Is Austin Gay Friendly? If so what parts of it are? (Pflugerville: neighborhoods, theater)

[artsyguy]

I've heard Austin is more liberal than most other Texas Cities thank God. ALthough I am moderate and I think conservatives have done good for our society. I do not think Gay hating or preventing gays from having a pursuit of happiness is really a good thing. So I just want to know what parts of AUstin are cool for gay guys!

[AustinTraveler]

Austin is friendly for everyone so you definitely have nothing to worry about. I would stick to the downtown areas as far as living, mainly cause it's just more fun. Try around Travis Heights or north of downtown in the Rosedale area.

Welcome to Austin!

[artsyguy]

well thanks but I have not moved to austin. I just want to know about it before I get there.

[Marat]

I don't think any part of it is unfriendly. I live in the burbs (Pflugerville) and feel totally comfy out and about here. Enough so I ask for male waiters when I eat out, asked the waitress once if she could get the cute manager to come to our table (she did), flirt with the waiter at another place and get a free margarita. Gee, I eat out too much. Anyway, the whole area is gay friendly.

Do you play tennis by any chance? If so, let me know. There is a gay tennis league which is awesome here in town.

[deeptrance]

Artsyguy, I posted a reply to you in another thread but will hit this one too.

This is a totally gay-friendly town. And I've been really surprised to learn that even some of the "redneck" small towns are OK with it as well. For example, I own property near Lockhart, about 35 miles south of Austin, and it's a basic working-class town with not much going on. There are some well-known gay men running businesses there including an active theater group! I have lesbian friends who have lived in a few of the other small towns near Austin and they all enjoyed it and never had any problems.

My big problem with Austin is that there are too many people here, but I keep posting all these positive replies to people about how nice it is here. Maybe I should lie and say it's the worst place on earth...

[artsyguy]

Too many people. What else is a disadvantage of Austin? Is the univserity area always crowded and chaotic?

[AustinTraveler]

Artsyguy,

I would like to suggest that you come to Austin and see for yourself. One person's idea of crowded is nothing to another. If you're coming here to attend UT, I think you ought to visit first and then see if you even want to attend. From what I've heard, it's not the easiest school to get into.

Your skin color, sexual orientation, what you wear, etc. will have no bearing here in Austin. Nobody cares (and I mean that in a good way). I think the biggest obstacle for you is getting accepted to UT.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

Too many people. What else is a disadvantage of Austin? Is the univserity area always crowded and chaotic?

This is definitely not "Manhattan in Texas" but it's larger than my ideal sized city, so as AustinTraveler says:

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

I would like to suggest that you come to Austin and see for yourself. One person's idea of crowded is nothing to another.

Absolutely true!

Now, about neighborhoods, I was just on the phone with a friend who was telling me that there's a gay enclave just east of the U off of Manor Rd. and I had already mentioned that. It's totally not crowded in this area. It's a very diverse neighborhood and very close to UT. I highly recommend it. Look for the intersection of Manor and Cherrywood or Manor and French Place, that general area, and you'll be happy as can be if you find the right place in the area.

[WestTexan87]

I go to UT and am semi-secretly gay. Semi-secretly, meaning that I'm out to friends and family, but keep it to myself as far as the majority of society goes. I don't talk about it, I don't flaunt it, and if someone asks me point blank, I'll seriously have to consider the implications before I answer. I was hoping to come to this city and find myself a world where I could be open and happy about it. So far, I have only felt "free" in the sense that I have no friends and, therefore, feel no pressure to talk about it. It's hard to make friends at a school of 50,000 students. Anyway, I would like to think that Austin is accepting and open and whatnot. On the UT Shuttle bus, there are ads for "Voices Against Violence" and other LGBT-tolerance organizations. This made me feel good until I rode a bus one day where someone wrote "beaver fever" next to a picture of a lesbian couple. Society will be slow in this area for many years to come. It doesn't seem to matter how liberal a city is. My advice, if it's worth anything at all: no matter where you are, just be yourself. People will respect and accept you as a person. If they don't, then they're not worth the effort. Just be happy with yourself and the people you surround yourself with. You'll find a niche and it will be gay-friendly. Other than that, I have nothing to say. Life is rough for people who are "different."

[Othon]

I think all parts of Austin are pretty gay friends. I live in west Austin, which is supposed to be a more conservative part of Austin (a bit to the west of Westlake Hills), and I'm perfectly happy living here as a gay, liberal minority.