[Lisa_from_Debary]

I can see where they might not hunt gay, lesbian and transgendered people down and burn them at the stake, I'm sure thats not the case.

I am Atheist and I just don't like that vibe...

[SKB]

Am I the only one that doesn't have a clue what LGBT means?

If this means your are gay, cross dressing, one set of genitals or two, threesomes, foursomes, who cares?

Does it really matter?

Are you decent, kind, good neighbors, helpful, considerate of others? Those are the things that matter, not what you do in the bedroom.

[Lisa_from_Debary]

LGBT
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered

Well it doesn't matter to me what people do...however in an area packed with Fundies, thats not going to be the case.

Witness the City Manager who was fired because they questioned his judgement after he came out about having sexual reassignment surgery...they never questioned his jugdement before...

That was just down the road from Lakeland AND the Christians felt they had won a battle against evil there. My heart goes out to the man, I hope he finds a nice community with some acceptance, we are all just people after all.

[OREGONRAIN]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

I personally cannot wait to move to Lakeland. The more I read about it, the more excited I become.

Rox - that's funny about the morning doves. I know what you mean, I too look for certain signs of the right place, especially when it comes to nature and wildlife.

The thing that encourages me most, is that I see Lakeland following the same path as Asheville, NC - which has morphed into a very cool, hip, tolerant and vibrant place. But 15 years or so ago it was a boarded up, Appalachian mountain town with nothing going for it but pretty scenery. A few artists started the scene with a couple galleries and coffee shops - and voila! This place is absolutely incredible now. And strangely - I was reading a downtown Lakeland article where they want to have a grocery there - and they started mentioning Asheville! Which tells me they are looking to this city as a model. Lakeland is working on getting more people to live downtown, creating more businesses, more festivals, etc.

Anyway, everyone has to find their own special place. As long as me and hubby have to live in Florida, I want a nice town with sense of community and real downtown, and we feel we found that in Lakeland.

Good luck to you all in your search for your own special place.

P.S. ROX - Asheville is an absolute foodie's paradise! (Hope Lakeland will follow suit!)

Lakeland would have to do a whole lot more than get a grocery store and some added restaurants to be another Asheville, It would have to have a huge influx of more tolerant people. Lakeland is an extremely conservative place in a state where people pour in from all over, That should tell everyone something. People pouring in, and remaining so conservative decade after decade translates into a lack of diversity in both Lakeland as well as Polk county and to a larger extent central Florida as a whole. Someone gay moving to that area, and especially from elsewhere could have a very difficult time with comfort in environments like that. I agree Lakeland is nice, I wish it had a more tolerant population, but it is very limited in that dept, and can make life very lonely for a gay person in Polk County Florida

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by OREGONRAIN

Lakeland would have to do a whole lot more than get a grocery store and some added restaurants to be another Asheville, It would have to have a huge influx of more tolerant people. Lakeland is an extremely conservative place in a state where people pour in from all over, That should tell everyone something. People pouring in, and remaining so conservative decade after decade translates into a lack of diversity in both Lakeland as well as Polk county and to a larger extent central Florida as a whole. Someone gay moving to that area, and especially from elsewhere could have a very difficult time with comfort in environments like that. I agree Lakeland is nice, I wish it had a more tolerant population, but it is very limited in that dept, and can make life very lonely for a gay person in Polk County Florida

Do you live there, or have you lived there? I thought you lived in Portland. Asheville was once pretty much the same as this place. Places do change. But hey, I am not going to convince anyone of anything. I love Asheville and I love Lakeland, for different reasons, but I'm sure other people will feel differently for their own different reasons. Everyone needs to see if a place has a "vibe" that jibes with their own.

[OREGONRAIN]

After 9/11 when I was laid off from the airlines very suddenly and needed work fast, I took a job in Lakeland, I lasted 1 year. The homophobia on a job in a employment center of some 3000 people was no atmosphere I wanted to deal with after going thru the lay off. The population in that county is very conservative, and to be quite frank, not to bright or respectful on the subject of gays. I think it is rather strange and rude, to out people on jobs publically, and I did see that at Geico in Lakeland FLa. Like I said I liked the town, it has a very nice downtown, but the population unless it becomes more diversified, is not a welcoming area for a gay person, maybe a gay person that is from there could deal with it, but alot of us would be uncomfortable, and you really can't blame us, it should be more than understandable.

[HockeyMom72]

Originally Posted by Lisa_from_Debary

LGBT
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered

Well it doesn't matter to me what people do...however in an area packed with Fundies, thats not going to be the case.

Witness the City Manager who was fired because they questioned his judgement after he came out about having sexual reassignment surgery...they never questioned his jugdement before...

That was just down the road from Lakeland AND the Christians felt they had won a battle against evil there. My heart goes out to the man, I hope he finds a nice community with some acceptance, we are all just people after all.

I don't think I would want to live in an area packed with Fundies either. It would be very hard to keep my mouth shut if they started spewing their hatred in front of me. I have a lesbian daughter, although she won't be living with us. Mothers don't like it when their children are attacked.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by HockeyMom72

I don't think I would want to live in an area packed with Fundies either. It would be very hard to keep my mouth shut if they started spewing their hatred in front of me. I have a lesbian daughter, although she won't be living with us. Mothers don't like it when their children are attacked.

Some of you are judging a place you haven't even lived or even visited. My sister lives in Appleton, WI - a place that is "lily white" racially speaking and so conservative and church-oriented it makes Lakeland look like a bastion of liberal-ness. She is a lesbian and has many friends and gets along just fine there. My point is, what matters is what type of PERSON one is.

And my last comment on Lakeland is, that there are gay-friendly businesses there, including a major realtor downtown. As I said before, people should not pre-judge any town by comments made by internet posters, a town needs to be visited first-hand and see if the vibe fits. I actually feel that some of you using the label "fundies" in a negative way are just as judgemental as anyone judging anyone else, gay or otherwise.

[HockeyMom72]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Some of you are judging a place you haven't even lived or even visited. My sister lives in Appleton, WI - a place that is "lily white" racially speaking and so conservative and church-oriented it makes Lakeland look like a bastion of liberal-ness. She is a lesbian and has many friends and gets along just fine there. My point is, what matters is what type of PERSON one is.

And my last comment on Lakeland is, that there are gay-friendly businesses there, including a major realtor downtown. As I said before, people should not pre-judge any town by comments made by internet posters, a town needs to be visited first-hand and see if the vibe fits. I actually feel that some of you using the label "fundies" in a negative way are just as judgemental as anyone judging anyone else, gay or otherwise.

I do not go to church. If that was the "hub" of the community, I would not like to live in an area like that either.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by HockeyMom72

I do not go to church. If that was the "hub" of the community, I would not like to live in an area like that either.

HockeyMom72 - you have made it abundantly clear from your other posts on this forum that you love New York and don't want to come to Fla., and don't have much good to say about it. That's fine, I just hope the originator of this thread will filter through some of these overly negative answers on this thread and dig a little deeper to find out if the beautiful city of Lakeland would suit them or not.

In the meantime I hope you find some peace and happiness.