The capital of the only state in which same-sex marriage is legal, Boston is overall a gay- and lesbian-friendly destination, with a live-and-let-live attitude that long ago replaced the city's legendary Puritanism.
Two free weeklies cover New England's GLBT community and feature extensive entertainment listings: Bay Windows (tel. 617/266-6670; www.baywindows.com) and the New England Blade (formerly In Newsweekly; tel. 426-8246; www.newenglandblade.com). The alternative weekly Boston Phoenix publishes cultural and nightlife listings (www.bostonphoenix.com).
An excellent guide to local gay- and lesbian-owned and -friendly businesses is the Pink Pages (www.pinkweb.com/boston.index.html). Other useful resources include the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Helpline (tel. 888/340-4528 or 617/267-9001) and the Peer Listening Line, for people under 26 (tel. 800/399-PEER or 617/267-2535), both operated by Fenway Community Health (www.fenwayhealth.org); the Boston Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth (tel. 617/227-4313; www.bagly.org), which holds a general meeting every Wednesday at 8pm; and the Bisexual Resource Center (tel. 617/424-9595; www.biresource.org).
