Carlisle, PA gay friendly?

[serpent_of_old]

Originally Posted by danwxman

There's also a fallacy in making outrageous claims without providing some kind of backup. I follow the news very closely and NEVER heard of this event. I grew up a few miles from Carlisle.

i refuse to argue what i know. people never convince me that i have something to prove, but ok [waves]

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by serpent_of_old

i refuse to argue what i know. people never convince me that i have something to prove, but ok [waves]

Good. I won't argue what I "know" anymore either. Good day!

[Bettylou22]

i'm in carlisle right now. i grew up in carlisle. i was living in CT four years ago, but my mom would have called and told me about something like that happening. if you post the archived newspaper article or police report (there's a pretty big police report section in the Sentinel) than i'll believe you. but until then, it sounds like the game of telephone to me.

as for the original poster's question, i would say that if you go to college than i'm sure being gay is acceptable and not thought of as an "issue" or whatever. but the Townies are a different story. i'd generalize them as close-minded republicans who aren't accepting of anything except for what they're doing/thinking. (of course there are acceptions to this rule, that's why i said it's a generalization.) i'd suggest you go closer to Harrisburg or move to Philly. i'm not gay but i've never felt so comfortable to let my freak flag fly than the illadelph.

[gayguyfromdenver]

Harrisburg is NOT a gay-friendly city. Some will say it is, but only as compared to Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, New Cumberland, Steelton. If you are gay, do not move to Harrisburg. You can do so much better. For starters, Harrisburg only has two neighborhoods that you would actually want to live in -- Midtown and Downtown. These are not large areas. They offer very little in terms of nightlife, restaurants and even less in terms of retail. I'm not saying Harrisburg is the worst place in the country for a gay man. It's not. However, unless you have a compelling reason to live in the area (job, family, school), I would NOT recommend it. The only gay club is pretty pathetic. There is no gay coffee house nor any type of a gay hangout. Trust me, I lived it. It's a pretty depressing place if you're looking for a lively, vibrant gay community. Lastly, most of the city barely tolerates its gay population. Don't even think of holding your boyfriends hand while out in public or heaven forbid kiss him on the cheek or give him a hug before saying goodbye. Same thing for lesbians. Just my two cents.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by gayguyfromdenver

Harrisburg is NOT a gay-friendly city. Some will say it is, but only as compared to Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, New Cumberland, Steelton. If you are gay, do not move to Harrisburg. You can do so much better. For starters, Harrisburg only has two neighborhoods that you would actually want to live in -- Midtown and Downtown. These are not large areas. They offer very little in terms of nightlife, restaurants and even less in terms of retail. I'm not saying Harrisburg is the worst place in the country for a gay man. It's not. However, unless you have a compelling reason to live in the area (job, family, school), I would NOT recommend it. The only gay club is pretty pathetic. There is no gay coffee house nor any type of a gay hangout. Trust me, I lived it. It's a pretty depressing place if you're looking for a lively, vibrant gay community. Lastly, most of the city barely tolerates its gay population. Don't even think of holding your boyfriends hand while out in public or heaven forbid kiss him on the cheek or give him a hug before saying goodbye. Same thing for lesbians. Just my two cents.

Sorry you had such a bad time here but that doesn't mean you need to bash it on every thread. There is a VERY large and active gay community in Harrisburg. Does it compare to bigger cities? Absolutely not. Because Harrisburg is a city of less then 50,000 people! For a city and metro this size, the gay community is strong and active. This isn't NYC folks! Name one other city this size that would see 5,000+ show up for a gay pride festival!

Did you expect to have a multitude of gay hang outs and clubs in a city this size? What on Earth were you thinking? I would put the gay scene in Harrisburg against just about any small city in the country and I'm sure it would be better.

BTW, I'm trying to think of any gay "coffee shops" last time I was in Washington DC or Philadelphia..can't think of any. Midtown has the newly opened Stage On Herr and a couple new coffee shops/cafes which are gay-friendly. Sorry you missed out on that while you were here.

[gayguyfromdenver]

IMO, Pittsburgh offers much more to a gay individual than Harrisburg. I never lived in Pittsburgh, but did have the opportunity to visit several times. Pittsburgh has tons of great restaurants, music venues, retail stores, theaters, etc. Really no comparison! Of course, in Harrisburg's defense, Harrisburg is a much smaller city than Pittsburgh. Also, the people in center-city Pittsburgh tend to be much more cosmopolitan than the average person you would encounter in Harrisburg. I was actually very impressed by Pittsburgh. I couldn't believe all of the theaters and museums. I would recommend going and checking it out.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by gayguyfromdenver

IMO, Pittsburgh offers much more to a gay individual than Harrisburg. I never lived in Pittsburgh, but did have the opportunity to visit several times. Pittsburgh has tons of great restaurants, music venues, retail stores, theaters, etc. Really no comparison! Of course, in Harrisburg's defense, Harrisburg is a much smaller city than Pittsburgh. Also, the people in center-city Pittsburgh tend to be much more cosmopolitan than the average person you would encounter in Harrisburg. I was actually very impressed by Pittsburgh. I couldn't believe all of the theaters and museums. I would recommend going and checking it out.

Harrisburg population: 47,196 Metro: 528,892
Pittsburgh population: 316,718 Metro: 2,462,571

'nuff said...no comparison. Pittsburgh offers a lot more then Harrisburg, that's for sure. However, the job market is strong in Harrisburg and the proximity to the major east coast cities is a big advatange. And for what its worth Harrisburg DOES have more night life downtown then Pittsburgh and also a higher population density in its downtown core, however Pittsburgh has a ton of potential.

[BackToTheCityMouse]

Originally Posted by danwxman

And for what its worth Harrisburg DOES have more night life downtown then Pittsburgh and also a higher population density in its downtown core, however Pittsburgh has a ton of potential.

That makes sense because a real city offers lots more than 'night life', most of which happens during the day.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by BackToTheCityMouse

That makes sense because a real city offers lots more than 'night life', most of which happens during the day.

Pittsburgh's downtown pretty much closes at 5PM. However, the nearby strip district and south side have tons of nightlife. Not saying its a good or bad thing. The vast majority of Harrisburg's nightlife is downtown unless you count the smattering of bars in Midtown and the west shore.