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I'm as a asian gay men from Vancouver BC (lot of Asians , very gay friendly) temporarily moving to work in Santa Fe and ABQ (stay in Santa Fe) for a year and a half. Starting this July.
So.. I wanna know about situation of discrimination against asians and gays in these areas.
Never seen it. I honestly can't imagine any sort of discrimination being an issue in Santa Fe - racial, sexual, gender, etc. It's a very liberal, very progressive-minded town. It also has a fairly well-rooted gay community, although I believe it tends to skew older and toward folks in relationships, so it's not ideal for folks wanting to date. (of course it's not ideal for straight folks wanting to date, either). I think the main targets of derision in Santa Fe are the folks who use too much water for growing lawns in a desert.
ABQ is a larger city, so there are probably pockets of foolishness there. But I find NM as a whole to be a fairly libertarian sort of state -- everyone does his own thing and doesn't take issue with others who are doing their own things.
Hmmm, let's see...Santa Fe just overwhelmingly elected its first openly gay Mayor, and there's at least one lesbian city councilor and perhaps other GLBT elected officials - but we don't keep count as we just don't consider that an important issue here. Neither is the fact that you're Asian. I don't think you have any reason for concern at all; not that Neanderthals don't exist in any town.
I'm as a asian gay men from Vancouver BC (lot of Asians , very gay friendly) temporarily moving to work in Santa Fe and ABQ (stay in Santa Fe) for a year and a half. Starting this July.
So.. I wanna know about situation of discrimination against asians and gays in these areas.
Honestly, as a gay Asian man you'd be a lot safer walking around in Santa Fe or ABQ than in any other city in the Southwest US, except of course for L.A. or San Francisco.
I will agree that discrimination isn't really an issue in Santa Fe....or at least because you're Asian and gay. I felt like an outsider while living there, but I felt it was more my personality (I am very shy and socially withdrawn), the fact I was not born and raised there, and I just couldn't fit in.
My advice would be to get involved in the community, make yourself open and friendly, and be helpful. As I always say, Santa Fe (and New Mexico) is a good place, but its not for me. Maybe it will be for you.
Have no worries about being gay (or Asian) in Santa Fe. As for Albuquerque, being gay shouldn't be an issue for the most part. In my opinion... for New Mexico in general... as long as your not getting up in peoples faces about it, no one is really going to care.
Speaking in general about New Mexico... One thing to keep in mind, this is a largely Catholic state... and my observation is that unlike a lot of other places, many here are actually practicing Catholics. Because of that, while the attitude toward homosexuality might live-and-let-live, the attitude toward gay marriage might be a bit more traditional. (It is legal here by the way.) But again, as long as you're not picketing outside a Church as people leave Mass... I doubt you'll run into any issues. Okay... that was an extreme example... but my point is that it is unlikely to be an issue with people unless you make it an issue first. People here are fairly laid-back for the most part.
I agree with the other posters that SF is a gay tolerant place, but as an ex-resident of San Francisco, NYC, and Boston, all cities with good Asian restaurants, grocery stores, and festivals, you're going to find yourself missing Asian culture I suspect. There are almost no Asian communities or neighborhoods in NM, and hence little Asian culture or authentic foods (Tau Lin's in ABQ being a welcome exception). Other than that you'll probably do well in SF.
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