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I am a young gay black man planning on leaving Columbus, Ohio within the next two years. I will be graduating from business school and hope to live in a more moderate climate with the amazing growth and job oppurtunities I have heard are available in The Triangle. I am very concerned though, that due to the BIble Belt location and the overall Southern conservative attitude, I may face discrimination in both the workplace and social settings. What do you Carolina natives and transplants think? The last thing I would want is to feel uncomfortable or unwelcomed in my new home. I am also looking into Denver and Portland to give a sense of what I'm looking for.
Work climate would vary depending upon the industry/corporate culture you go into. But I'd imagine just about any place where highly educated people work, you're going to find a more open atmosphere.
As far as the local community, it also varies. The rural and suburban outlying areas are mostly traditional family-oriented places that often follow the expectations of the South & Bible Belt. I tend to not go to those parts, personally.
The cities are quite another story....if you're in the urban cores/downtowns of Raleigh, Durham, or ChapelHill/Carrboro, the population is very open and welcoming. All three of those cities have pretty significant gay populations and are very diverse ethnically, too.
If you'd like some info on specific "friendly" neighborhoods, feel free to send a Private Message and I'll relay some details.
....if you're in the urban cores/downtowns of Raleigh, Durham, or ChapelHill/Carrboro, the population is very open and welcoming. All three of those cities have pretty significant gay populations and are very diverse ethnically, too.
RaleighRob is the 'go-to' guy for NC questions, but according to what I've read and been told, this is a wonderful area for a person to live.
There was just a Gay Pride Parade in September and this quote is from an article in the Herald Sun, "Hayes described the Triangle as having a "remarkably upbeat and positive" attitude toward gays and lesbians, making them feel safe, happy and proud to be here."
I'll PM you the link OHIOAN007.
Sounds like a nice place to me! Best of luck with your plans!
Thank you all so much you all have realy cleared up some of my misconceptions. The Triangle sounds like a great place to live. Now, the only thing scaring me away from North Carolina is the excessive humidity and BUGS
The mayor of Chapel Hill's twin city, Carrboro, is a popular openly gay man who has been reelected over and over again. Durham and CHapel Hill offer domestic partnership benefits to same-sex couples. The city of Carrboro has often placed gay pride flags on telephone polls during Gay Pride month and hosts a vibrant gay festival.
Raleigh-Durham is very Mid-Atlantic in culture, a small version of its big city neighbor to the North, DC. Of course, the further you go from the urban cores, the more conservative and Southern the culture becomes.
Work climate would vary depending upon the industry/corporate culture you go into. But I'd imagine just about any place where highly educated people work, you're going to find a more open atmosphere.
As far as the local community, it also varies. The rural and suburban outlying areas are mostly traditional family-oriented places that often follow the expectations of the South & Bible Belt. I tend to not go to those parts, personally.
The cities are quite another story....if you're in the urban cores/downtowns of Raleigh, Durham, or ChapelHill/Carrboro, the population is very open and welcoming. All three of those cities have pretty significant gay populations and are very diverse ethnically, too.
If you'd like some info on specific "friendly" neighborhoods, feel free to send a Private Message and I'll relay some details.
"I tend not to go to those parts"
Whats that mean? That statement sounds kind of close minded! Kind of strange when we are talking about places with open minded people....
Anyways, I'm not gay, but most "hicks" or "rednecks" as ya'll like to call them, could not care less about your sexual preferences. lol
Hollywood does not do a really good job of portraying the south. At least NC. People don't act like that. There are always one or two exceptions, but are you telling me there are not people like that from NY or Calli? lol, yeah right.
My cousin is gay, and she lives in "those parts" her entire life. She is open and a very popular person.
What I've found is people, specifically in the Raleigh and Charlotte areas (where I live), respect one another if they get to know each other more on a personal level, weather it be gay, stright, christain, or whatever. I am a very devout christian and had a very good friend of mine I worked with who was gay. She and I clearly didn't agree on everything, but we loved one another to death, had many other things we had in common, and respected each other. Tolerance works both ways. That's not to say you don't have very rude, hateful "christians" around. They exisit. But you have some in the gay community who can be the same way if you don't agree with them. Both sides are wrong. Just be yourself without being preachy or carrying a chip on your shoulder (as I try each day to do), and you should do fine. Good luck in your search!!!
Hollywood does not do a really good job of portraying the south.
Geez, that's the truth! A lady I know in Alabama was told by someone, "Hey you're intelligent! I thought 'Southerner" meant "card-carrying idiot." Can you imagine?
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and BUGS 
