[MOforthewin]

MI seems to always lean democrat, but they don't seem to be the fruit loopy types though. Despite being typically a democrat state it doesn't have super anti gun laws and such.

[jakebarnes]

Originally Posted by canudigit

Thank you for voicing what conservatives have been trying to get through to liberals for years. I mean, if we're being fair, this has to apply to both viewpoints, right? Disagreeing with some of your half-baked ideas and values doesn't make conservatives not open minded or accepting, just disagreeing with you. That is allowed.

I live twenty minutes from Ann Arbor and my daughter graduated from U of M Ann Arbor last year. Much of Ann Arbor is tolerant only of others who share their viewpoint and dismiss others as hopelessly out of touch. If you can't see this, you aren't well acquainted with Ann Arbor at all.

This! Why can't people communicate ideas to each other without demonizing them? How we approach political issues could be looked at as an exercise to compromise and look at all the options - instead we get either "you're a commie who doesn't like America" (from the right) or "you're a racist for disagreeing" (from the left). Neither side listens!!

I find that most people on the extreme side are intolerant. I live in Seattle and we have intolerant lefties with idiot ideas. Other places have intolerant conservatives who think that Mexicans stole all their jobs (no buying everything at Walmart stole all your jobs, because those jobs went to China because you wanted to pay less).

On a personal level, the left coast is too liberal for me, but I'm also gay and not really excited about living in states where gays get used as a wedge. I've thought about returning to Michigan but I'm spoiled by being accepted everywhere and not having laws written against me, so I learn to tune out the 20% of far out lefties.

Does anyone know a place where people have opinions but they aren't so doctrinaire about them? I'd love to find it. :-)

[magellan]

Originally Posted by jakebarnes

This! Why can't people communicate ideas to each other without demonizing them? How we approach political issues could be looked at as an exercise to compromise and look at all the options - instead we get either "you're a commie who doesn't like America" (from the right) or "you're a racist for disagreeing" (from the left). Neither side listens!!

I find that most people on the extreme side are intolerant. I live in Seattle and we have intolerant lefties with idiot ideas. Other places have intolerant conservatives who think that Mexicans stole all their jobs (no buying everything at Walmart stole all your jobs, because those jobs went to China because you wanted to pay less).

On a personal level, the left coast is too liberal for me, but I'm also gay and not really excited about living in states where gays get used as a wedge. I've thought about returning to Michigan but I'm spoiled by being accepted everywhere and not having laws written against me, so I learn to tune out the 20% of far out lefties.

Does anyone know a place where people have opinions but they aren't so doctrinaire about them? I'd love to find it. :-)

Grand Rapids, Michigan. It has anti-gay discrimination ordinances for both housing and employment, and generally a really exciting place to be right now with all of the growth going on. But it's not overly liberal like the coasts, still has conservative roots. Doesn't hurt that the job market is one of the best in the country and is surrounded by tons of recreational amenities (like Lake Michigan coastal towns and beaches).

Sorry, had to brag a bit.

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by jakebarnes

On a personal level, the left coast is too liberal for me, but I'm also gay and not really excited about living in states where gays get used as a wedge. I've thought about returning to Michigan but I'm spoiled by being accepted everywhere and not having laws written against me, so I learn to tune out the 20% of far out lefties.

Does anyone know a place where people have opinions but they aren't so doctrinaire about them? I'd love to find it. :-)

What Magellan said. As a gay from Grand Rapids I can say you will feel pretty left alone. Grand Rapids is gaining it's fair share of bat $&%^ crazy leftists, but obviously compared to Seattle the sanity abounds.

[Geo-Aggie]

I'm not gay, so take my two cents for what it's worth, but I have never seen any sort of rift between the LGBT community and the right-leaning population of Southeast Michigan. Overall, I'd say the urban areas of Michigan are rather welcoming to gays. Even the conservative folk I've met from Michigan tend to land somewhere between indifferent to completely accepting of gays. Conservatives here tend to be much more fiscally conservative, while being uninterested to even sympathetic about most social issues.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Geo-Aggie

I'm not gay, so take my two cents for what it's worth, but I have never seen any sort of rift between the LGBT community and the right-leaning population of Southeast Michigan. Overall, I'd say the urban areas of Michigan are rather welcoming to gays. Even the conservative folk I've met from Michigan tend to land somewhere between indifferent to completely accepting of gays. Conservatives here tend to be much more fiscally conservative, while being uninterested to even sympathetic about most social issues.

That's true, even in Lansing the Country Mill cider mill keeps wading into the gay marriage issue (they bar gay couples from marrying at their farm) and most of my "fiscally conservative " family in Lansing think it's petty.

[jakebarnes]

Thanks for the responses, glad to know it's live and let live.

From a distance, I read things like this and get concerned: Federal judge declares Michigan's ban on domestic partner benefits unconstitutional | MLive.com

And I think, why is the legislature actively working against gays? Hopefully that is changing. I didn't think MI was that kind of state. Then I remember that Washington is probably way more liberal than average-- gay marriage actually passed by referendum and in the legislature here.

I'm glad to hear on the ground it is much better. I'll probably end up back there at some point, I'll have to look into GR.

[jakebarnes]

Originally Posted by magellan

Grand Rapids, Michigan. It has anti-gay discrimination ordinances for both housing and employment, and generally a really exciting place to be right now with all of the growth going on. But it's not overly liberal like the coasts, still has conservative roots. Doesn't hurt that the job market is one of the best in the country and is surrounded by tons of recreational amenities (like Lake Michigan coastal towns and beaches).

Sorry, had to brag a bit.

Interesting! I always had the impression of Grand Rapids as being the most conservative city in Michigan. Last time I was there it was DeVos everything! Obviously my ideas are out of date, and I'm glad!

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by jakebarnes

Thanks for the responses, glad to know it's live and let live.

From a distance, I read things like this and get concerned: Federal judge declares Michigan's ban on domestic partner benefits unconstitutional | MLive.com

And I think, why is the legislature actively working against gays? Hopefully that is changing. I didn't think MI was that kind of state. Then I remember that Washington is probably way more liberal than average-- gay marriage actually passed by referendum and in the legislature here.

I'm glad to hear on the ground it is much better. I'll probably end up back there at some point, I'll have to look into GR.

That article is two and a half years old and predates the supreme court decision. The law it is referencing was enacted in 2004 when a whole slew of states were doing it. I don't think there's been any legislation working against gays since 2004. Certainly not since i've been here in 2009, it's all gone the other way. Yeah i'd say your impression needs to be updated.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by jakebarnes

Interesting! I always had the impression of Grand Rapids as being the most conservative city in Michigan. Last time I was there it was DeVos everything! Obviously my ideas are out of date, and I'm glad!

The Devos's have given a ton of money to a lot of downtown projects, because they're billionaires, but they don't necessarily reflect the exact same values of the city residents. Generally the city of GR is pretty left-leaning and the surrounding burbs are fairly conservative. But there has been such a huge influx of residents that it's hard to pin any kind of label on the city now.