Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Oct 2, 2001

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Milwaukee ranked No. 1 for lesbians

By NAHAL TOOSI Get this, ladies: Milwaukee is the best place in the country to live if you're a lesbian, says Girlfriends magazine. It's better than Seattle, better than San Francisco, even better than Miami Beach, Fla.

Seriously.

"No kidding?" asked a laughing Kathy Herbst, 52, a local lesbian activist. "I think it's wonderful for the city . . . but I have to say I'm surprised."

She wasn't the only person taken aback.

"We were surprised, too," said Jen Phillips, an assistant editor at Girlfriends who wrote the article about the rankings. Milwaukee "had never been in the top 10."

In fact, the last time Milwaukee made the top 100 was in 1996, when it came in 16th. This is the seventh year the magazine, which is dedicated to lesbian culture, politics and entertainment, has created the list.

So how did the Brew City land the top spot?

The magazine recently adjusted its scoring to weigh factors such as housing costs and public transportation more heavily than in previous years, giving those factors the same weight as the number of lesbian bars and other entertainment and support resources.

The change in scoring probably helped lift Milwaukee above other, more expensive cities.

Economic factors are especially important for women, who tend to have lower incomes than men, Phillips said.

So while San Francisco, ranked 16th, may have many lesbian clubs, the median cost of housing there, listed by the magazine as $453,880, hurt the city's standing.

The magazine didn't group cities by population, so towns such as Chapel Hill, N.C. (27th), competed with large cities such as Baltimore (2nd).

Fai DeMark, 49, chairwoman of the Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee, lived in San Francisco from 1985 to 1995.

There are advantages to being a lesbian in Milwaukee, she said.

For one thing, the lesbian community is smaller in Milwaukee than in a place such as San Francisco, so it tends to be more tightknit and easier to organize.

Her organization, which provides support and educational services to lesbians, has 250 members.

And considering the fairly decent cost of living in Milwaukee, the No. 1 ranking isn't that unbelievable, DeMark said.

"It's OK to be lesbian in Milwaukee, I think," DeMark said.

"I'd feel comfortable walking down the street holding my lover's hand."

Milwaukee's decision to offer health benefits to domestic partners of city workers and its registry for same-sex couples also helped its standing, as did Wisconsin's anti-discrimination law, which includes sexual orientation.

The San Francisco-based magazine counted 59 gay and lesbian-related organizations and businesses in the city, giving a special nod to Dish, a lesbian nightclub at 235 S. 2nd St.

Harley-Davidson's presence and the city's ties to the old TV show "Laverne & Shirley" also were noted.

For some local lesbians, certain parts of Milwaukee are far more appealing than others.

"If you live on the east side, it's pretty nice," said Sarah Zastrow, 27.

"But I would not say, if you live on the south side, it's very tolerant at all."

Mayor John O. Norquist said it was nice for the city to get some recognition.

"We were ranked as the most underrated city by Utne Reader, so now we got rated as No. 1 by somebody," Norquist said.

"It's great that we're recognized for our quality of life and our appreciation for diversity."

Several other Wisconsin cities made this year's Girlfriends list.

Madison ranked 20th. La Crosse came in at 29th, Green Bay at 56th and Eau Claire and Sheboygan at 62nd and 63rd, respectively.

Even Wausau and Appleton got in the top 100; Wausau was 75th and Appleton was 79th.

"I think it's ridiculous," said Shepard Goodenow, 38, of her hometown Sheboygan's ranking. "Holy moly."

Goodenow, who is bisexual, started a local support group for lesbians and gay men in 1999, but it folded a year later.

"I'd say, people are pretty nonplused around here, but I would hardly say it's supportive," she said.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 04, 2001

Answers

I thought we needed to get back to what's really important.

BTW, who is Tom Cruise dating now?

-- Lars (Lars@indy.net), October 04, 2001.

Tom Cruise is gay? I didn't know that. So much for Top Gun.

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), October 04, 2001.

Well there are rumors but he just got divorced from Nicole Kidman.

I'll call my pals in LA and get back to ya.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 04, 2001.

"BTW, who is Tom Cruise dating now?

-- Lars (Lars@indy.net), October 04, 2001."

Never knew you were interested in his type Lars. Do you like him better in a butch role like Top Gun, or as more of a femme, like in Legend?

-- (what's@your.fantasy?), October 04, 2001.

I love it when Tom sucks my blood

-- (Brad Pitt@Fight.Club), October 04, 2001.

is America sick or what???

happy happy ,orgy orgy,HEY ,whats that big-fire out there???

awwwww, the kids are playing gay day, ain,t that cute!

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), October 04, 2001.

Odd for not being attracted to you? 8^)

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), October 04, 2001.