By Rory Barbarossa

The Advocate.com has published its third annual rankings of the gayest places in America. The authors utilized a self-described “subjective criteria,” based in no part on official U.S. Census Bureau data, to arrive at the “per capita queerness” of some of the America’s cities and towns.

Fort Lauderdale made the rankings, coming in at “Number 4,” in an equation that included such categories as the number of LGBT elected officials within the community, the density-per-area of LGBT bookstores–and nude yoga classes, whether a locality offers protections to transgendered persons, and the

number of International Mr. Leather competition semifinalists who live there, among other criteria, which was then “divided by population within city limits.”

The Advocate.com editors distinguished “Fort Lauderdale” from surrounding communities, specifically citing “Wilton Manors” by name, although the number of gay-centric activities and events would be sparer, indeed, if the Island City and neighbors like Oakland Park are excluded from any accounting.

Making the Top Ten were some surprise entries: Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, Michigan (at “Numbers 6” and “10,” respectively), and Knoxville, Tennessee (“Number 8”), although the authors explain the logic behind their selections, including whether or not a city includes a WNBA franchise.

Orlando also made the list, arriving at “Number 2” through a combination of being host city for Gay Days at Disney World on the first Saturday in June, offering more gay softball teams than any other locality, and the city’s recent domestic-partnership protections ordinance, among other things “queer.”

Rounding out the rankings was a perhaps surprising grand prize winner, Salt Lake City, Utah, which finished at “Number 1.” While citing such cultural icons of the Beehive State as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the listings also point out SLC’s over “half-dozen hot spots for men and women, including the eco-friendly nightclub Jam (JamSLC.com),” as well as the internationally-renowned Sundance Film Festival, which offers many annual LGBT film selections. The authors also note this often-overlooked fact about the city-that-polygamy-built: contrary to popular wives tales about Utah, Mormons, and a state that by law doesn’t permit happy hours, “you can get a drink in this town.”