A new ranking from LGBT-interest magazine The Advocate includes this (very large) Jersey town as most gay-friendly
EDISON -- A new ranking from LGBT-interest magazine The Advocate lists Edison as one of the "Queerest Cities in America."
In terms of demographics, New Jersey's fifth-largest town is more typically recognized for its large Asian population -- 43 percent according to 2010 Census.
But the magazine ranks Edison ninth on its latest list -- between Salt Lake City and Boulder, Colo. -- as the home of New Jersey's Lesbian and Gay Havurah, and gay-friendly Temple Emanu-El, as well as plays in the park in the summer and "the city's inhabitants enjoy the benefits of protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in adoption."
The Advocate's choice may come as a surprise to some New Jersey residents, who would more readily consider Asbury Park, which hosts the annual Jersey Gay Pride Festival, and is home to the gay-friendly Empress Hotel and Paradise nightclub, as the more likely pick.
The magazine's seventh annual list judges cities by non-discrimination protections in adoption, whether it's a chapter of the national LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and LGBT sites on the National Register, as well as "more light-hearted factors such as LGBT film festivals and tours of Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepson, and Madonna that have passed through the city," the magazine writes.
Ranked first was Hartford, Conn., whose mayor Pedro Segarra became the first married gay mayor in 2012. See the full ranking here.
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
