Liberal lesbian couple considering Chattanooga (Portland: appointed, how much, house)

[emcat]

My partner and I are looking into moving to Chattanooga next year. We are moving from Portland, OR to be closer to her family and to be somewhere with better weather and more sun. She is from Nashville so has some experience with the lesbian community there. Basically she describes it as pretty girls who do not look outwardly gay. This is my big concern, coming from Portland where the lesbian population is huge and it is safe to walk down the street holding hands. I do look gay. I have short hair and am pretty androgynous looking. It is not something that I can or want to hide. I like holding hands in public.
So, any advice from down south? I do expect more discrimination than in Portland, but I want to be realistic about how much to expect.
Thanks!

[Beretta]

Answers to your questions have been discussed several times over the past year. Please search using the Advanced Search feature on the bar at top for keywords in the Chattanooga forum.

I do not live in or around Chattanooga so I am not qualified to respond. Best of luck to you.

[jkmewright]

I have been in Nashville quite a few times and I thought that the gay community was much larger and "out"er lol that Chattanooga. There were more places to gather as well. Talk about a crowd when the Dream team was around!

As a homosexual couple you will face some issues but not so many that it should hinder you from being closer to family. Not many hold hands in public but some do. We have a few churches that will welcome you. Maybe 3 bars that are Gay gay and a couple that are kinda incognito. You will get stares but mostly from people who are wondering "Is she? Are they?". Most of us here are too polite to be rude to your face. We would prefer to wait until you leave Our last soccer coach was openly gay and her partner was her co-coach. Only one child was pulled from the team and we had no other issues.

You WILL be disappointed coming from Portland but maybe you can find your a niche here. Some of us will welcome you here and hopefully that will make a difference.

As Split says, do a search. It will be informative.

[u4icmusic]

Being a gay male, I have to say that Chattanooga is not a gay person's paradise, like Fort Lauderdale or Wilton Manors, Florida is. For me, it all depends on what you are looking for. I was tired of the "bar scene" in south Florida and wanted a quiter, more peaceful existence. Chattanooga has 3 gay bars, with mostly men going to them. There is also one downtown resaurant that is mixed, gay and straight, which is very popular. I've found that most of the gay people down here have their own circle of friends and house parties are more common than going to bars. My partner and I have not encountered any problems here, and everyong has been extremely nice and welcoming here. If you are looking for moderate weather, low cost of living and really nice people, then Chattanooga is the place for you. It's not a big city however, and some people find it boring and lacking in culture. I don't agree with that. I think it's the perfect place to live, gay or straight.

[afterdark1975]

I think you two will do very well in Chattanooga.

[smileafriend]

me and my partner just took a job here and are looking to meet good friend for food and drinks now and then. we are also looking to buy a home ,and did not know where is best to look. we will be working down town chattanooga. I am 46 and she is 54 we have been togather for sometime and are still very much in love.

[u4icmusic]

PM me when you get here and my partner and I will show you around town. We are a gay male couple around the same ages as you both.

[mbrach]

My partner and I moved here last September from SE Michigan. I agree with the statement above, there is not a whole lot of hang-outs, but we are not much of the 'bar' type, except for special occasions. We are about the same age as well, I am 44 and my partner is 52.
We don't feel singled out when we go out. We don't hide the fact that we are lesbians (sometimes holding hands in public, but then girl friends do that anyhow). Let me know when you arrive, we would love to get together with others. Since we do not go out a lot, we have not met many other couples.

u4icmusic - let me know when you show emcat around, we would love to join you!

[etta]

I see quite a few rainbow flags on front porches in my hood & I have seen a bit of hand holding but mostly at events like art openings or shows. You might encounter more looks on the outskirts of town. I agree with jkmewright that "most people are too polite around here to be mean to your face". This is not one of those southern towns where people will just gawk in dismay if you are anything but what they consider normal. I run across more truly nice people here than any other place I've lived.

[u4icmusic]

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