Around this time last year, The Advocate published a list of the 15 most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the United States. A few of our WeVenture destinations made the list – among them Chicago, Denver, and New Orleans – based on criteria including LGBTQ+ population, Pride events, state and local laws, LGBTQ-affirming healthcare providers, and more.
We reached out to some of our queer-identifying guides to ask why their cities could contend for a top LGBTQ-friendly destination. Read on to get some tips on traveling safely, supporting gay-owned business, and learning some surprising LGBTQ-related history and culture from unexpected places!
Washington, DC
DC is a welcoming and fun city for the LGBTQ community. While any big city, of course, has its exceptions, the DC gayborhood offers a safe boundary full of LGBTQ-friendly bars, restaurants, and businesses.
While you’re exploring the Capitol Hill area, be sure to pass by The Furies Collective, an unassuming two-story row house once home to a lesbian separatist collective in the 1970s and where pioneering women “used their publications to address major questions of women’s identity and women’s relationships with other women, with men, and with society at large” (NPS/Susan Ferentinos).
North of the National Mall, you’ll find Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, a local LGBTQ-owned favorite and a supporter of the local gay community since 1948! Not far away, indie bookstore and restaurant All Day by Kramers has been an important institution in speaking out for gay rights since 1976.
Be sure to visit in June to enjoy the festivities of Capital Pride, DC’s annual LGBT pride festival.
Seattle, Washington
While neighboring Portland makes The Advocate’s top 15 list, boasting the largest LGBTQ population in the country, Seattle has a long history as a haven for the queer community. Walking around the Capitol Hill neighborhood, this may seem obvious with all the Pride flags hanging on windows or painted on sidewalk crossings, but it may surprise visitors to know that this area became a gay enclave as far back as the 1950s!
While in Capitol Hill, you may pass by The Wild Rose Tavern, which may have been the first lesbian bar in Seattle. Stroll through Cal Anderson Park, named for the state’s first openly gay legislator, and stop to observe the “We’re Already Here” sculptures, commemorating the communities that came together in alliance against the shared exigency of AIDS and HIV.
While you’re in the area, stop in at our favorite queer-owned businesses like Wunderground Cafe and Cupcake Royale, Biang Biang Noodles hand-pulled noodle shop, and the eclectic Capitol Thrill, which supports local, and especially womxn, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC owned brands.
One of the best times to visit the city is June, with plenty of events happening on the Hill, including drag shows and performances at the annual Queer/Pride Festival. While Seattle as a whole is considered a safe place for all, our LGBTQ travelers will feel right at home in Capitol Hill!
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia has a history of welcoming visitors from all backgrounds, and in particular LGBTQ visitors. In 2014, Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed the Hate Crime Bill, which provided for additional penalties for criminal conduct motivated by hatred regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, and disabilities.
Additionally, the LGBTQ community in Philly is very visible, with rainbow flags on the street signs in the Gayborhood (yes, the actual name for a neighborhood in Philly) and several queer-oriented businesses including Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room, the oldest LGBTQ & Feminist bookstore in the country!
While New York City’s Stonewall Inn is well known, many visitors may be surprised to discover that Philadelphia held the first public organized gay rights demonstration in front of Independence Hall in 1965. There’s even a plaque there commemorating the event!
If you’re looking to support LGBTQ restaurants worth the hype, check out Oyster House in Center City. This third-generation family-owned business dates back to 1947 and never disappoints.
LGBTQ History on Tours
Wherever in the WeVenture world you are, you can count on inclusive storytelling. Whether it’s the long history of gay culture in cafes leading up to Seattle’s coffee boom or the figures who fought for their country and equal rights from Philadelphia to New York City, our philosophy is that all travelers should be able to find themselves represented in our tours.
