Tampa eked out a spot on The Daily Beast's list of the most tolerant cities in the United States, rounding it out at number 20. The news site considered a variety of factors when compiling the list — number of reported hate crimes, the percentage of residents who support same-sex marriages, as well as state-wide statistics regarding anti-discrimination laws, gay marriage, and religious tolerance.
According to the site's findings, Tampa had just 2.8 reported hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents, and boasted 7.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households.
Tampa's inclusion in the top 20 shouldn't be much of a surprise, as the entire Bay area is known for being home to a vibrant, bustling, and engaged LGBT community. And Florida should be proud overall — both Orlando and Miami also made it onto the list, at numbers 16 and 4 respectively.
This article appears in Jan 19-25, 2012.