Does San Antonio have a lesbian community? (universities, salary)

[SanAntoQT]

Originally Posted by Chakapu

I don't think LA is as much 'live and let live" as one might expect. Though there's the appearance of open-mindedness, LA has its own very strict society norms. They may not reflect Victorian England, but there are certain expectations about how one should act that I find obnoxious. If anything, San Antonio has a much more 'live and let live" attitude - no pressure to put on airs, no pressure to be a size 2 with plastic boobs, no pressure to drive an SUV, yada yada.

Thank you!

[hello13685]

Yes, as I said, my negativity colors my judgment just as much as Texas pride would/does. I'm glad that there are people out there who hold hands regardless of what others think. My gay roommate has shared with me his "weird looks at the mall" experiences, so I'm glad that there are people who fight it. But why choose to live where you have to have your defenses up? (Ha, funny question from me, someone who lives somewhere that I'm unhappy, right?) Anyway, keep holding hands and being yourselves, no matter who you are.

[SanAntoQT]

Originally Posted by hello13685

But why choose to live where you have to have your defenses up? (Ha, funny question from me, someone who lives somewhere that I'm unhappy, right?) Anyway, keep holding hands and being yourselves, no matter who you are.

There is no reason to keep defenses up, unless a physical threat is imminent. Whatever others think is on them. People will have an opinion whether you're gay, straight, ambi, black, white, brown, or whatever.

Maybe that's your problem...always guarded. But, hey, if that works for you, have at it.

[JuneOf48]

Originally Posted by hello13685

I'm sorry, but the degree to which fundamemtalist Christian religious sects pervade a culture has everything to do with how welcome many lesbians would feel, as those sects are outspoken in their disapprobation of gays and lesbians. Just stating the facts here. I thought that the poster would like to know that there are fundamentalist churches more frequently and conveiently located than drugstores. This is the South, people. The administration at UTSA is well-networked in church and they deny tenure to every gay faculty member they can identify. These scandals have been in the network news (big one in 2004).

Also to the OP, you ask for affordable housing, lesbians, and libraries. I think you would find those here. I was just trying to warn you about other things you'd get along with those--things that you did not ask for. I don't think that you'd encounter any safety issues, so that's good.

As I've mentioned before, I work at UTSA, and when I heard Hello relate these "scandals" in an earlier post, I approached both the chair of my department and an openly gay professor to ask what happened. Neither of them had any idea what Hello was referring to. Perhaps one case of a person who was denied tenure for multiple reasons? Either way, I asked the experts--one of whom is a native, and one of whom has been at UTSA for over 20 years--and they couldn't corroborate the assertions. I also know a couple of the administrators personally, and they are anything but vicious homophobes.

And I don't think that I've met a single Bible-thumper in the entire city! I teach large introductory classes, filled with local youth, and we discuss evolution and same-sex marriage and so many other contentious topics. I have NEVER had an issue with hyper-conservative native San Antonians. I'm sure that they're out there--they're everywhere!--but I have yet to run into them on a daily level, in HEB or anywhere else.

To the OP: Also check out the Tobin Hill neighborhood. I'm buying a house there now, and my neighbor is a lesbian, as is a woman on the other side of the block. A house I looked at in Alta Vista had lesbians on both sides. There are gay folk everywhere--everyone knows it, and no one cares. (Oh yeah, now that I think of it, I have a lesbian couple living below me on the second floor of the house that I rent, in Monte Vista.)

[furtivefeline]

San Antonio has a much larger gay community than most sheltered adults realize. The gay community here is quite fun and full of laughter and seem to run many of the most fun and properous restaurants and clubs here (whether or not most people realize it). Many gay owned and freindly businesses reside around Main St. Pettycoat Junction is known to be a lesbian bar. Acenar, Rosario's & China-Latina, I believe are lesbian owned restaurants / bars / danceclubish type businesses. Perhaps a gay website would know much more than I about San Antonio gay scene. I have many, many gay friends and they all absolutely love living here.

[Chakapu]

Originally Posted by hello13685

Yes, as I said, my negativity colors my judgment just as much as Texas pride would/does.

Just for the record, I have NO "Texas pride" (unless you count the Spurs) and oddly enough, I still enjoy living in San Antonio.

Originally Posted by hello13685

I'm glad that there are people out there who hold hands regardless of what others think. My gay roommate has shared with me his "weird looks at the mall" experiences, so I'm glad that there are people who fight it. But why choose to live where you have to have your defenses up?

Given how many gay and lesbian people I know in SA, I hardly think it's a place one needs to keep their defenses up. Not that 100% of the people here will be accepting of it, and if you're especially concerned with how people perceive you you'll notice it much more, but neither is that true in Los Angeles, or even San Francisco.

I wonder where it is in SA you live/work/play, because your experience is so dramatically different from my own it's astonishing. Perhaps you need to try another part of SA, if you're determined to continue living here.

As for bible thumpers, apart from the front of the Alamo, I haven't run across many. They exist, but I've never felt pressure, subtle or otherwise, to participate in religious activities. In fact, when I lived in Los Angeles I had far more people coming to my door than I have here, and I live within a 2 minute walk of 3 churches.

[hello13685]

Juneof48, I teach at UTSA too, in the hard sciences. I'm not sure what your position is, but if you are a lecturer (as opposed to tenured) you may not be privy to all the details. I've sent you a private message with the name of one of the gay people fired in the scandal. These two professors were approved unanimously at the departmental and college levels, and then unanimously rejected at the university level. That is completely unheard of!!!! That means the the individual who supported them at the college level, and who served on the university committee changed his/her vote. Hmmm... pressure from above? One of them was denied tenure because he had made an enemy of a certain woman on the university-level committee because he was fighting for same-sex insurance benefits. They therefore labeled him as troublemaker and denied him tenure.

Go Roadrunners!!!

The English department then hired a nationally-known African-American lesbian the next year in the wake of the news scandal to paper over the bad press.

Oh, and did you see the front page of the paper yesterday, about the professor UTSA hired in Anthropology whom the hiring faculty KNEW was guilty of a string of sexual abuse over his career at the University of Georgia (this printed in the newpaper article), and hired him anyway, putting UTSA women in harm's way? He sexually harrassed women for 20 years and finally got fired for it. UTSA says, abused women? What's wrong with that? Let's bring him on board. Well, guess what. Surprise! He was found guilty this year of sexually abusing a UTSA woman and has been removed from teaching duty. Don't believe me? Get the paper and read it!!

UTSA. Come here, go far!!!

UTSA does a NATIONAL search for a new provost and conveniently hires a HOMETOWN good ol'boy (to cement UTSA's place as an up and coming INTERNATIONAL, not provincial school)?

The former examples speak to the place of gays and women in this culture. I've given you the facts. Decide for yourselves what it means.

[michelangelosa]

When did what UTSA did speak for a metropolitan area? I guess since UTSA hired a known sexual abuser most San Antonians are sexual abusers or fine with anyone who is? What kind of lazy and sick logic is that?

[hello13685]

Do you think that if that a California university (where the OP is from) would continue to employ a man found guilty of this (much less knowingly hire him after he'd been fired for doing it elsewhere)? It's evidence that sexual harrassment in this local and especially male-dominated culture is not a big enough deal to either prevent it, or adequately punish it when it happens. To make it more laughable, UTSA let him choose his own punishment. He volunteered to cut back his salary 50% and be kept on in a research capacity. Of course we can't get rid of a man for doing this. It's natural!

Anyway, to keep it on topic, again this speaks to what women can expect here. No female posters will chime in I'm sure. We've got to protect our men!

[Kerby W-R]

Originally Posted by Chakapu

To the OP: Hello13685 is the resident "Everything sucks in San Antonio" reporter. Every group has to have one.

San Antonio is not San Francisco, but it does indeed have a very active and vibrant gay and lesbian community. It also has many gay and lesbians who are active members of mainstream society.
Here's an annual show put on by the gay and lesbian community -
Cornyation 2008 - The Raunchiest, Cheapest Event of Fiesta San Antonio (http://www.cornyation.org/index.htm - broken link)

It's nice that San Antonio's LGBT community can laugh at themselves. Some
ignorant people may think that all LGBT people always act like this. They often use it in their hate propaganda. I grew up in San Antonio and live in San Francisco. I would never go back for more reasons than I care to share.
I wish the person good luck on her stay in San Antonio.