The misterb&b’s Queer Safety Index details which American cities are safest for LGBTQ+ attendees in 2025.
It’s no secret that the LGBTQ+ community has come under fire by the current U.S. administration. From executive orders to restrict U.S. passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad to those that have an M or F sex marker that matches the traveler’s biological sex at birth, to demands from President Trump that the National Institute for the Arts deny grants to projects that promote what he calls “gender ideology,” to directing agencies to limit gender-affirming care, to implementing a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the military, the LGBTQ community is feeling a lot less safe to live and travel in the U.S. than it did just a few months ago.
To help LGBTQ travelers, including both U.S.–based and international attendees, determine where it will be safest for them to go in these precarious times, a group of LGBTQ+ hosts and hotels called misterb&b recently released its annual misterb&b Queer Safety Index (QSI). The index ranks cities using a weighted model that includes most booked cities on misterb&b, state policies (MAP Overall Policy Tally), local protections (HRC MEI), legislative risks (ACLU Anti-LGBTQ Bills), community support (PFLAG presence), and safety indicators (FBI-reported overall hate crimes). Each factor is normalized and weighted, with higher scores indicating greater LGBTQ+ safety and inclusivity.
According to the index, misterb&b’s data scientists predict these will be the 30 safest cities for US LGBTQ+ folks this year (the numbers in parentheses are each city’s weighted composite safety score).
- Chicago, Illinois (0.925818)
- Seattle, Washington (0.8820167396811622)
- San Francisco, California (0.859765)
- Portland, Oregon (0.828624)
- San Diego, California (0.819190)
- Honolulu, Hawaii (0.805810)
- Denver, Colorado (0.803871)
- Albuquerque, New Mexico (0.801627)
- Las Vegas, Nevada (0.794831)
- Providence, Rhode Island (0.788671)
- Cathedral City, California (0.785347)
- Palm Springs, California (0.782136)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (0.776131)
- New York, New York (0.75)
- Washington, Washington DC (0.737)
- Los Angeles, California (0.728369)
- Atlanta, Georgia (0.712163)
- Tampa, Florida (0.699735)
- Wilton Manors, Florida (0.626081)
- Oakland Park, Florida (0.626081)
- Orlando, Florida (0.624527)
- Miami, Florida (0.622352)
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida (0.619867)
- Salt Lake City, Utah (0.584884)
- Indianapolis, Indiana (0.574057)
- Phoenix, Arizona (0.539445)
- Nashville, Tennessee (0.529054)
- Dallas, Texas (0.368089
- 29. Houston, Texas (0.338946)
- Austin, Texas (0.338738)
The organization also explored the effects of recent U.S. government moves on the world’s most popular PRIDE festivals. The data found that searches for travel to U.S. Pride cities are down almost 40% from last year, which is not surprising given the travel advisories Denmark, Germany and Ireland have issued for travel to U.S. PRIDE, DC Pride travel warnings, and anti-LGBTQ legislation. According to misterb&b’s research, the global hot spots for PRIDE events this year, based on search volume, are:
- Barcelona, Spain
- Berlin, Germany
- Maspalomas, Spain
- Orlando, Florida, USA
- San Juan, PR
- Paris, France
- Montreal, Canada
- Provincetown, RI, USA
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Toronto, Canada
- Calgary, Canada
- Warsaw, Poland
- Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Rome, Italy
The organization also provides a feature called weere that enables travelers to connect and exchange travel tips and must-see attractions. Learn more about the organization and its work at misterbandb.com.
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