Beefcake in the 7 Most Homophobic Towns in the U.S.

An analysis of homophobic tweets recently attempted to find the most homophobic places in the U.S. and Britain.  But that's a risky plan: you make homophobic tweets if you feel threatened by the increasing visibility of LGBT persons, so the absence of tweets may just mean that you are secure in your hetero-superiority.

The HRC had a better methodology: based on the presence of LGBT protections and LGBT elected officials, they found the most gay-friendly cities in the U.S.  Here are the least gay-friendly (not in order):

1. Wasilla, Alaska, population 10,000, about 40 miles from Anchorage.  Home of famous homophobe Sarah Palin.

This a lifeguard who saved a 13-year old boy at the
Matanuska-Susitna Borough pool.  I'm assuming that he's not personally homophobic.



2.  Sitka, Alaska, population 9,000, a resort town near Juneau.  Sort of scenic.













A Brave from Mt. Edgecombe High School in Sitka pins his opponent.









3. Homer, Alaska (are you noticing a pattern here?).  A small city on the Kenai Peninsula, population 5,600, named after the poet, not the Simpson.  It offers the annual Alaska Fitness and Figure Show.















4. Sheridan, Wyoming, population 17,000, in the far north of the state near the Montana border.  It seems to be mostly a home base for the Bighorn National Forest, but you can also go to the Don King Saddlery and Museum.  Don King, a legendary saddle-maker who died in 2007, is also remembered through the annual Don King Days festival.













Or for beefcake, try the local wrestling team.


















5. Monroe, Louisiana, in the northern part of the state, near the Mississippi border, population 49,000 (but the city is suing the U.S. Bureau of the Census, claiming that it deliberately under-counted, and it's really over 50,000.  The things heterosexuals get all puffed up about!)    Famous as the place where Coca-Cola was first bottled. 

It's got a gay bar, Club Pink, with drag shows and pop performers.












6. Southaven, Mississippi (I know, they left out an "h"), population 53,000, a suburb of Memphis, which is not a particularly gay-friendly city to begin with.

But at least there's a track team.














7. Clemson, South Carolina.  I'm surprised that only one city in South Carolina made the list.  It's the home of Clemson University, which in spite of its name is public, and has a Gender and Sexuality Alliance, :a group of open-minded students, faculty and staff who have come together to share their support for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer [LGBTQ+] Community." 

I haven't heard the phrase "open-minded" in reference to being non-homophobic for about 30 years.

Here's a Clemson wrestler to tide you over until the town catches up to the 21st century.