Acceptance of Gays in Ventura County (Oxnard: live, law, legally)

[katnip kid]

Originally Posted by OpenSky

The fact is, many cities in Ventura County supported Prop 8.

That's litmus test #1 for closed-door hostilities toward gays.

Downtown and Midtown Ventura, along with Oxnard, were the few pockets of anti-Prop 8. I'm sure the OP will be "fine" but he should be aware of that. I'd want to know.

Yes, I certainly would like to know information like this before moving to the area. Thank you for bringing this up. Sometimes a person can't think of everything, esp. when planning a possible move.

[LadyKLO]

I still don't think it will be a big issue though. But then again, I don't know. Someone told me not to move to Ventura County because I'm black (yes, someone actually said this to me)..I've been here more than 10 years and haven't had any issues.

You just have to make the best out of everything no matter where you are!

[willoughby86]

Originally Posted by katnip kid

Thank you both for the responses! Glad to see them!

LadyKLO, your response is esp. encouraging!

I did a fast search on a popular search engine that begins with a "G" (I don't know if I can name search engine names here on board) for Gay Ventura County. I can't remember the name of the site that I found. It lamented the fact that there weren't more Gay bars. So what, I am not much of a bar person. It is attitudes from employers, co-workers, teachers and neighbors that matter to me most. Other sites seemed more positive. I guess it is the type of thing where I need to judge it for myself as best as I can when I am there. I don't know how far West Hollywood would be from VC, but if it is a long drive in traffic, forget it.

I also look for Gay clubs or groups which might include groups devoted to outdoor activities or sports such as hiking,teams, social groups, that type of thing. I haven't done that for VC, or another area that I am interested in locating.

Okay, I was debating whether or not to post this because no matter how I word it, I'm probably going to come off as a privileged, condescending jerk. I'm a 'mo, but I'm 25 and no doubt have had different life experiences than you because of the different time periods we were born in. I want to encourage you to be less concerned with gay oriented groups/locations/activities. Coastal Cali (and even where I am, the IE) is an accepting place. Ventura should be an easy place for you to meet people and make friends, regardless of their orientation. I rarely focus my attention on bars, clubs, stores, or restaurants that are explicitly gay because that is so limiting. I was born and raised in SoCal and love it - all of it; hopefully you will too - welcome!

[katnip kid]

Hello Danscojack! Your response is very encouraging, indeed! Thanks. You don't come across as a jerk at all, so relax.

Yes, I do notice a generational thing with folks (Gay or Straight) of my age, vs. those in their 20's. Let me just say, it's nice to see. Young adults today, at least the ones I get to know or interact with, are like, yeah, so you're Gay, so what. Wow!

I wondered about the Inland Empire as well. That is another area my partner and I might be interested in relocating, so what you have to say about that area would be greatly appreciated. I don't know if I should post in this same question in that forum.

A search under Gay Ventura County did provide links for Gay groups.

[katnip kid]

Originally Posted by LadyKLO

I still don't think it will be a big issue though. But then again, I don't know. Someone told me not to move to Ventura County because I'm black (yes, someone actually said this to me)..I've been here more than 10 years and haven't had any issues.

You just have to make the best out of everything no matter where you are!

I agree with you, LadyKLO. It is important to make the best out of everything, no matter where we are. Thank you!

I am partly of southern Italian descent. My mother was very dark. She was sometimes mistaken for being partly black, as was her brother. I am often mistaken for Latino. I've even had Spanish folks come up to me and start talking Spanish! I kinda like that, actually. I was wondering about this and the race issue, but didn't know how to bring it up, so I am glad you mentioned this.

[LadyKLO]

Originally Posted by katnip kid

I agree with you, LadyKLO. It is important to make the best out of everything, no matter where we are. Thank you!

I am partly of southern Italian descent. My mother was very dark. She was sometimes mistaken for being partly black, as was her brother. I am often mistaken for Latino. I've even had Spanish folks come up to me and start talking Spanish! I kinda like that, actually. I was wondering about this and the race issue, but didn't know how to bring it up, so I am glad you mentioned this.

You won't have any issues...if anything, mention you are part Italian and people will ask what will you bring to the potlucks at work...I know I would!!!! If I remember correctly, I believe my doctor is Italian but I don't know where he is from....I can find out for you this weekend.

[willoughby86]

Originally Posted by katnip kid

Hello Danscojack! Your response is very encouraging, indeed! Thanks. You don't come across as a jerk at all, so relax.

Yes, I do notice a generational thing with folks (Gay or Straight) of my age, vs. those in their 20's. Let me just say, it's nice to see. Young adults today, at least the ones I get to know or interact with, are like, yeah, so you're Gay, so what. Wow!

I wondered about the Inland Empire as well. That is another area my partner and I might be interested in relocating, so what you have to say about that area would be greatly appreciated. I don't know if I should post in this same question in that forum.

A search under Gay Ventura County did provide links for Gay groups.

Well.....the IE is a different beast compared to VC. First off, it's hotter. I personally love the heat - I'm not happy unless there's triple digit weather happening (seriously). Of course, VC has more moderate temperatures year round, but overall it's cooler. Secondly, the IE is cheaper in terms of housing. All other costs are more or less the same. In fact, from my experience, all of SoCal is relatively uniform when it comes to the prices of groceries, retail, cars etc. Of course, there are shopping districts that cater to wealthy people (Beverly Hills, Fashion Island, etc.) but the cost of living discrepancies throughout the southland are largely because of housing prices. Now, the IE has a more 'country' feel to it. People like their country music out here (including me because I was raised with it). And, allegedly, IE residents enjoy Nascar. I've yet to meet a single Nascar fan in my 20+ years of living here, but it's part of our reputation. So, naturally, country folk tend to be more socially conservative. This goes for politics (we have a lot of Republicans here), gay rights, abortion rights, immigrant rights etc. When it comes to gay acceptance, I have never personally had a situation/altercation with a person here. Maybe I'm lucky, but I think the social conservatism reputation we have is because we are often compared to LA. LA is a world city that of course is super liberal, especially because of the entertainment industry. We have 3 gay bars/clubs here, but I've danced with a dude at straight clubs and never had a problem. The biggest issue a lot of people that a lot of IEers aren't afraid to speak up about is illegal immigrants. Racial stereotyping is a problem here. Specifically, Mexicans are often blamed for crime, the economy, drugs, etc. I'm not sure what race you are but even if you are latino, I wouldn't let what I just said deter you from considering the IE because although I think it's one of our biggest social problems, it's not overwhelmingly present in society. The last thing I can think of to mention is traffic. Traffic, traffic, traffic. It's bad and only getting worse (it seems that way anyway). But that's the price of admission when entering SoCal. Hmm...I feel like I'm skipping important stuff and rambling about non-important info...sorry if I babbled

[user_id]

Originally Posted by OpenSky

Generally speaking, Oxnard and Ventura will be more friendly than the other areas. And within Ventura, midtown and downtown will be more accepting than the east side. This is backed up by the precinct analysis of Prop 8 support, which was strong in Simi, Camarillo, TO and east Ventura.

Umm...no, you may want to actually look at the results, a lot of this is wrong. Here they are:

.................Yes.......No
Simi............31k.......24k
Camarillo......18k........14k
TO..............32k........32k
Oxnard.........28k........20k
Ventura........24k........27k

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/ssov/11-ballot-measures-by-political-districts.pdf (broken link)

Contrary to popular belief on this forum, the Conejo Valley (including TO) isn't conservative, its moderate and the Prop 8 votes show that (right in the middle). You were right about Simi Valley, Camarillo and Ventura, but dead wrong on Oxnard. Oxnard is one of the most hostile areas for gays as can be seen by the prop 8 votes. Oxnard may vote Democrat, but its democrat because its large Hispanic population which are ironically a pretty conservative bunch.

I'm not so sure about the mid-town/downtown vs east ventura comments either, but I don't have the time to try to figure out the actual votes. You have the information?

Anyhow, not being gay, I have no idea to what degree gays are accepted in Ventura County. I don't see many openly gay couples, usually they are "low key" so maybe there is a reason for that. I don't know, its not even a topic with the people I'm around.

[LadyKLO]

I think the way a person votes doesn't necessarily indicate how they will treat someone.

I am not into politics so for me, I could care less. I look at people for who they are.

Just because a location might have voted a certain way doesn't mean you're going to have an issue in a certain area...you might not even encounter those people in the time you're in this area. Apparently there are "groups" in this area I'd probably like to avoid i.e. racist groups, gangs, etc...have I come into contact with them...probably...do I know it...NOPE...been here 10 years and only had one minor incident and that happened in Camarillo...lol....someone called me a bad word and told me to go back to a certain place...what did I do...NOTHING...words don't phase me..besides some people are just jack asses and unintelligent...lol..dummies!

[user_id]

Originally Posted by LadyKLO

I think the way a person votes doesn't necessarily indicate how they will treat someone.

I don't get it, so if someone votes against gay marriage doesn't that mean that they don't approve of you know....gay couples and think of them as fundamentally different than straight couples?

Originally Posted by LadyKLO

...you might not even encounter those people in the time you're in this area. Apparently there are "groups" in this area I'd probably like to avoid i.e. racist groups, gangs, etc...have I come into contact with them...probably...do I know it...NOPE...

There is no analogy here, approximately 60% of Oxnard voted against Prop 8, what are the chances you're going to avoid 60% of the city? On the other hand, racists, gangs, make up a small percent of the city.

Now, is this 60% going to verbally abuse, commit a hate crime, etc against someone that that is gay? No, but the same can be said of racists in Simi Valley. But its hard to see how someone can vote for Prop 8 while still treating someone gay just like they would everyone else.