Gay Austin?

[RaleighLass]

Thank you to those of you who did what you could to help answer the original poster's questions. After all, that's what we are here for.

I encourage you to continue to be helpful to the OP and the subsequent poster who asked for similar assistance. And I thank you for refraining from off-topic conversations, or attacking a person instead of discussing the information they present.

[theSUBlime]

Well, I think to answer the OP's question, there is no "gay village" in Austin. You would be looking in the Dallas or Houston area for that type of neighborhood in Texas. That said, even those neighborhoods may not be as gay as they once were, but they are a historical center for their respective gay communities that span a wide demographic spectrum.

And yes, I would agree with lemonlime, that coming from a place where there's a huge market for a gay B&B (like the Village/NYC) to anywhere in Texas may present a large difference in market opportunities, but it doesn't mean the opportunity isn't there.

[Melissa78703]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

And yes, I would agree with lemonlime, that coming from a place where there's a huge market for a gay B&B (like the Village/NYC) to anywhere in Texas may present a large difference in market opportunities, but it doesn't mean the opportunity isn't there.

Mmm ... I agree and disagree. Personally, I don't care if the person who owns the B&B I stay in is gay, straight, married or single. I doubt most people here really notice or care, as long as it's a nice place with good food and hospitality. I think it would be difficult to market a B&B as a "gay B&B" simply because it reeks reverse discrimination, and people in Texas would be fairly intolerant of that kind of thing.

Plus, a business that rolls out the carpets to everyone is going to be far less of a dicey endeavor during hard economic times. It's not a smart financial move to aim for niche consumers in this day and age.

[austinnerd]

Originally Posted by Melissa78703

Mmm ... I agree and disagree. Personally, I don't care if the person who owns the B&B I stay in is gay, straight, married or single. I doubt most people here really notice or care, as long as it's a nice place with good food and hospitality. I think it would be difficult to market a B&B as a "gay B&B" simply because it reeks reverse discrimination, and people in Texas would be fairly intolerant of that kind of thing.

Plus, a business that rolls out the carpets to everyone is going to be far less of a dicey endeavor during hard economic times. It's not a smart financial move to aim for niche consumers in this day and age.

I don't know if I agree with you here. Have you stayed in a B&B, the interaction between the guest and the owner/host is far more personal. If that host is uncomfortable around gay couples, then it can make for a most unpleasant stay. Given that, I could see how B&B's that somehow wanted to make it known that they are "gay friendly" could actually be quite useful and not any more "reverse discriminating" than a business that touts the fact that they are "kid friendly". By the same token, I could see how many folks would be very turned off by such a thing and would actively avoid going to such an establishment (either kid or gay friendly), which I think is also fine.

[doctorjef]

My partner and I lived continuously in Austin from 1985 to 2004 and had previously lived there in the 1970s during our undergraduate days (we've been together since we were mere pups). Austin is IMO a very good place for gay and lesbian folk. We certainly were always out, though hardly flamboyant -- that's just not the style in Austin. Austin was cited a number of years back as one of the best places for partnered gays and lesbians to be. It is perhaps a bit less satisfactory for gay singles. My own view is that the B&B market in Austin is somewhat limited and that there are already some nice gay-friendly B&Bs there. Indeed there is one lovely one on the south side of Town Lake, aka Lady Bird Lake, that was the venue for a benefit for the gay olympics teams from Austin a number of years ago (can't recall the name of the B&B, but pretty sure it begins with the letter Z - probably easy to find via internet search). I do think it alarming that Texas as a whole seems to have got more politically and socially conservative over the recent years and is in thrall to a very reactionary state Republican Party. That might be a reason for the OP to think twice about moving there, though I'm sure the direct effect on actual life in Travis County is minimal, as it no doubt is as well in Dallas and Houston. My partner and I enjoyed Austin for most of our time there, although we began to get a bit bored with it during the last few years. I would recommend Austin, however, to most gay and lesbian individuals as being, overall, an excellent place to live. I do agree with what an earlier poster said, that it is vastly preferable to live in fairly central Austin, as opposed to the 'burbs (though Alex and I lived in the burbs for 10 years and were generally quite happy there, apart from the hassle with the traffic and added time to get into Central Austin).