By Mike Tierney

For the AJC

A job and a girlfriend lured Melinda Monti last spring to Atlanta, a self-styled gay mecca. Though her relationship ceased, Monti remained, having found the metro area an ideal setting for work and play.

“The way the city is so open, there is no place I feel unsafe as far as being a lesbian,” she said. “I get no feeling of prejudice here.”

An account executive for Sunbelt Printing and Graphics in Marietta, Monti joined the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, whose 350 members makes it one of the country’s largest. Her connections developed through the chamber have brought in customers, including some whose business is geared toward a gay and lesbian base.

The city’s status as a haven for lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgendered people — collectively referred to as LGBT — will be celebrated with the 39th Pride Festival this weekend in Piedmont Park. Historically held in the summer, the event was pushed back this year.

The calendar change casts uncertainty on attendance projections. “There’s no way to know,” events manager J. Sheffield said, “but we think our numbers are going to be strong.”

Previous Pride weekends have generated an economic impact of $30 million, according to Sheffield, citing the mayor’s office estimates.

The event brings a mix of locals and out-of-towners.

“Higher-income tourists often translate into larger amounts of spending on things like food services, hotels and entertainment services, and the loyalty means repeat business,” said William J. Smith, economics professor at the University of West Georgia.

And, in some cases, to relocations after guests get a taste of the town.

Atlanta has been characterized as having the third- highest percentage of gays among American cities at 12.8 percent. It trails San Francisco (15.4) and Seattle (12.9), according to findings by the Williams Institute at UCLA.

The study relied on same-sex couples statistics in 2005 from the U.S. Census Bureau and the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. Such figures are imprecise, said Jeff Graham, executive director of the LGBT advocacy group Georgia Equality.

“The one thing we know for certain,” he added, “is Atlanta is a real destination point for LGBT people to move to. Atlanta has long held the reputation as a city that does promote tolerance and recognizes diversity.”

Graham noted that the city passed nondiscrimination laws as early as the 1970s, and it may have been the first in the Southeast to extend benefit packages to same-sex couples.

An array of happenings associated with Pride Weekend include rugby matches involving three teams catering to gays on Saturday at Coan Middle School. The event’s host is the Atlanta Bucks, one of several rugby clubs that sprang up in memory of Mark Bingham, a gay player who was among those who tried to foil terrorist hijackers on United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed on Sept. 11, 2001.

“I love the city of Atlanta,” said club president and player Gary Durden, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound longtime athlete.

Durden, an unemployed accounts manager, said the Bucks are generously supported by sponsors and welcomed by other rugby clubs.

“Yes, we’re partly about sexual orientation, but it’s more about rugby,” he said, bragging that the Bucks won their division of a tournament in Ireland last year.

“We have very skilled athletes,” a few of whom have commuted from as far as North Carolina, said Durden.

Georgia Equality’s Graham cited a variety of sports options along with several publications, the 11-year-old chamber of commerce, service organizations and even tailored church services as ingredients that spice up gay-friendly Atlanta.

“It’s a welcoming and open environment,” he said.