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And my gay hairdresser who is pretty flaming and who always gets loudly chatty with me doesn't seem to be driving the other stylists elderly clients away, although they sure look interested...
I have read all of the aforementioned posts and have to give my two cents worth. I worked hate crimes in Southern CA as a Detective. I have worked with the gay community in several different cities.
You run into problems when males start meeting each other for dates in the local woods where kids play. The locals call these guys creepers because they sneak up and down the hiking paths to meet other guys and then do their 'thing' right in the bushes.
They also meet at the local parks and do the same thing in the restrooms. This is a vice issue and we clamped down pretty hard on them due to the kid factor. Keep your stuff out of other peoples faces and you probably won't have a problem. Advertise it and hang around where kids play and your gonna have a whole bunch of guys like me to answer to.
I know a lot of people in the gay community who are great. They don't run around shoving it in your face. The Pagan aspect is simple. You have the right to worship how and where you want to, as long as it works no ill or harm to your neighbor.
I am a Born Again Christian who believes Jesus Christ died on the Cross to save mankind from all sin. However, I do not run up to everyone I meet and tell them I am a Christian and try to convert them.
I am familiar with this phenomenon, which was prevalent in Buena Vista Park in SF around the time I had an apartment overlooking this park.
But to keep things in perspective, around the same time, white skinheads were also beating the cr*p out of homeless people in that park (that's San Francisco, not CDA).
And FWIW, the only people I ever actually witnessed having sex in the open in that park were heterosexual, or at least engaged in a heterosexual act.
I'm just saying, people hooking up in the bushes is not a "gay" issue.
I'm sure that things like that might be more of an issue in Cali or a much larger city but I'm sure there isnt much of a problem in ID.. I know I have never heard of it around where I live and we have a lot of gays in our area.
I'm not really understanding why others seem to compare ID to CA.. The states seem SOOO very different to me that comparision would be apples to oranges.... So whats that point???
Well I'm glad to hear there aren't a lot of illwill towards people like me and our family.. As I said we are very private about our personal choices but just wanted to feel comfortable somewhere too.
Just what the good folks of Idaho need. More GAY PAGANS moving in. Idaho will absorb you and you will go through a transformation that will change you into a more mainstream lifestyle or you will get fed up and move back to the place that spawned you. The alternative lifestyle folks living in the inland northwest are deluding themselves in thinking that they are being accepted by the locals.
Based on my own experiences, I must respectfully disagree with this viewpoint. I am a male to female transsexual who quit hiding that fact in June, 2006.
Do I encounter challenges and opposition whenever I enter a business dressed entirely in women's clothing? Not at all. In fact, not even once. Do I feel like I am being "absorbed" and "transformed" by the local Christian community? Not at all.
Yes, from time to time I do pick up a hint of a dirty look of disapproval from on lookers. However, at the same time, I have noticed that the people who hand out such looks almost without exception are upper middle class (or higher) staunch church attending Christians who generally disapprove of anyone who is not exactly like they are.
I have noticed one change over the past decade or so. Unlike earlier years, people generally are way more discrete about their religious beliefs and views when in public. In the past, almost every time I went shopping I overheard at least one conversation reflecting one Church or another (usually LDS, sometimes Pentacostal of some sort.)
Thus, IMHO, you can safely live in any larger cities, be whatever you are, and survive quite nicely. The key is to fit in by keeping everything low key in order to fit in with everyone else. BTW-- I live in Twin Falls, home to the newest Idaho LDS Temple.
Based on my own experiences, I must respectfully disagree with this viewpoint. I am a male to female transsexual who quit hiding that fact in June, 2006.
Do I encounter challenges and opposition whenever I enter a business dressed entirely in women's clothing? Not at all. In fact, not even once. Do I feel like I am being "absorbed" and "transformed" by the local Christian community? Not at all.
Yes, from time to time I do pick up a hint of a dirty look of disapproval from on lookers. However, at the same time, I have noticed that the people who hand out such looks almost without exception are upper middle class (or higher) staunch church attending Christians who generally disapprove of anyone who is not exactly like they are.
I have noticed one change over the past decade or so. Unlike earlier years, people generally are way more discrete about their religious beliefs and views when in public. In the past, almost every time I went shopping I overheard at least one conversation reflecting one Church or another (usually LDS, sometimes Pentacostal of some sort.)
Thus, IMHO, you can safely live in any larger cities, be whatever you are, and survive quite nicely. The key is to fit in by keeping everything low key in order to fit in with everyone else. BTW-- I live in Twin Falls, home to the newest Idaho LDS Temple.
Good for you. I met a nice lady selling something on craigslist. She is devout LDS, I am decline to state. Now we are walking buddies. People are just people, and stereotypes are fraught with error.
OK I've posted on here in the past week and now I've come to an issue on another thread so I will throw this out here in ID and see what happens..
I am of a Pagan religion. For those who dont know what that means... I am wiccan, pagan or follow an earth based religion. Basically I am not christian or believe in "God" as many other do. I dont dislike others that are not of my faith. I dont push it on others and I have strong morals. I believe that religion is a very private matter and dont agree with pushing it on others and dont like to debate with others about it.. So please dont try to preach to me... Thats not the point of this thread.
Part of my family that would be moving to ID (if I choose to move there) is gay (male).
How much of an issue will this be for us if we choose to move to ID??? Where would it be best? ...any more open-minded areas or are these issues not a huge problem in ID?
Thanks!!
While I have to agree with some other posters that this is a largely Chrisitan, conservative area. I'd say come to Sandpoint if you come to Idaho.
We moved to Sandpiont some time ago and have had NO PROBLEMS making friends, or with religious harrassment. You won't find a huge Pride parade or public rituals in the park but there are Pagans here, and about the same raito of LGBT folks you find anywhere. I have never observed any homophobia.
I think the pros of living in Sandpoint far outway the cons.
The largely Libertarian sentement (though most folks identify as Republican) means it's very Live and Let live. Plus there are amazing organic farms, nature positive activities and breathtaking scenery everywhere. If you ski or snowboard you would love it here.
It's a little more spendy than other areas of the country, and jobs are not plentiful but are available.
There is art, there is some poetry, there is some music. It is very pro-gun, which I personally like, so you may observe some folks in camoflage attire and see the occasional open carry. And people do hunt, but being a sustainable living farm wife, I also like that.
Welcome to the forum and to C-D, Auntie! Glad you're happily settled in in Sandpoint. One can only hope the OP (original poster) found what they were looking for, but they probably made a decision one way or another--their post was from 2009. But I'm sure there are others who are looking for the same information.
Come on over to the North Idaho Front Porch thread and hang out! (It's open to everyone, not just NID people.)
While this OP happens to still be active on CDF so hopefully they will see your reply, if you are going to post a reply to a 6 year old thread, it's a good idea to look at a person's profile and see if they're still active. Otherwise it's just grave-digging an old thread, which is against our ToS since it's not really productive content at that point.
OK I've posted on here in the past week and now I've come to an issue on another thread so I will throw this out here in ID and see what happens..
{Posting this for research purposes since it's an old thread}
I am of a Pagan religion. For those who dont know what that means... I am wiccan, pagan or follow an earth based religion. Basically I am not christian or believe in "God" as many other do. I dont dislike others that are not of my faith. I dont push it on others and I have strong morals. I believe that religion is a very private matter and dont agree with pushing it on others and dont like to debate with others about it.. So please dont try to preach to me... Thats not the point of this thread.
Part of my family that would be moving to ID (if I choose to move there) is gay (male).
How much of an issue will this be for us if we choose to move to ID??? Where would it be best? ...any more open-minded areas or are these issues not a huge problem in ID?
Thanks!!
(Coeur d'Alene) Idaho native here. Gay too. Raised Catholic but a practicing Pagan now too. Been in Los Angeles a good chunk of my life now but still go back to visit Ol' Mother Idaho on occasion...
First off -- avoid anything east of Boise, save for Ketchum/Sun Valley...but I don't imagine you'd be looking there as it is extremely expensive! Eastern Idaho is heavily LDS and definitely not gay-friendly, or pagan-friendly either, which is bizarre given the polytheist doctrines espoused by the LDS Church.
You would be fine in Boise, Moscow or Coeur d'Alene...basically the western strip of the state. Boise is the state capitol, obviously, and has a large gay community.
I would suggest Moscow or Coeur d'Alene. Moscow is home of University of Idaho and very friendly toward people like yourselves. The down-side to Moscow, however, is the isolation. Coeur d'Alene, however, is more scenic and more conducive to a Pagan spiritual path, in my opinion. Coeur d'Alene has one gay-friendly nightclub downtown on 4th Street (do the research) and a pretty decent-sized LGBT community. There are lots of ex-Californians in Boise and Coeur d'Alene and many are either pro-gay or, at the very least, ambivalent about the topic. Coeur d'Alene also attracts quite a few Seattle transplants and retirees. Plus, Coeur d'Alene is connected to the Spokane Metropolitan region and all that it has to offer the gay community (pride events & such).
I would narrow it down to either Boise or Coeur d'Alene.
Last edited by kttam186290; 04-06-2015 at 04:11 AM..
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Idaho will absorb you and you will go through a transformation that will change you into a more mainstream lifestyle or you will get fed up and move back to the place that spawned you. The alternative lifestyle folks living in the inland northwest are deluding themselves in thinking that they are being accepted by the locals. 
Come to Sandpoint
