gay friendly? (Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach: crime, chapel, to live in)

[smith7]

I am not gay, but because my wife and I are childless and liberal, we often want to live in the same area as gay couples. We are beginning to look at relocating to the southeast, and this is the first look at SC, so we know nothing about it. So are there gay friendly cities/areas in SC?

[scjj]

I have lived in SC for 3 years and have been visiting SC for more than 14 years. I would say that there is NOT a strong gay presence in SC, at least not in the coastal area.

[Rapture]

Anywhere you go there are closed minded, ignorant people....when you meet people you pick ands choose your friends like you would anywhere else. Of course people will be more tolerant in a metropolitan area where there's diversity but I live outside NYC and there's people closed minded there also. I'm also liberal and I'm moving to a town outside Myrtle Beach. So far most people I've met there are from NJ, NY etc...The people I've met in SC from SC are all very friendly and seemed non judgemental.

Where ever you decide to go, I strongly suggest visiting there several times first. I don't know where you live now but it is a lot different than NJ. When you do move you have to be able to adjust and be openminded also, don't expect the people there to change for you. I'm a liberal, vegetarian, non religious person moving to SC and I was concerned at first but after going there several times in the last year I can't wait to move there.

[outdoorman]

Maybe you should consider California....say San Francisco's Castro District.

[speedoflight]

I understand your needs for it sounds like what you want is to be in a place that is socially liberal and diverse. That you want friends and neighbors from a wide range of beliefs. I don't know anything about South Carolina and can't help guide you there but can tell you some methods on finding out about a city/state.

If you take a look at the voting records of every state, you'd find that the urban areas tend to lean toward most progressive issues. Suburban and rural areas tend to lean toward more socially/politically conservative issues. So to fit your requirements to be in a more socially liberal area, you should look at the bigger cities. You are more likely to find like-minded people, less closeted gay people, more liberal attitudes. Each city has its own brand of liberalism of course and this you find out by watching and reading about the city's politics, i.e. what laws did the city vote in, in current and previous elections; how does it differ from the overall state's biasness; is there a slant toward equal protection laws for people with alternate lifestyle; what is the hate crime statistics and how were the perpetrators dealt with, etc. Such data give you a lot of insight into a place.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by smith7

I am not gay, but because my wife and I are childless and liberal, we often want to live in the same area as gay couples. We are beginning to look at relocating to the southeast, and this is the first look at SC, so we know nothing about it. So are there gay friendly cities/areas in SC?

[anonymous]

In SC, I'd recommend downtown Columbia. I haven't the faintest idea how it compares in "gayness" to some other part of the country, but I did work at a resturant in downtown a while back, and there were 4 or 5 openly gay people working there. I used to see guys walking around the USC campus wearing women's jeans, so I'm pretty sure that qualifies someone as gay-friendly, I'm not real sure. I know there is one gay bar in town. And for a southern city, there's a halfway decent arts scene.

What you definitely don't want to do is move to a suburban/rural area. Not even maybe. If you're a liberal, and you want to live around other liberals, you should try a bigger city (Charlotte, Atlanta, New Orleans, etc.), or mid-size/smaller places like Chapel Hill, NC, or maybe Athens, GA.

[ChristopherinSC]

There are Tons of gay people in Greenville. Most of them are not out about it.ButTrust me they are here....

[Akhenaton06]

I think Columbia is the city in SC that has embraced its gay population the most. Mayor Coble seems to be pretty gay-friendly.

[smith7]

Thanks for the responses. Speedoflight, you are right-on, I appreciate the advice. For those of you that didn't seem to read my original post, I'm not looking for gay activities; I'm just interested in liberal, open-minded areas with diversity. I assumed Columbia was the most likely place, and it appears that is the case. Any other thoughts?

[anonymous]

oh, I think everyone read your original post. I just don't think your original post was very clear. At least to me, it's not exactly clear why a straight couple would specifically request a "gay-friendly" area. Not that it's a problem, it just isn't something that makes any sense at all. You don't think that's sort of a snotty-nosed reply to all the people who tried to help?