Is Waco gay friendly? (Houston, Nixon: live, safe, place)
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If you are gay, I dont know why you'd want to move there. Dont get me wrong, no one is going to burn a cross in your front yard. But Waco doesn't really offer anything in the way of a solid gay community. Most people I knew who were from there and gay went to Dallas or Austin as soon as they could.\
If you just want to live a quiet existence, no one there is going to bother you. If you want more in the way of LGBT community, Waco wouldn't be a place to consider.
Personally, I would not let this be a deciding factor in where I choose to live. My partner and I live in a North Texas suburb that is pretty conservative and although we are "aware" that many of our neighbors don't approve of gay folk, as far as I'm concerned, that is THEIR problem, not mine. As long as gay folk continue to choose only to live in "gay friendly" areas, not much is going to change. We don't live in a gay ghetto, do not seek out only gay people to socialize with, and are not religious so for us, it's no different than living in a liberal city. We live our lives, choose our friends based on common interests and go about our lives. I wish other gay folks would stop letting the conservatives dictate where they choose to live. No one has a right to keep us from living anywhere. Yeah, you may occasionally encounter bigotry, so what, what else is new?
i resent the fact that you people feel compelled to call someone who does not agree with the life style homophobic - when the fact is we have rights too and some choose to live in a area with people that have the same beliefs - just like the Scouts - you have to attack them for their beliefs - it unjust to same people of a religious belief or personnel belief to have to be completed to see and be around that lifestyle - there are plenty of places - where the life style is accepted and even appreciated - but i will not just sit back while you attack me for my beliefs and that when i don't agree you call me racist or any of the other names you choose -
I find it ironic that you can not accept our lifestyle and our god given beliefs and want to force us to accept or tolerate your life style and when we say something or stand up to your values - why can't you accept the fact that there a people who don't want to see- accept - watch or be around that lifestyle?
But no when someone like me say something we are attacked and called names - and you don't even know us -
Waco is conservative - its religious - and you might say old fashion - thats our right - we choose to live there so if your not comfortable with that then in lieu of name calling and protest go where you are welcomed - Austin, West Hollywood, San Diego - Palm Springs, NYC and let us live with our beliefs - you are not the only ones with rights -
This are ALL GREAT cities you just named above ^^ I LOVE West Hollywood - I even bought a niche at Hollywood Forever with a gay friend who is a director . We grew up together and went to school in Waco together - and yes we will probably never see it again .
Quote:
Originally Posted by ikoolu
you two made my - name calling for my beliefs and you feel i should or others like MUST accept others lifestyle - but you won't accept mine - so easy with libs - quick to criticize and name call - only when you don't agree with them.
Being gay is not the issue - the issue is why should gays want to live, flaunt and show off to others when they know the substantial majority does not agree with that life? Yes you have rights - but you should know clearly that Waco is conservative and is right in the middle of the religious belt of Texas - and that you will be a outsider - why not live where others will embrace that life style?
i would bet 99% of Waco would not say anything to gays - out of common courtesy - but don't expect to be welcomed to our neighbor hoods, churches, gathering places when we clearly do not agree with that lifer style - thats our right too - and i for one will not allow you to label me or my family a racist or homophobe for my beliefs- this is still America
While I agree with TexasHorseWoman about not judging ALL Texans by this person above's comments - It is, however , the majority of what you will find in Waco and the reason I hit the road as soon as I graduated HS in 1980. My last family member there died last year so I am FREE. When still in Texas I lived in Austin, Houston and many many years in Port Aransas before heading to Europe then the West Coast - NO regrets . W was way too oppressive for me and I am straight , and yes "Libs" is an insult that causes one to not be taken too seriously.
Congrats to Ikoolu , I think you found your home .
While I agree with TexasHorseWoman about not judging ALL Texans by this person above's comments - It is, however , the majority of what you will find in Waco and the reason I hit the road as soon as I graduated HS in 1980. My last family member there died last year so I am FREE. When still in Texas I lived in Austin, Houston and many many years in Port Aransas before heading to Europe then the West Coast - NO regrets . W was way too oppressive for me and I am straight , and yes "Libs" is an insult that causes one to not be taken too seriously.
My mom currently lives there. As soon as I can get her to move to Houston, Ill never go back there. I didn't grow up in Waco, but spent a lot of time there as a kid. I enjoyed it then, but as I started going as an adult, I realized its really not my kind of town. Then again, it could be worse. Tyler, Abilene, Wichita Falls, Midland, Amarillo, etc. are actually more conservative than Waco and would be much worse. If I had to choose from one of those, I would take Waco. But then again, if I couldn't live in DFW, Austin, or Houston, Id get the hell out of Texas.
thank you Duchess - i have found my paradise and proud of it too - i hope the Op finds a place where she can live her life in peace with people of like mind and be safe - successful and happy with those who have the same wants and desires -
central texas provides me the same comfort - and thats what her original question was-
i resent the fact that you people feel compelled to call someone who does not agree with the life style homophobic - when the fact is we have rights too and some choose to live in a area with people that have the same beliefs - just like the Scouts - you have to attack them for their beliefs - it unjust to same people of a religious belief or personnel belief to have to be completed to see and be around that lifestyle - there are plenty of places - where the life style is accepted and even appreciated - but i will not just sit back while you attack me for my beliefs and that when i don't agree you call me racist or any of the other names you choose -
I find it ironic that you can not accept our lifestyle and our god given beliefs and want to force us to accept or tolerate your life style and when we say something or stand up to your values - why can't you accept the fact that there a people who don't want to see- accept - watch or be around that lifestyle?
But no when someone like me say something we are attacked and called names - and you don't even know us -
Waco is conservative - its religious - and you might say old fashion - thats our right - we choose to live there so if your not comfortable with that then in lieu of name calling and protest go where you are welcomed - Austin, West Hollywood, San Diego - Palm Springs, NYC and let us live with our beliefs - you are not the only ones with rights -
This is a joke, right? "Homophobic - Having or showing a dislike or prejudice against homosexual people." That stance sounds pretty homophobic to me.. Sure, everyone has rights. Hence why homosexuals have the right to choose to live wherever they want/believe whatever they want/love whoever they want. The fact that you seem to think people of a religious/personal belief that doesn't align with homosexuality shouldn't have to "see and be around that lifestyle" is completely selfish and close minded. Last time I checked, there is no religious affiliation tied with this country. In fact, thats a big part on why this country was founded. People were being persecuted for not believing the religious beliefs that were being forced onto them in other barbarian countries, so they came here to have the freedom to practice/believe whatever they wanted to. Just because you believe that homosexuality is a sin according to some guy in the sky, doesn't make it so. Nor does it mean that you should be allowed to try and force your agenda onto others, especially if it starts interfering with social freedoms.
I can't stress this next sentence enough..
Its not that people can't accept your lifestyle and "god given beliefs".. its that YOU can't accept their lifestyle.
Why should they not be allowed to love whoever they want, or not be able to express that love outside of the privacy of their own home? God forbid a religious person sees them.. Last I checked it is perfectly acceptable for straight people to go around holding hands/kiss/show affection out in public. Pretty hypocritical for you to think that is okay, but want to prevent homosexuals from doing the same, don't you think?
"You are not the only ones with rights".. seriously? So because some book from thousands of years ago tells you that homosexuality is wrong, you suddenly have the authority to force "your rights" onto those people, and try to prevent them from being themselves? You have the right to religious freedom/believe whatever you want to believe, but you don't have the right to try and force your religious beliefs onto people who's beliefs dont align with yours. That is extremely intolerant, and goes against the civil rights that our constitution protects.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ikoolu
you two made my - name calling for my beliefs and you feel i should or others like MUST accept others lifestyle - but you won't accept mine - so easy with libs - quick to criticize and name call - only when you don't agree with them.
Being gay is not the issue - the issue is why should gays want to live, flaunt and show off to others when they know the substantial majority does not agree with that life? Yes you have rights - but you should know clearly that Waco is conservative and is right in the middle of the religious belt of Texas - and that you will be a outsider - why not live where others will embrace that life style?
i would bet 99% of Waco would not say anything to gays - out of common courtesy - but don't expect to be welcomed to our neighbor hoods, churches, gathering places when we clearly do not agree with that lifer style - thats our right too - and i for one will not allow you to label me or my family a racist or homophobe for my beliefs- this is still America
No one is name calling you for your beliefs.. people are disagreeing with you for your intolerance of others who believe differently than you.
Being gay is "not the issue"? Yet you dont think they should live in Waco because they are gay and the older conservative/religious stiffs in Waco dont believe in homosexuality.. Why shouldn't gays want to live their lifestyle, "flaunt and show off" as you put it (I assume you are referring to when homosexuals express their affection for one another in public). And who's to say the "substantial majority" does not agree with that life? Im pretty sure gay marriage is now (sad that it took so long) federally legal.. Political bills, especially ones that are deemed controversial, generally dont get passed without some sort of majority support. Just because the people at your church, and/or those who you choose to surround yourself with dont believe in homosexuality, doesn't mean that it is not widely accepted for many other people/places. What does the religious belt have to do with anything? Im pretty sure there is such a thing as religious homosexuals. Not everyone upholds religious beliefs to strict interpretations from many millennia ago.. Again, why shouldn't they be allowed to live wherever they want to live?
I agree that a majority of Waco wouldn't say anything to them. Im not sure which neighborhood/church/gathering place you attend, or what demographic you are in, but that sounds a bit extreme. If these ladies are an older couple, then they may have more resistance/intolerance towards their relationship from the old religious conservatives, than if they were a younger couple and lived in a younger area, around a more tolerant/open minded generation/demographic of people. Actually, its not necessarily your "right" to not accept someone based on their sexuality. Sadly, the laws are pretty lax when it comes to discrimination against sexual orientation (especially in Texas), but according to a quick google search, there is at least one law in Waco pertaining to that, which prevents discrimination of homosexuals that are employed by the city.
You are right, "this is still America" (The United States, btw.. Its amazing how many people ignorantly call the U.S. "America", when that term actually describes the entire North and South American continents), which is why homosexuality is legal and they have the right to love whoever they want.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DTXman34
Replace "gay" with "black" and see how that sounds.
I spent a decade living and working in Waco and knew various gay couples. I also had a lot of gay students. Waco is a pretty ordinary medium size city with some level of diversity but more or less similar to dozens and dozens of other similar sized cities in middle America. What that means is that it is mostly a fairly boring family oriented place, especially outside the downtown core and Baylor area.
No, there is no exciting gay singles nightlife or scene that one finds in the big cities. But there isn't any exciting straight singles scene either. Aside from a few upscale bars and restaurants full of middle aged professional types and the occasional biker bar and country bar on the edge of town there isn't much nightlife of any kind. Unless you count going to Chilis or BJs as nightlife.
One thing that is different about Waco compared to say similar size west coast cities is that religion permeates the city's professional networks. Both my wife in the medical profession and myself in the education profession found that the upper level professional networks that determine who gets hired and promoted are all controlled members of the same churches. So for example, in education the teachers mostly seem to get hired on merit but the upper level administrators such as principals all seem to coincidentally be members of the same few churches. My wife noticed the same thing in healthcare. She saw a lot of local good old boy types get promoted and hired ahead of more qualified women candidates from outside. Usually the reason given is that they show more "leadership potential" or some such nonsense which is code for begin a leading member in the right local church.
So if the OP is looking to establish some sort of professional life in Waco that depends on professional networking to find business and promotions then it is probably the wrong place for a gay couple from the outside to make a go. But it would be the same for an ordinary straight couple who isn't interested in doing the same kind of conservative Christian networking. My neighbor, for example, owned a successful local insurance office. How did he do that ? He had his new Ford F-150 wrapped with logos to turn it into a moving billboard for his insurance agency and then would park it right at the parking lot entrance to the big Baptist mega church down the street every Sunday and Weds so all the church members would be reminded that he was "one of them" and he would always be parked at every little league game, every football game, and every school function in the neighborhood. That is the game professional people play to get ahead in Waco. And a giant number of them are Baylor, Texas A&M and UT grads who all know each other.
So yes, people will mostly be polite and welcoming and no one is going to be burning crosses or running anyone out of town. But at the professional level, at least for careers that rely on networking, Waco is going to be a fairly closed place for outsiders of any kind, whether or not they are gay or straight, unless they want to really play the religion game.
.... scary, scary narrow-minded people are usually pretty mean.
Funny. What's interesting to me is this narrative that only "Right Wingers" can be mean and narrow-minded. I guess this is the narrative those from the Left would choose to cling to. Sure, we all have a bias, but objectivity seems to not exist much any more.
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