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I can't imagine that there are too many places in the USA where anybody cares. Make an effort to fit yourself into the local culture and you should be fine.
There are absolutely plenty of places where people will care a whole lot. Even if they aren't dragging you behind a truck like they used to, there is still an incredible amount of prejudice in small towns and even big cities.
There are absolutely plenty of places where people will care a whole lot. Even if they aren't dragging you behind a truck like they used to, there is still an incredible amount of prejudice in small towns and even big cities.
Depends where you are. The west coast and the east coast are not problems related to this topic. Some States in the Midwest are ok. I don’t know enough about the South to make a judgement. But my guess is this area would be less accepting. Correct me if I am wrong.
In the South, LGBT issues are (in the last three years or so) being discussed in public among conservative Republican politicians, who control everything, largely for the very first time.
Harvey Milk was killed in San Francisco around 1980, and 40 years later, LGBT issues have arrived in the rural South.
Politicians want to be able to openly discriminate (e.g. cutting off funding to libraries until they remove LGBT oriented books, banning books from schools) and have passed laws preserving the right to discriminate against LGBT individuals in the name of religion. But other politicians clearly dislike the discord and want the issue to go away.
Others openly support the right for LGBT individuals to live in dignity. Several cities in Mississippi have passed ordinances declaring the right of LGBT citizens to live in dignity and respect, free from discrimination in their communities.
While it may sound backwards compared to the West Coast and the Northeast, major milestones are being reached. Starkville, Mississippi had four councilmen (2 white, 2 black) try to block a Pride parade three years ago and were opposed by the mayor and two other councilmen who supported the parade. When facing a lawsuit, the opposing councilmen relented and the parade was approved. The parade was held with over 2,000 attendees and was a major success.
Three years later in 2022, local restaurants and businesses in Starkville are happily sponsoring the parade and hosting social events before and after the parade.
Local newspapers are featuring Capitol City Pride leaders in Jackson in front page feature articles. Local papers also doggedly challenged Ridgeland, Mississippi's mayor this year who attempted to blackmail the library into removing LGBT-oriented books.
City council members seemed silently stunned by the mayor's actions and appeared to want the entire issue to just go away. When facing a potential lawsuit, the mayor relented and the library maintained its funding and its independence.
These skirmishes with politicians and open support for LGBT equal rights from local media is a huge advance, as the LGBT issue was simply never spoken aloud in public ever until the last five years or so.
Politicians are learning that they can no longer humiliate the LGBT community with impunity, not only because of lawsuits but also because many politicians, both black Democrats and white Republicans, seem troubled by such open discrimination in 2022. Many of them doubtless have gay family members and are torn between what they are told at church and their own experience in their own families. Other resent the embarrassment created for the state. Either way, it's progress.
I'll just add this for North Carolina, which is probably true elsewhere but here goes.
Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Asheville, Boone, Greenville, and apparently Nags Head (don't ask, I've just "heard", I'm guessing it's more the older/retiree crowd) are at worst, okay places to live if you are LGBTQ. I suppose places like Cullowhee (Western Carolina University), Davidson (Davidson College), Cary, and High Point are probably "okay" at worst as well. Some are better than others, but these are the population centers and/or college towns, which again ties in to the whole "same as every other state" mantra.
Anywhere else in the state not mentioned or not near the mentioned cities, is probably going to be at best, questionable. Sorry for not ranking these but I don't know how to. But anyone familiar with North Carolina should agree that this is a good starting point
Do know they have a drag show in Greensboro!
I assume Greensboro, Raleigh, Durham, Asheville, and Charlotte rank in the top 5. Not sure about Winston-Salem or Willimington they probably would. Like you don't know too much only been in NC little while.
Still some negative viewpoints out there in NC with the LGBTQIA community. Do hope it changes soon.
I think that LGBTQ acceptance plays out along the urban/rural divide in this country, with both religiosity and education being contributing factors. The extent to which rural and smaller towns vs larger cities/urban areas control a state's government also lays the foundation onto which rights play out at the state level.
I'd suspect that any fast growing (especially by domestic migration) city/metro or college town in the country would have a more cosmopolitan culture and would be at least an adequate place to be LGBTQ, especially in comparison to rural/small town areas within that same state.
1. Birmingham (by a mile). The ONLY city in the state with a perfect 100 scorecard from the HRC. Active organization (https://www.centralalabamapride.org/) with an annual Pride celebration and parade, going on 43 years... first festival was held in 1980, the longest in the state. First parade was held in 1989 (amazing YouTube video here: Out in the South -- First Gay Pride March in Birmingham, Alabama (1989). Also the only gay choir in the state (Steel City Mens Chorus). Strong ally in Mayor Randall Woodfin. Home of the Magic City Acceptance Academy, an LGBTQ-affirming charter school that just opened last year. Only openly-gay member of the state house (District 54) lives here in the city. Several neighborhoods with sizeable gay populations (Crestwood, Forest Park, Avondale, 5 Points / Southside). No specific gay nightlife district, although the 4 gay bars / clubs are relatively close to each other in and around Lakeview.
2. Mobile (just guessing here)
3 & 4. Auburn and Tuscaloosa? Mainly for their setting as large college towns.
5. Huntsville? (distant). Only putting it here since it's now the state's largest city. Quick Google search indicates that Rocket City Pride is celebrating its 10th year.
Disclaimer: Fellow Alabamans (or visitors), help me out here. Obviously I'm completely biased and my writeup focuses on the city I live in. I don't really experience LGBT culture in other areas of the state, so I'd love to find out I'm wrong about some of these.
I think you maybe right on this one.One correction there are other gay choirs. The Port City Men's Chorus is a gay choir and has been around longer than the Steel City Men's Chorus.
I think you maybe right on this one.One correction there are other gay choirs. The Port City Men's Chorus is a gay choir and has been around longer than the Steel City Men's Chorus.
thanks PC! i did a quick google search for "mobile alabama gay choir" prior to my post, but of course the word "mobile" does tend to complicate such searches haha. appreciate the correction. i think birmingham and mobile do stand out above other cities in the state.
Does it count really ? Like, I mean, are White Center / Tacoma not just really "near" Seattle and count just for 1 ?
What about the east side, Spokane / Walla Walla / Wenatchee / Yakima ?
(I'm really asking since I don't know WA state at all).
I would be interested to know some answers for Montana and Idaho.
For Montana, probably Missoula and Bozeman, the college towns. Not Billings, it's in oil/natural gas/coal country. Ditto Great Falls, its economy is built around energy and airplane part manufacturing (big ties to the military).
The Kalispell/Whitefish area, home of Glacier National Park, might be the next most tolerant place after the college towns. Richard Spencer moved there, so it's no beacon of progressivism, but most of the articles I see about that focus on local residents' resistance to him. NPR does describe it as a "liberal pocket of northwest Montana" in one such article.
For eastern Washington: Pullman (also home to Washington State U) was the only county east of the Cascades to vote in favor of gay marriage back in 2012, so I'd put it above Spokane. Walla Walla, despite being a town with two universities, I don't think has that same reputation.
As for the western half of the state: outside of the immediate Seattle area the most supportive place is likely Olympia. Lots of gay pride stuff in their downtown (not just flags, but I've seen events advertised).
Eastern Washington as I have pointed out is more fiscally concerned than socially concerned. Put another way, they are against heavy taxation, but have a live and let live attitude on social issues. Somewhat rare in the US, but not so much in the western States.
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