how is Nashville for gay people? (Memphis, Hendersonville: transplants, apartment complexes, house)

[keithplya9]

so, im thinking bout moving to Nashville. Ive heard good things about the city. The only thing is, I know its in the south, and i know its a super religious city and its kind of the country music mothership....all of which make me fear that it might be a hostile place for gay people

so, im not flaming, nor am I looking for a pride parade or anything, but I am out. And I want to live somewhere where people are cool with it and employers wont care and stuff.

How is Nashville? Should I be worried?

[nashvols]

I'm not gay, so I can't speak personally what the experience is like for a gay person, but my thought is no, you should not be "worried."

Nashville isn't overly gay friendly, but I don't think it is hostile towards gays, either. Like a lot of cities, the in town neighborhoods have a number of gay enclaves. The city itself is probably where you want to look, though I would say you're probably not going to encounter outright hostility in the suburbs.

If you want to live somewhere where people are "cool with it," look at East Nashville. There are other hoods that would be perfectly fine as well.

Come and visit and see if you like the vibe. No one's going to beat you over the head with a cross.

[eastmemphisguy]

Are you looking to date? If so, that could be a challenge. I'm gay in Memphis, and that's what I find to be the biggest hurdle. Contrary to stereotype, Southerners are leery of confrontation. Nobody is going to harass you if that is your concern, but there's not going to be the institutionalized community of gay social groups that you'd find in Atlanta.

[Edgefield D]

I'm gay and 45 years old. I've lived in Nashville since 1994. It's fine for gay people...especially in any of the urban neighborhoods...but my partner and I even lived in Goodlettsville for 5 years (about 15 miles north of Nashville in what I consider, the sticks)but we now live in East Nashville. I've never once had anyone make a comment to us or look at us funny. We are not obviously gay (I don't think) but we don't go out of our way to hide it either. We have a large group of friends, some gay, some straight...none of them have ever made a negative comment towards us. At this point in life, I don't worry about it. I think the job thing will depend more on where you work than the fact it is in Nashville. I sometimes feel like I get extra points for being gay (where I currently work). There are a lot of creative types of people and transplants in Nashville...so I feel like most people are pretty live and let live....again, especially in the urban core. I'm sure there are people out there that have had bad experiences...but I haven't had that. As far as dating (eastmemphisguy)....my partner and I have been together for 11 1/2 years...so I don't know how that is these days. But, we met at a bar (of all places). You just never know where you might meet people. Nashville is not as big as Atlanta...but for a southern city, it's pretty progressive. It sounds like you will be fine. Oh...and religion and country music are only parts of Nashville. I don't go to church and I don't like commercial country music....and that has no negative affect on my life whatsoever. I would say, visit and see if you like the city and don't worry about the gay thing.

[keithplya9]

thanks Edgefield! questions for you, like when you talk about the "urban and cultural" parts of Nashville. What are good areas to live in? Like is there any good neighborhoods that have apartments and are close to any good cafes and have a good vibe about them? Also, im 23... so like where are the young people in Nashville living?

[Edgefield D]

When I say "urban"....I mean, East Nashville, Germantown, the Gulch, Hillsboro, 12south, Sylvan Park, even Green Hills. Gay people would live in any of these areas and feel comfortable. They all have a little bit of a different vibe, so it depends more on what you are looking for. There are new apartments in Germantown and the Gulch...if you want something like that. East Nashville doesn't have apartment complexes...there are some smaller old apartment buildings or garage apartments or maybe a part of a house that could be rented. The area around 5 Points in East Nashville, Germantown, the Gulch, Hillsboro Village, 12south...those are going to have more walkable areas with shops, bars, restaurants. I'm sure that people your age live in any of these areas...but it just depends on what you are looking for.

[snowchaser2002]

I am gay as well and have gay friends that live in Nashville...Just because there is this stereotype that all southern cities are "religous' does not mean it's not gay friendly... hell I went out and partied all night in the gay bars and then the next morning went to a gay church..Yes they do exist! Like other posters have pointed out there are no gay neirghborhoods like SF and Atlanta,Nashville from what I have seen is somewhat gay friendly!

[ariesjow]

Nashville isn't a gay mecca, but it's pretty welcoming to gay and lesbian people for a Southern metro of only 1.6 million. Of course, whether it contains everything you want in a gay community depends on your expectations and what you are used to. My partner and I never have any problems here and we don't live in one of the trendiest urban areas either (we're in the White Bridge area). However, we do spend the vast majority of our free time in and around most of the neighborhoods Edgefield D pointed out.

We're both 31 and at the stage where bar crawls every few weeks no longer interest us, but there are lots of college aged people and young professionals here. I can't speak to the dating scene since I've been in relationship for almost 8 years now, but I suspect it would probably depend on the kind of activities you enjoy in your free time. No real "gayborhoods" here, but there's a decent gay business district along Church Street in Midtown. It has a handful of different type of gay bars, clubs and restaurants, but there are other gay and gay-friendly places throughout the city in other areas like East Nashville. OutCentral, the LGBT cultural center, is also on Church Street. It's a good resource for various types of community activities, group meetings, etc. There Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce is also pretty active and there's some gay professional groups and networks as well as popular gay sports leagues like softball and rugby. Out and About is the local gay and lesbian newspaper if you want a feel for what's going on the community here.

Definitely visit and determine for yourself whether it will work for you. Best of luck!

[vivelafrance]

If you can, check out the Nashville season of "girls who like boys who like boys." Although there's a lot of fake reality TV drama. You do also get to see how these guys live in Nashville and how normal it is overall. Not all of them lived in the top "gay-friendly" neighborhoods either. One lived in Hendersonville and one in Brentwood, I believe.

[RJS5689]

While I don't have much to contribute to this discussion, it's one I find very interesting. My partner and I (both mid 20s) visited Nashville recently and I fell in love with the city. We're both born and raised New Yorkers, but I've recently been thinking about a move to Nashville. Of course one of my biggest concerns is being gay in the south. I'm not overly gay at all (in fact, most people can't tell unless I've told them) but it's still an issue I'm not familiar with coming from the Northeast where everyone is pretty gay friendly. However, the biggest hurdle is going to be convincing my partner to move which, unfortunately, is not something he's interested in doing. Unfortunately we didn't visit any of the gay bars in Nashville as our stay was limited, but I definitely plan to come back and visit soon!