gay/democratic (Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks: fit in, crimes, construction)

[gagaswifey]

hi i am a lesbian and i just love the look of north dakota i am more of a country girl and less of the LA lesbian as is my wife. but i dont want to live/move somewhere we will not fit in. so how gay friendly is it? i dont need it to be gay pride everywhere but i dont want people always giving us mean looks or saying things. we just want to have kids someday and fit in. so what towns are more democratic?

[come_back_kid]

I lived in N.D. around 20 years ago. At that time the state was pretty conservative. I don't recall ever hearing of any serious crimes commited against anyone because of their sexual orientation though, if that's what you mean. If you are looking for more like minded people such as yourself, perhaps Fargo would be your first choice simply because of it's larger population.
I think as long as you don't pull a Rosie O'Donnell and cram your lifestyle down peoples throats and tell them to deal with it or call people homophobes because they don't agree with your lifestyle, you should have no problem fitting in no matter where you relocate. Fargo, Bismarck, Minot all have gay people. I'm sure in a smaller town you and your partner would be the subject of much gossip but I doubt anybody would get up in your face about it. Just let people get to know you as a person before letting the cat out of the bag.

[dutchinnd]

It probably would depend on your work/living environment as well. Even in Fargo, which has been mentioned as more progressive, there would be a huge difference between working in construction vs. working in academia or living near downtown (say legislative district 21) vs living in the gated developments on the SW side (districts 41 & 46).

[lisan23]

I have found that the western part of the state (where I live) is fairly tolerant. They just don't seem to care about your sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or political affiliation. I'm agnostic and liberal, most people I'm friends with don't care.

[Kamsack]

Grand Forks is usually termed the most liberal town in North Dakota politically wise due to UND and other influences. We have a lesbian couple who live down the street from us and I live in a smaller community across the river in East Grand Forks MN. One is a Grand Forks police officer. There have never been any issues in the 8 years they have lived there. People around here tend to keep to themselves often and wont have any issues.

--Dan

[Tundra dweller]

Fargo has a Pride parade every year, and a lot of events. The population tends to be well educated and tolerant. I know some people who like to watch the parade. FM Pride

Of course there are bad apples everywhere. Grand Forks is probably about the same attitude, it's a little smaller though.