Pittsburgh: Gay-friendly?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by jay5835

I'm nothing like that. One of my best friends (10 years+) is straight, and someone I've met in person from this forum is a new straight friend. I don't think of either of them as straight, though. They're just my friends.

That's great! I met my gay friends through a straight friend. They told him not to tell me. They said I wouldn't understand, I'd judge, and I'd stop being his friend. His gut instinct was right about me. OMG, it was hillarious how different they were around me when I knew! It's like they let their hair down and were themselves. Honestly, I was clueless prior to being told. I had no idea.

Originally Posted by sskink

I'm thinking it's the boldface part. How often have you hit on someone of the opposite sex you just met, they declined the offer, yet you wanted to stay friends. Doesn't happen that often in the hetero world either.

I was thinking it was more likely they were embarrassed. My son is embarrased if a girl turns him down. It takes a lot of courage to show interest in someone.

Originally Posted by sskink

Funny thing, even as a straight, when I was younger, I used to be offended when I didn't get hit on by gays but my friends did. "Hey, what does he have I don't!" Wasn't sure if it was the balding pate, the paunch, my breath or what

Funny! My son wishes girls gave him the same attention!

[luabear]

There aren't a whole lot of rainbow flags waving, but I have a ton of gay and lesbian friends and I have never heard a single complaint about discrimination. There are several gay couples in my neighborhood and I've never heard a word about it. This indicates to me that gay people are treated like everyone else, which, to me, is gay friendly.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by luabear

This indicates to me that gay people are treated like everyone else, which, to me, is gay friendly.

^ This. I appreciate not getting the same "deer in headlights" glares here when I said my partner and I would be on the same check for our restaurant bill as we did when we recently vacationed in Cincinnati. I don't want everyone to be forced to attend a same-sex wedding ceremony. I don't want everyone to have to feel as if they need to alter their own personal religious convictions to accommodate my sexual orientation, which, although inherent to me, is repulsive to social conservatives. I don't even want to seduce every straight man (just the hot ones, like BrianTH, of course).

I don't wear a tiara and leather chaps in public. I'm not unlike any other 20-something young professional (albeit I am inarguably much more verbose). My goal is to live somewhere where people will look at me as a male instead of a "gay male". Thus far Pittsburgh has satisfied that request for me, and I'm very grateful for that.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I don't wear a tiara and leather chaps in public.

I hope not at the same time in private! They would totally clash!

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I was thinking it was more likely they were embarrassed. My son is embarrased if a girl turns him down. It takes a lot of courage to show interest in someone.

Agreed. I'm usually very extraverted, confident, and outgoing and am the one who will be more inclined to ask others out instead of waiting around to be asked out (I'd be waiting a very long time!). With that being said I'm surprised gay guys ask your son out so frequently. Perhaps it was because I grew up in a very socially conservative area, but if I made a pass at a guy anywhere but at one of our few gay bars I could just about guarantee you I'd have a black eye the next morning. I wouldn't hesitate to strike up an interesting conversation with and offer to buy a drink for someone who intrigued me at a place like 5801, Spin, or Cruze; however, if I was at a popular bar where there is a heavy mixture of all sexual orientations I wouldn't be nearly so brazen.

Does your son hang out at a lot of gay bars? (Not that there's anything bizarre about that, as the boyfriends of some of my straight female friends are often at 5801). If not then your ability to raise a child who is so tolerant of differences in others should be widely applauded. I've been hit on by girls in the past, and I feel no sense of awkwardness. If I were straight I'd feel flattered---not offended---if another guy hit on me (after all, most guys tend to be shallower than females). I don't know why some straight guys would be so revolted at the thought that being hit on by another guy means that their masculinity is being threatened or something.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by WestVirginian12

How tolerant is Pittsburgh towards gay people? What does Pittsburgh offer that makes it gay-friendly?

How is the job market in Journalism and TV Broadcasting?

Compared to West Virginia it will be a completely different world.


I say that as a man who grew up in WV, still considers it a beloved home in many respects, but if my 9 month old daughter were to someday tell my wife and I that she were gay our trips to see my family there would become rare indeed....at least until the state catches up to where Pittsburgh is in terms of becoming aclimated to the presence of homosexuals in their respective communities.

I'd like to tell everyone here that its merely the older generation, but I still have acquaintances who are younger than I am that think stereotypical jokes about black people are funny, and are so brazen as to recite them in public so you can see that its going to take a while.

You may find some of this behavior in Pittsburgh, but it is far and away the exception. If you live within the city limits or even the suburbs it is unlikely that you will ever have anyone gawk or talk amongst themselves at the site of you being the least bit affectionate in public with your significant other. That I have observed or heard of it just doesn't happen.

[Hopes]

No gay bars. I'm sure he'd go to one if invited. I don't know why it happens. Maybe he sends of vibes. He's tall and thin with broad shoulders, an intelligent gentle person but totally capable of defending himself. Maybe he's just comfortable around gay people because of growing up visiting my friends with me.

It's not like it happens everyday. Maybe a few times a year. One even did it when he was with me. (He was a trip. He had me laughing so hard.) Sometimes when he was killing time on a sidewalk before he headed to catch a bus. In dormatory type housing. I can't remember them all. The common theme is that he had no clue, didn't even realize they were gay, except for the one who was hitting on him while he was shopping with me.

[Copanut]

Gays, AAs, Asians, Mexicans, Big Dumb White Guys; I don't care who moves into my neighborhood, just cut your grass!

But no stinkin' Amish.

[thebigproject]

I would say "yes".
Pittsburghers are a hard-working/don't put up with BS/non-pretentious group. As such, they definitely expect people to be genuine and authentic. I think that's why they really don't care if someone is gay... they respect the honesty and realize that (for some people) it's not an easy admission. Pittsburghers are also pretty friendly and inherently helpful by nature. No doubt that is part of it as well. Having said all this-- once you stray beyond the city and inner suburbs, you get into the more 'hickish' parts of the county; Attitudes change vastly. However, it's not just attitudes towards gay people. They refuse to embrace societal evolution as a general rule. Of course, this is just my opinion based upon observation, and is subject to complete and total disagreement by others. Also, I've lived in Mt Lebanon for 15 years, and like another commenter speculated, it is a very friendly place.

[sskink]

Originally Posted by thebigproject

I would say "yes".
Pittsburghers are a hard-working/don't put up with BS/non-pretentious group. As such, they definitely expect people to be genuine and authentic.

Exactly.
IMO, for the most part, Pittsburgh doesn't care if you're gay. But regardless of your orientation, if you're older than 15 and buy your clothes at Abercrombie & Fitch, you're just not trying to fit in here.