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Also? Not everyone in Durham, Orange, and Wake is a transplant.
I never said they were....I know they are not. I will admit that the more rural areas of NC are more conservative by voting percentage....the entire state is rather progressive..and certainly in urban areas.
OK, not to disparage North Carolina's genuine progressive legacy, and I realize I'm getting a little off-topic here, but I feel obligated to point out that 61% of the state voted for a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage.
I believe North Carolina holds the distinction of being the last state to have a ballot initiative against same-sex marriage or civil unions pass. I think if we could have held out another year or so w/o putting that on the ballot the outcome might have been different. The tide is finally turning. FTR, that bastion of liberalism Oregon voted in favor of banning same sex marriage in 2004. And of course we should all remember Prop 8 in California which passed by 61% before being struck down in the courts.
Certainly North Carolina has a strong history on both sides of the political fence with some serious mud-slinging elections as anyone who was here during the Hunt vs Helms and Gantt vs Helms years can attest. I just objected to the characterization of North Carolina becoming more progressive because transplants have brought their "northern thinking" to the state. I've seen the opposite with Tedesco et al.
I never said they were....I know they are not. I will admit that the more rural areas of NC are more conservative by voting percentage....the entire state is rather progressive..and certainly in urban areas.
Not sure what your point is here to be honest.
I was agreeing with you.
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I believe North Carolina holds the distinction of being the last state to have a ballot initiative against same-sex marriage or civil unions pass. I think if we could have held out another year or so w/o putting that on the ballot the outcome might have been different. The tide is finally turning. FTR, that bastion of liberalism Oregon voted in favor of banning same sex marriage in 2004. And of course we should all remember Prop 8 in California which passed by 61% before being struck down in the courts.
Certainly North Carolina has a strong history on both sides of the political fence with some serious mud-slinging elections as anyone who was here during the Hunt vs Helms and Gantt vs Helms years can attest. I just objected to the characterization of North Carolina becoming more progressive because transplants have brought their "northern thinking" to the state. I've seen the opposite with Tedesco et al.
Good points all around. I wouldn't argue with any of that, I just wanted to point out that it's not unthinkably outrageous for someone who's not from here to think that the south in general, or NC in particular, is a conservative place.
I'm not so familiar with FV or FVHS, but I would like to say to you, to try not to be too nervous or worried.
I believe that people are much more open minded about people who are LGBT people these days and therefore are also raising their children to accept everyone regardless of their sexual orientation and race, etc.
As a parent of a high school student, my view is this: Teens seem to be more than welcoming and less judgmental these days as far as that goes.. It's just every day life and people are who they are- straight, LGBT, etc .. At least that is how I see it. Trust, honesty, friendship and things in common seem to be much more important with teen's friend's then their sexual orientation.
There are many teens coming out and many who have already been out, out here.
I don't think you will be alone as far as friends go.
Your #1 go to person will be your Grandma who is already cool with it, so that is a big plus. That with some of the links the above posters had mentioned should be extremely helpful for you with your move.
Good points all around. I wouldn't argue with any of that, I just wanted to point out that it's not unthinkably outrageous for someone who's not from here to think that the south in general, or NC in particular, is a conservative place.
Right, and I, who first challenged that person, will agree that in general, the South is more socially conservative than many places in the North, largely because Southern" culture is rooted in rural, religious traditions and "Northern" culture is more urban-based. But that does not mean that you should equate "Southern" with "conservative" nor "Northern" with "progressive", which is pretty much what the preivous poster was doing.
As for Amendment One, over 50% of the state in polls believed that GLBT people should be allowed to have legal civil unions, when polled in that way. The timing of the vote on Amendment One--in a low-turnout Primary--and the ads that were very misleading, implying that without A1, same-sex marriage would instantly become legal in NC (in fact marriage was already defined as man+woman by statute), and the amount of Right-wing money funneled from out of state in favor of the Amendment while nationwide Gay groups largely ignored NC--using that same line of thinking that "It's the South, it's a lost cause" (gee thanks)--plus the number of conservative churches holding massive voter registration/drive to the polls driuves while there are not really similar "gathering places" for progressives that hold the sway over their members' voting than churches, especially in rural areas (which largely define the counties that passed it) show how unreliable that "61%" is. It does NOT mean 61% of the people of NC are antigay.
If the OP were moving into a really rural area in Randolph or Pender county, I would say to use more caution, but the very fact that F-V has a GSA at its high school shows that he would certainly not stand out in that town, let alone Wake county or the Triangle as a whole.
I also forgot to mention P-FLAG, which OP and his grandmother may wish to attend together, or she may wish to contact before his arrival.
OK, not to disparage North Carolina's genuine progressive legacy, and I realize I'm getting a little off-topic here, but I feel obligated to point out that 61% of the state voted for a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage. Those weren't all transplants from the north. If you look at a map of where gay marriage is legal, and where it is explicitly prohibited by law, you'll get an idea of where people might get the notion that the south is less progressive than some other parts of the country.
Putting that vote into context, it was passed during a contested Republican primary election. Alas, it's water under the bridge now.
I suspect that the OP is now enrolled in school in a state that has SSM equality. As for any concerns about gay youth in Wake County public schools, I'd suspect that there is more to worry about from the parents of the kids than the kids themselves. This is following the same pattern as the 60s when schools were being integrated. Most of the hate was coming from the parents.
You should be fine in F-V. The old, backwards conservatives and dying out, and new younger generations are more reasonable and tolerant.
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