Orlando vs Broward County... Which is gay friendlier? Why? (Jacksonville: neighborhoods, wedding)

[flmover]

Orlando vs Broward County... Which is gay friendlier? Why?

[Nolefan34]

Broward and its not even close. Why? Because Broward is the most liberal area of FL outside of South Beach and Key West. Orlando is far more conservative, many more rednecks up on those parts. That said, Orlando is not as gay-unfriendly as Jacksonville, Tallahassee, or even Tampa. But Broward is the only "blue county" in the state of FL.

[vvolin]

Really? I did not know Orlando as being gay friendly. I always thought it to be quite conservative. Not having lived there, though, I am open to be educated. As for Broward, it is definitely very gay friendly, and there is not doubt about it. Why? Because the gay population is very prominent compared to other areas, more concentrated for men (Wilton Manors and Fort lauderdale), more sparse for female families, who tend to mix in with other families, especially if they have children.

[Lost in Translation]

Broward, hands down. Not only do you have very gay friendly communities like Wilton Manors, but you are also close to Miami Beach, a very gay friendly area. In fact, MB just passed a measure allowing gays to display the pride flag.

[Nolefan34]

Yeah Orlando is very conservative.

[Rae the Chef]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

Broward and its not even close. Why? Because Broward is the most liberal area of FL outside of South Beach and Key West. Orlando is far more conservative, many more rednecks up on those parts. That said, Orlando is not as gay-unfriendly as Jacksonville, Tallahassee, or even Tampa. But Broward is the only "blue county" in the state of FL.

I disagree and agree. Although I would say Broward too, Broward is not the only blue county in the state (). I would disagree with Orlando being far more conservative and intolerant of gays. Orlando has a large gay population! Not that I agree or disagree with it, just letting you know. Also Orlando is a lot like Miami now, where people really dont seem to care one way or another if it doesnt involve them. Some folks in Orlando dont even bother waving hello back to one another, so I doubt that they'll even notice (or care) whether someone is gay or not.

Neither FTL or ORL are as gay-friendly as San Fran, Asheville NC, or Key West, but you really cant go wrong with either choice.

[Nolefan34]

Broward is the only true blue county in FL, where the amount of registered democrats outweighs registered republicans by a substantial margin. This past election cycle, counties that were 51/49% in favor of republicans went blue like Orange, Hillsboro, and Miami-Dade. That is because of a minority candidate and the lousy economic conditions in FL. But traditionally, those are conservative counties with conservative mindsets.

[flmover]

QUOTE: "Orlando has a large gay population"

Before of everything, I would like to clarify that when I mention "gay friendly" I mean a place where your partner and you can walk by the streets holding hands without fear, a place where it is not necessary to conceal your sexual orientation (like using a wedding ring) in order to get an employment, etc.

You are right! Certainly Orlando has a large gay population as well it has progressed a lot but it does not mean be gay friendlier. I think that the gay friendliest parts of Orlando are Downtown and Disney, but those parts does not represent the trends toward gay people in Orlando.

In Broward, the gay community have power and got respect from the general community. As an example I can mention a famous university in Broward that offers an institutional scholarship for psychology students interested in doing research about gay issues. That is be progressive and gay friendly!

On the other hand, Disney is completely gay friendly, but Disney it is fantasy... it does not represent the real Orlando.

[Rae the Chef]

I agree... Disney is FAR from the "real Orlando." You seem to know about Orlando and it's tolerance, so I think you'll make an informed decision. You seem to be leaning towards FTL.

[kevinkagy]

Orlando is pretty gay friendly, but Broward County is definitely more gay friendly. Wilton Manors for example, is a nice neighborhood that's majority gay. No part of Florida is more gay friendly than Miami/South Florida, with the exception of perhaps Key West. In Miami, big gay neighborhoods are the Upper East Side and South Beach.