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I'm planning to make a move next year to a city of my choice. I've got it narrowed down to Atlanta or Chicago. I know they are very different cities/metros which is part of the appeal of each city.
Can anyone speak to the difference in gay male populations in each city? I realize it's hard to make generalizations but any insight would be helpful. Especially insight on what the dating scenes are and how they might differ.
I'm not going to speak for the gay male populations, even though I have a lot as friends in Chicago. I'm just wondering what kind of city you want - do you want walkability, good public transit, feeling like you're in a city, etc or do you not care about any of that and just care about the gay scene?
I'm more interested in the difference in the dating scenes. For example, are the guys in one city more professional oriented than the other? More metrosexual or more rugged? etc. I've visited both but interested in perspectives of people who've spent considerable time in or lived in both.
To answer your question though, I want a walkable city with good transit. Chicago definitely has the advantage in terms of transit and neighborhoods but Atlanta also has some walkable neighborhoods on the east side that I like. Atlanta is a major contender in that it's close to friends/family in NC, more familiar and has better weather. I've narrowed it to Atlanta for those reasons and to Chicago for its affordability and cool urban neighborhoods. Both cities has substantial gay populations but i'm wondering how the guys in those cities differ.
As far as walkability, public transit, etc goes yeah Atlanta has some, but it's nowhere near what Chicago is in that regard. The food scene in Chicago is also better by a lot, though Atlanta is not bad in its own right.
I'll let the actual gay guys answer all that stuff you questioned, but as someone with a lot of gay friends in Chicago who's pretty well exposed to some stuff in the community, there's a lot of both metrosexual and rugged, and also just "normal." My friends are always on grindr and scruff too, lol. They never have problems meeting anyone. I don't think you'd have a problem meeting any type of guy, whatever you're into.
Haven't really been around the gay community in Chicago (it wasn't easily noticeable, maybe due to size), but they are more aggressive/apparent here in Atlanta IMO. If you are decent looking black guy, whether gay or straight, you'll always get some young guy hitting on you. This has been my experience when in midtown, at least. Whenever I hear of professional homosexuals, it's always a story about men on the DL. I don't know about Chicago, but the DL thing among more established men makes sense from sociological perspective. Being openly gay and black will often times conflict with opportunities you receive from other (straight black, especially ) males.
This is all anecdotal, but I'm sure it maps on to the reality of situation pretty accurately.
If those were my options, I'd pick Chicago, for sure.
Remember, Atlanta is *IN* Georgia. Outside of Atlanta, you'll find that Georgia is ultra-conservative and extremely religious, even in the Atlanta are suburbs. Quite frankly, if I were you, I wouldn't *dream* of moving to a state as conservative and religious as Georgia, mostly because the population of the state outside of Atlanta and maybe Savannah *drags it down* in terms of progressiveness. Moreover, Georgia offers little to no protections and benefits at the state-level for LGBT folks, meaning that if, down the line, you meet someone and decide to get married, you *can't* in Georgia. You can also be *fired for being gay* and *discriminated against* in housing. I don't know about you, but to me, that *seems* like second-class citizenry.
OTOH, gay marriage just began in Illinois last week, and Illinois was the first state in the union to repeal its sodomy law, so the two states are certainly *worlds apart*. And if you tire of urban living and decide to move to the suburbs (perhaps to raise a future family), chances are good you'll better received in a Chicago area suburb than an Atlanta area suburb. I lived in Alpharetta, GA for six months, and that's not a place I'd recommend a gay family to settle down--at all.
At the end of the day, if you want to be "less-than-equal," then by all means, move to Atlanta. However, if I were you, my decision would be pretty darn clear.
Location: Augusta, GA ''The fastest rising city in the southeast''
7,508 posts, read 15,100,025 times
Reputation: 955
Quote:
Originally Posted by 8to32characters
If those were my options, I'd pick Chicago, for sure.
Remember, Atlanta is *IN* Georgia. Outside of Atlanta, you'll find that Georgia is ultra-conservative and extremely religious, even in the Atlanta are suburbs. Quite frankly, if I were you, I wouldn't *dream* of moving to a state as conservative and religious as Georgia, mostly because the population of the state outside of Atlanta and maybe Savannah *drags it down* in terms of progressiveness. Moreover, Georgia offers little to no protections and benefits at the state-level for LGBT folks, meaning that if, down the line, you meet someone and decide to get married, you *can't* in Georgia. You can also be *fired for being gay* and *discriminated against* in housing. I don't know about you, but to me, that *seems* like second-class citizenry.
OTOH, gay marriage just began in Illinois last week, and Illinois was the first state in the union to repeal its sodomy law, so the two states are certainly *worlds apart*. And if you tire of urban living and decide to move to the suburbs (perhaps to raise a future family), chances are good you'll better received in a Chicago area suburb than an Atlanta area suburb. I lived in Alpharetta, GA for six months, and that's not a place I'd recommend a gay family to settle down--at all.
At the end of the day, if you want to be "less-than-equal," then by all means, move to Atlanta. However, if I were you, my decision would be pretty darn clear.
If those were my options, I'd pick Chicago, for sure.
Remember, Atlanta is *IN* Georgia. Outside of Atlanta, you'll find that Georgia is ultra-conservative and extremely religious, even in the Atlanta are suburbs. Quite frankly, if I were you, I wouldn't *dream* of moving to a state as conservative and religious as Georgia, mostly because the population of the state outside of Atlanta and maybe Savannah *drags it down* in terms of progressiveness. Moreover, Georgia offers little to no protections and benefits at the state-level for LGBT folks, meaning that if, down the line, you meet someone and decide to get married, you *can't* in Georgia. You can also be *fired for being gay* and *discriminated against* in housing. I don't know about you, but to me, that *seems* like second-class citizenry.
OTOH, gay marriage just began in Illinois last week, and Illinois was the first state in the union to repeal its sodomy law, so the two states are certainly *worlds apart*. And if you tire of urban living and decide to move to the suburbs (perhaps to raise a future family), chances are good you'll better received in a Chicago area suburb than an Atlanta area suburb. I lived in Alpharetta, GA for six months, and that's not a place I'd recommend a gay family to settle down--at all.
At the end of the day, if you want to be "less-than-equal," then by all means, move to Atlanta. However, if I were you, my decision would be pretty darn clear.
Not every gay man wants to be married. If it was the case then every gay man would be running to those states. Atlanta Dallas and Miami has some of the largest gay populations.
I dont know why people feel.that a person would have a vetter gay experience just cause they can get married in a state. Another thing is the Atlanta area does offer benefits to same sex couples.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
2,014 posts, read 5,100,546 times
Reputation: 2089
Quote:
Originally Posted by 8to32characters
If those were my options, I'd pick Chicago, for sure.
Remember, Atlanta is *IN* Georgia. Outside of Atlanta, you'll find that Georgia is ultra-conservative and extremely religious, even in the Atlanta are suburbs. Quite frankly, if I were you, I wouldn't *dream* of moving to a state as conservative and religious as Georgia, mostly because the population of the state outside of Atlanta and maybe Savannah *drags it down* in terms of progressiveness. Moreover, Georgia offers little to no protections and benefits at the state-level for LGBT folks, meaning that if, down the line, you meet someone and decide to get married, you *can't* in Georgia. You can also be *fired for being gay* and *discriminated against* in housing. I don't know about you, but to me, that *seems* like second-class citizenry.
OTOH, gay marriage just began in Illinois last week, and Illinois was the first state in the union to repeal its sodomy law, so the two states are certainly *worlds apart*. And if you tire of urban living and decide to move to the suburbs (perhaps to raise a future family), chances are good you'll better received in a Chicago area suburb than an Atlanta area suburb. I lived in Alpharetta, GA for six months, and that's not a place I'd recommend a gay family to settle down--at all.
At the end of the day, if you want to be "less-than-equal," then by all means, move to Atlanta. However, if I were you, my decision would be pretty darn clear.
It looks like there's plenty of red in Illinois outside of Chicago too.
Every day I see tags from Illinois in Atlanta. The crime and weather in Chicago is enough to make a lot of people move. Look at E. St Louis, Cairo, they look like third world countries. Outside of the loop and posh lakefront, and a few suburbs, Chicago is the pits.
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