Question: why does Atlanta has the rep for having the biggest gay population when usually San Francisco, Miami/Ft Lauderdale and New York are usually the ones with the highest numbers of gays? Why do people immediatly think of Gay when they think of Atlanta. Has anyone ever noticed that when there are gay people in ATL they usually say they are visiting or just came from NY, Detroit, Boston, etc.

Below is a list of the largest gay population (the list has been about the same for the last couple of years)..
Atlanta,GA isn't even in the top ten

Los Angeles
New York
San Francisco
Washington D.C.
Miami
Dallas
Boston
Phoenix
Chicago
Seattle

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They have the highest downlow population.

Seattle?

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we were voted "gayest city" by Advocate or one of those gay pubs

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Oh boy not another post on this mess?

Its mostly coming from people who have never been here.

This right here (among other things)

From The Advocate February 2010
Gayest Cities in America


Intrepid amateur sociologist Mike Albo searches for America’s 15 gayest burgs—based on a finely tuned (if totally arbitrary) calculus.

By Mike Albo
Yep. According to The Advocate magazine, Atlanta rates as the nation's gayest city, followed by Burlington, Vt., Iowa City, Bloomington and Madison, Wis. Don't bother looking for San Francisco, New York or Los Angeles -- those supposed gay meccas don't even place in the rankings compiled by the nation's oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender publication.
Though their research was admittedly unscientific, it's not without merit. Correspondent Mike Albo awarded points based on same-sex households per capita, statewide marriage equality, gay elected officials, gay dating and "hookup" profiles per single male population, gay bars per capita, cruising spots per capita, and gay films in Netflix favorites.
"I buy that," said Joe Pennington, 23, a barista at Outwrite Bookstore in Midtown. "Odds are 50 percent that if you're gay and lesbian, you'll eventually end up in Atlanta."
While Georgia has only a few gay elected officials and no laws endorsing same-sex marriage, social and cultural metrics vaulted Atlanta to the top of the Advocate's list.
"Atlanta is undoubtedly our gayest city -- with 29 gay bars here, there’s a reason it’s dubbed Hotlanta," Albo wrote. "Atlanta guys are hunky, the ladies are gracious, the gay sports leagues are seriously well organized, and its housewives (and their gay BFFs, complete with handbags and heels) are now camp icons. And who doesn’t love the sweet lilt of a Georgia accent on a knockout guy or gal?"
Pennington, who moved from Cincinnati six months ago, said the contrast between his adopted home and his birthplace is stark.
"I love Cincinnati, but for gay people, there's no comparison," he said.
Albo said the study reflects the mainstreaming of gay people into contemporary American life, noting that Iowa City, Austin, Texas; and Asheville, N.C., have more gays per capita than the major metropolises.
Click here for the complete rankings.

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I heard NY had the highest downlow populations. a lot of gay men in NY said that they have been in exclusive relationships with women but have been with men at the same time

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Atlanta, like many other metropolitan cities, has a high gay/lesbian population. Being gay here is not some big deal, so if anything, I would think the number of men on the DL would be minimized. Anyway, there are a lot of black men (as well as men of other races) that approach me so eff what the numbers say, it's has no impact on my game.

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Lol how do you know how large the DL population is?

And they same one's who talk shit still visit.

I think because most of those cities you named have a large white gay population. Whereas atl is a mostly black city with a large gay black pop. And you know how myopic black people can be.

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Word of Mouth!!

its a cultural shock(homosexuals visiting Atl sooo often) that ppl just talk about it. . .the more ppl talk-bringing it up- the more it seems to be true. . .Im not gonna lie, ive seen a lot of them just flamboyant/out there with their gayself -no offense, I respect yall- in major location that it seems LIKE they reppin the whole city. . .which isnt true. . .

A straight visitor is going to be chillin in touristic spots(hence the same locations gays be kicking it). . .

and at the same time, if its labelled as a gay city-word 2 word- the gays gon be flocking in to check it out. . .

That is what I was thinking. If all these men really are on the DL (Lord, I hate that term) people would not know.

I think the plethora of men in heels at Lenox Mall and elsewhere makes some Atlantans believe the city is overrun with gay men. In NYC a man in heels will barely get a second glance, most don't give a shit or they've seen it before.

With all the out gay men and women around in Atlanta, that just strikes fear in the heart of the phobes who wail about all the black men in town being in the closet.

Because atl has the hottest black girls on the planet. Having ONE gay person makes you all look bad.