Single Gay Hispanic Professional, where should I live?

[streetcreed]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Actually where I'm living in the East End of the city proper feels much more "progressive" socially than anywhere else I've ever lived, including Northern Virginia, where people like to tout themselves as being "ahead of the curve" while thinly veiling prejudices towards many minority groups, including homosexuals. Don't even get me started on the anti-gay rhetoric and bigotry I endured in my native part of Pennsylvania in the Republican-dominated "T".

Columbus and Toledo are the only two major Ohio cities I haven't visited yet. We had a negative experience as a same-sex couple visiting Cincinnati, and we had similar experiences in Cleveland. I have heard that Columbus is on the progressive side, especially for Ohio, but I believe if anyone in Columbus thinks Pittsburghers are narrow-minded or "outdated" then they honestly haven't been here over the past few years since the city's become trendy on the national radar.

I haven't experienced any sort of prejudice or narrow-mindedness since moving here in 2010. Contariwise I've actually seen same-sex couples holding hands in Oakland and Shadyside. Since I'm the type who stands my ground when feeling threatened I can guarantee if I lived in a place like Uniontown or Ford City I'd be in regular fist-fights if any of the "old school" types in those places gave my partner or I any sort of difficulty.

I have lived in both PIttsburgh and Columbus. I visit pittsburgh, and the LGBT heavy areas, several times a year. Columbus is far ahead of pittsburgh in terms of its LGBT community. Columbus has a larger gay population, in terms of raw numbers, and as a percentage of the city. The entire downtown area, and surrounding neighborhoods, are gay friendly and mixed between gays/straights.

It's not that Pittsburgh is bad or in the stone age. It's just Columbus is one the gayest cities in the US and thus it's like arguing if Orlando or Ft. Lauderdale is more gay, etc. How it got this way is another story, but to assume Columbus is less progressive than Pittsburgh simply because it's in Ohio is very uninformed. Many Pittsburgh transplants agree and I do myself. Columbus is the gayest city not on the coast, bar dallas.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by streetcreed

How it got this way is another story, but to assume Columbus is less progressive than Pittsburgh simply because it's in Ohio is very uninformed.

Where did you glean this from my post? I DO tend to believe that Ohio overall isn't very socially progressive on the LGBT front, especially since we had negative experiences a same-sex couple visiting both Cincinnati and Cleveland; however, we said we have yet to visit Columbus, and I HAVE heard good things about it bucking the socially regressive aura that a good chunk of the rest of Ohio emanates.

[PB&J O'Rourke]

You know SCR, not everyone who leans to the right politically is out to lynch you. Most conservatives I know? We don't care what your orientation is.


Remember who passed DOMA. It didn't happen under a Republican.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Comparing Reston, VA, to Polish Hill or the rest of the East End isn't really fair.

Nor does it match the experience I've had here. I have a lot of gay friends here in the suburbs and they seem to like it quite a bit. This is the first time I've heard about "thinly veiled prejudices" --that doesn't match my observations of the people here. Yes, Reston has only one gay bar (and it's pretty mild in a suburban sorta way, to boot), but doesn't mean make a town unfriendly to gays. Give me a break. It means that the people who live out here--gay and straight--are into suburban living. There are a lot of people who are gay are also people who happen to enjoy living out in the burbs. The type of people who aren't into bars and are happier doing things like mowing their lawn and shopping at Wegmans and hanging out with their neighbors at places like Dunkin' Donuts.

IMO SCR spent a very short time here, and never really got to know the area. I'm sorry he was unhappy, but it was because he resented living in a suburb, rather than a more urban area like the Polish Hill neighborhood. At any rate, I'm glad SCR found a place that's a better fit for him.

[streetcreed]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Where did you glean this from my post? I DO tend to believe that Ohio overall isn't very socially progressive on the LGBT front, especially since we had negative experiences a same-sex couple visiting both Cincinnati and Cleveland; however, we said we have yet to visit Columbus, and I HAVE heard good things about it bucking the socially regressive aura that a good chunk of the rest of Ohio emanates.

Yes what you said above is very true. Columbus is by far one of the most progressive citives in the midwest and very much in Ohio (especially w/ lgbt issues.)

Columbus is kind of a city that doesn't really fit into any of the Ohio's sterotypes. Its while collar, hasn't endured a serious economic downturn, has high growth, lgbt friendly, etc.