West Hollywood has long been a leader in LGBT rights. Amy Anderson, communications director at the West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau (WHMVB), says the LGBT community was instrumental in founding the city in 1984. And when the California Supreme Court lifted the ban on same-sex marriage on May 15 of this year, Anderson helped to harness and shape publicity for the 1.9-square-mile city.

"We knew we'd have a lot of marketing opportunities and that people would be looking to us to ...