Pittsburgh: Gay-friendly? (Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster: job market, neighborhoods, live)

[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?

[PacoMartin]

Perhaps this question is naive, but what mid sized city in North America is not gay friendly? It seems as if most cities have a gay district. Even in Mexico there is a gay district in every city (although some of them are fairly subdued).

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

Perhaps this question is naive, but what mid sized city in North America is not gay friendly?

Most cities in Michigan are rather conservative.

[SteelCityRising]

My partner and I moved here from the suburbs of Lancaster and Scranton, respectively. Both of these cities are smaller and are more socially conservative in nature. Given that vignette we may be somewhat biased in our feeling that Pittsburgh is extremely LGBT-friendly. We also reside in the East End, which, inarguably, has the densest concentration of socially liberal people in the city. Even in my neighoborhood, which, from my understanding, was aging terribly and dying an agonizing death as recently as the mid-2000s, there are quite a few LGBT individuals and couples. I see rainbow flags and Human Rights Campaign bumper stickers regularly.

Some of the neighborhoods that seem to have the city's densest LGBT concentrations would be (in no particular order): Shadyside, Friendship, Squirrel Hill, the Mexican War Streets (North Side), Regent Square, Polish Hill, Lawreceville, Bloomfield, Mt. Washington, and Highland Park. Shadyside has two LGBT-oriented business establishments right near each other on Ellsworth Avenue---SPIN and 5801. Polish Hill has Donnie's Place. There are places in Lower Lawrenceville and the Strip District, also, which include Lucky's, Cruze, Cattivo, and Brewers. There are also a few LGBT-oriented establishments Downtown. I'm not aware of any in other parts of the city---North Side, South Side, or the West End---but I personally don't see that as being an issue of those areas being any less LGBT-tolerant or LGBT-friendly.

My partner and I are on the masculine side and choose not to attend pride parades or wear our sexuality on our sleeves. With that being said I am open and honest about my orientation whenever I'm asked in social or professional settings, and I have never had any apprehensions about being myself here. I think nationwide people are relaxing their animosity towards the LGBT community as they see with each passing year that we're no threat to their own way of life. Recent studies even show that a slight majority of Americans favor not only same-sex civil unions but also same-sex marriage. I'm still ashamed that Pennsylvania has legalized neither while the more "progressive" surrounding states (i.e. Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and New England) have, but I'm optimistic same-sex marriage will be legalized in PA, too, during my lifetime.

I'm sure if you were holding hands with your partner while walking down a main drag in an outlying place such as New Bethlehem, Vandergrift, or Point Marion you may garner some glares and/or comments, but at least for the immediate Pittsburgh Metro Area most people don't care about your sexual orientation.

[Geeo]

You won't have problems in Pittsburgh. The city, like most of the country, now realizes that it needs to attract a lot of talented people to be successful. It has never been an issue for me.

Now, as far as a career in journalism or TV broadcasting, that's a different story. It's always been tough for anybody, gay or straight, and that's not going to change. You may need to start out in a small market for no pay before you get hired in a larger market like Pittsburgh. People, especially in TV, move around the country a lot to bigger markets, so it's kind of like a circuit.

[bradjl2009]

I chose somewhat. The city is fairly tolerant but its not like that amongst everyone especially older people and the hicks who live out of Allegheny County. (Obviously I'm not trying to say everyone outside of the main county is a hock but there is a very different feel outside of the county and exburbs)

[UKyank]

As per my gay friend whom I'm having brunch with 'apart for some ignorant comments (and nothing more then comments) from some white trash out in the country & some black trash in the city, pittsburgh & the surrounding counties is one of the most tolerant places I've lived." Went on to note that it's refreshing that gay tolerance isn't really even an applicable description, more that people here don't even really acknowledge you're gay & just treat you like everyone else & as a result there's not really a close knit gay culture present because it was never needed.
Note, some outsiders find that part (no specific imbedded gay scene so to speak) unappealing.

[Hopes]

Define "older people." I'm pushing 50. My husband is pushing 60. People our ages are tollerant. We could not care less what anyone does. We're the last part of the hippie generation (hubby was 11 in '65 and I was 2 in '65), which means people older than us are also open minded. You've got to get well into the 70s and 80s to find old fashioned closed minded intollerance in white suburbia. When you think about it, the 75 year olds were 18 in 1955. That was a very conservative time in history. But 65 year olds were 18 in 1965 which was a much more liberal time. The majority of people under 70 are tollerant. And, seriously, does anyone really care what a 75 year old thinks of them?

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Define "older people." I'm pushing 50. My husband is pushing 60. People our ages are tollerant. We could not care less what anyone does. We're the last part of the hippie generation (hubby was 11 in '65 and I was 2 in '65), which means people older than us are also open minded. You've got to get well into the 70s and 80s to find old fashioned closed minded intollerance in white suburbia. When you think about it, the 75 year olds were 18 in 1955. That was a very conservative time in history. But 65 year olds were 18 in 1965 which was a much more liberal time. The majority of people under 70 are tollerant. And, seriously, does anyone really care what a 75 year old thinks of them?

I was talking about people 70+. I didn't tell the OP to care what people think about him, just who may give some slack about the issue.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

I was talking about people 70+. I didn't tell the OP to care what people think about him, just who may give some slack about the issue.

I thought it was important to clarify. I'm at an age where some might consider me old. When you say that older people are intollerant, someone might misinterpret that to be anyone over 30 is intollerant. When I was 18, I thought 35 was OLD. Since old subjective, it's best to be specific.