenwich HS

East Greenwich, RI

#28 Westerly HS

Westerly, RI

#27 Cumberland HS

Cumberland, RI

#26 West Warwick HS

West Warwick Senior HS, West Warwick, RI

Total enrollment: 982

#25 Johnston Senior HS

Johnston, RI

#24 Beacon Charter HS

Beacon Charter High School For The Arts, Woonsocket, RI

Total enrollment: 230

#23 Middletown HS

Middletown, RI

#22 East Providence HS

East Providence, RI

#21 Acad. for Career Exp.

Academy for Career Exploration, Providence, RI

#20 Central Falls HS

Central Falls, RI

Total enrollment: 838

#19 Cooley Health/Science

Cooley Health & Science Technology Academy, Providence, RI

#18 North Providence HS

North Providence, RI

#17 Times 2 Academy

Providence, RI

Total enrollment: 652

#16 Central HS

Providence, RI

#15 Mt. Pleasant HS

Providence, RI

#14 Prov. Career & Tech