Heron Creek -- Gay Friendly? (fit in, buying a home, neighborhoods)

[newtovenice]

Originally Posted by craigiri

Wow, that really surprises me.

But, then again, nothing surprises me these days!

I think - in terms of general public acceptance - transgender probably has it the worst. This is, IMHO, because it is simply far outside the normal experience or thought process of the vast majority of the population. So it's "new" and "conservatives" don't like anything new (whatever the family values).

I always have a tough time with anyone in Florida expressing the family values side of things since this state is perhaps the biggest "sell out" in US history...that is, Florida has always been about the money. This being the case, I'm sure the realtors, builders, furniture stores and 99% of the other "community" is more than glad to take anyones money and - in fact - HAS experience taking everyone's money.

Being an older gent AND a merchant (mom and pop), I'd say a lot of my own experience is/was in that fashion. That is, our introduction to larger numbers of gay folks when was they came in and gave us money. We never had a single problem with that (although one gay couple did rip us off - still, not enough statistics to make any judgement)....

Since that time our neighbors, my fellow board members on condo association, relatives and whomever else...is just accepted. I'm lucky enough to live in MA and I remember when Gay Weddings were first starting and we ran into one at a public facility on top of a local mountain in a state park. It was a beautiful scene and there was not a thought in my head about sexuality.

Now - admittedly - one of our places of residence is "Happy Valley" in W. Mass where I've been laughed at by my wife for not being able to tell a male from a female (car salesperson). Hey, but we bought two cars from her........

Anyway, I wish everyone peace and happiness and I would think (and hope) that most people agree with the "live and let live" aspects of most forms of sexuality.

It's REALLY hard to imagine Tampa has such problems. I have a nephew who is a big part of the real estate scene there...I'll check it out with him sometime....

I mean...if we were REALLY in the Bible Belt I could sorta understand....but "Sin" or "recreation" or any form of pleasure seeking or being different or remaking oneself.....that's what Florida is all about.

Now...I should tell you the story about my meth addled neighbors....who, BTW, turned out to be very nice people. My wife really liked her. But she was foreclosed upon. I guess we are liberal.....

I also think a lot of people look for and see problems where they don't exist. As in, the cashier frowned at me/us, she MUST be a bigot.

Well, no, actually her grandma is in the hospital and she's upset and worried. Has ZERO to do with you.

I have a friend who is gay and the FIRST THING she wants to know about new people is if they are gay. It trumps everything. The person could be a tax-evading, racist pedophile, but if they are gay, well that's all that matters.

I absolutely fully believe that the majority of people seriously don't care. As another poster said, as long as neighbors are quiet, no one cares what you do in your own house. It's when you are forced to accept/embrace/support/celebrate or else you become a target as a racist, bigot homophobe that the problems begin. Most people just want to be left alone.

[Concert D Major]

What

[techie_g]

Originally Posted by newtovenice

I also think a lot of people look for and see problems where they don't exist. As in, the cashier frowned at me/us, she MUST be a bigot.

Well, no, actually her grandma is in the hospital and she's upset and worried. Has ZERO to do with you.

I have a friend who is gay and the FIRST THING she wants to know about new people is if they are gay. It trumps everything. The person could be a tax-evading, racist pedophile, but if they are gay, well that's all that matters.

I absolutely fully believe that the majority of people seriously don't care. As another poster said, as long as neighbors are quiet, no one cares what you do in your own house. It's when you are forced to accept/embrace/support/celebrate or else you become a target as a racist, bigot homophobe that the problems begin. Most people just want to be left alone.

At times, there does seem to exist a preoccupation with determining whether some other member of the community is sufficiently 'homosexually FRIENDLY' in order to ascertain and fully evaluate another's 'positive homosexuality Quotient, or IQ'. I have definitely witnessed a bit of this phenomenon as well, although your suggestion is intended to obviously overstate, but accurately reveal this notion.
Others seem to examine their life and the lives of others through this prism or lens of homosexual behavior when others are not close to even focusing on those issues. It's rather troubling, but very revealing into that psyche. It doesn't seem quite normal. Most heterosexuals do not define themselves and especially others in the totality of such a narrow context. Most neighbors don't care to get into the psyches and aberrant sexual behavior/choices/practices of other community residents. Many homosexuals tend to conflate their own sexual tastes with many other far-flung issues such as politics, government, teaching/education, and even obscure issues such as 'travel' (e.g. all homosexual cruises, vacations, etc). Most heterosexuals don't do that. Many homosexuals wrap themselves in the 'cloak' of political liberalism as if that is something to be heralded and pursued at the expense of other points of view. Most heterosexuals do nothing of the sort. Just witness the visible spokespeople for essentially far-left political, educational, governmental or social policies....from televised far-left spokespeople, Party operatives, and even superintendents of Education (e.g. Baltimore, et al) - they are mostly populated with avowed homosexuals. It's quite interesting to examine.
In short, there is a bit of validity in what you suggest - if the person is a homosexual, that must indicate a certain level of 'enlightenment' and fairness - which of course is pure rubbish indeed

[Concert D Major]

Whaaaaat

[3kittiesnj]

Wow. I was shocked by the replies. I'm a boring 54 yo woman married to a woman. We want to move out of snow and to a place where our marriage is not an issue. Like the couple across the street from us - John and Mary. We never TALK about their marriage, they never TALK about our marriage. It's just a fact. Not an issue.

[techie_g]

Some residents might be 'shocked', even dismayed about your 'marriage', or even JOhn and Mary's 'marriage'...don't assume that your neighbors are on board or necessarily agree or even endorse the legitimacy of anyone's 'marriage' especially to another woman. Some may consider that quite unnatural indeed. That's just a fact...but an issue.

[newtovenice]

Originally Posted by 3kittiesnj

Wow. I was shocked by the replies. I'm a boring 54 yo woman married to a woman. We want to move out of snow and to a place where our marriage is not an issue. Like the couple across the street from us - John and Mary. We never TALK about their marriage, they never TALK about our marriage. It's just a fact. Not an issue.

I think that is the whole point that most people are expressing, if I'm not misreading into the posts, that it isn't an issue if you just go about your business, no one cares.

If you make it a big deal, other people may make a big deal out of it too.

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by newtovenice

I think that is the whole point that most people are expressing, if I'm not misreading into the posts, that it isn't an issue if you just go about your business, no one cares.

If you make it a big deal, other people may make a big deal out of it too.

While this may true with the majority - as we have seen from the examples and replies above, people differ. Some gay people....just like straight people....are - well, for lack of a better word, not civil and moral people (anyone who care more about a friend being gay or straight than them being honorable and civil is, IMHO, not expressing the best ethics)......

Florida is obviously regional in this nature. In the SE area you may even have an advantage (socially or economically) being gay.

I'd say most of the Gulf Coast is live and let live - consider that the midwest is where most new "natives" come from down in these parts, so a Garrison Keilor way of looking at things may be popular.

There is however a fairly strong subculture of "Christians" who wear it on their chests (and cars and shop windows and in just about everything they say and do). As with anywhere else, these run the gamut from "real" Christians who follow the Golden Rule and the ten commandments (or try) to the "new" Christians who feel as if they are superior to others and/or have the right to judge.

After all the long winded answers....I'd say that Sarasota area in general would be gay "ok". Not "gay friendly", but "gay OK". The are is extremely diverse in terms of where people hail from (countries and regions) and also is so religiously. You see a lot of "new age" stuff as well as churches and megachurches of all types.

I think if I was in a "loud gay" relationship I'd look elsewhere like Tampa where there is a younger population and more nightlife, etc.
But the same goes if I was in a "loud straight" relationship.

Anyway, nuff said. I think unless you pick out really bad neighbors things will be A-OK.

[techie_g]

Most heterosexuals aren't 'loud' about their sexuality, because it's very normal viz woman/man gender relationships and they don't seek heterosexual 'friendly' communities in the first place. Heterosexuals are the norm. HOMOsexuals are not. This is just a fact, and most Sarasota neighbors know this as true. Most Sarasota neighbors are not interested in validating any kind of aberrant sexual behavior, most don't care that much about homosexuality, or any other brand or distortion of aberrant sexual activity. Neighbors have their own regular lives and are much too detached to consider woman on woman sex, or man on man sex. To most, it's out of the mainstream, and to some, abnormal, so they tend to simply ignore it.

[MIKEPOTE]

Originally Posted by techie_g

It's quite unfortunate, that many homosexuals can not, or choose not to do what you ask. It's rather like a dog with a bone it seems. By far, homosexuals are not victims or targets for anything. But there is a movement to even re-define 'gender', through a convoluted and twisted hysteria of victimization. It's quite purposeful and driven by dangerous forces throughout the social and academic construct. Many seem to wish to de-construct what constitutes being a Woman and man, and a boy and a girl. Some wish to remove all delineation of what a mother is, and what a father is. Others even wish to eliminate clear biological, chemical and cellular differences. Why you ask? perhaps they don't like themselves or what they see in the mirror or what's within their own souls. What is clear is that some appear to be on a mission to 'mainstream' homosexual aberrant behavior, or deny its possible toxicity to family, procreation, social structure, community adhesion, community mores/morality, religion and even physical wellness. The intent by some seems to be to erode and diminish the significance of what it means to be a man as a human, and what is the true role of a woman as a human-and why the distinctions exist in the first place. A few seem actually angry that there are only two genders, or they believe that genders are interchangeable or somehow 'fluid', which is a fraudulent and unnatural supposition on its face. Perpetuating a lie is their stock-in-trade, thus their never-ending search for homosexual 'FRIENDLY' themes, and environments. In other words, many only seek obsequious sycophants in order to install their own psycho-sexual-social 'order' through the intentional destruction of normal precepts as to moral human conduct. Of course many homosexuals suggest that such precepts and moral maxims don't exist. Therein lies quite a bit of twisted logic, denial and disingenuousness. Some of us in society believe they are quite mistaken,

Maybe two gay guys just want to live in a cool beach town... seems pretty simple.

OP I hate to say it but I think you got your answer. Wow...