Over the years, most of the queer people I know have either been from, or moved to, places like Manchester or London.
Cheaper places to live tend to be less tolerant, for some reason. Cities that are tolerant and welcoming for people of different backgrounds have a much higher cost of living, because many people prefer to live in diverse places rather than little towns full of bigots.
It's almost like a queer tax - extra money you have to pay to be able to live as an out queer person.