Gay "acceptance" NC mountain towns

[happeemommee]

Are you speaking about the girls that were followed and attacked after leaving the fast food place? That was only one of the incidents I was referring to. And honestly, even if the guy was from Hickory, the other two people who were with this guy, were living in Boone.

I hope your friend is doing well.

[Clyde Pharmer]

Originally Posted by tsmw47

Clyde....sorry you have experienced discrimination for either gay or Asian. Sad commentary because people are people and treat them the way you want to be treated.

For the most part, people around here are very nice on a superficial level. No one has been confrontational nor like imposing their beliefs unto you. The best part about living in the mountains is that unlike in the city, you have a lot more privacy and can pick and choose who you associate with. Thus, most people have a live and let live attitude. On a recent trip back to Brooklyn, I'd forgotten how rude and aggressive people can be up north.

It was just eye opener getting complaints behind my back for the first time in my career to my boss due solely about my ethnicity. My spouse, who manages a restaurant in Waynesville, saw that kind of racism too. He hired a nice black American college student as a server assistant after firing a trashy white server that the owner was desperate to get rid of. One night a pair of older well-to-do ladies came to the restaurant. They were complaining that their favorite server (the white girl) was no longer working there, and they "didn't want that N***** serving them." It was apalling to think that in this day and age, there were people who think like that.

[ThePenguinPapers]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I'm a 50yo gay male currently living in Central Florida and seriously contemplating a move to Western NC to open a new business (retail), though not exclusively considering Asheville. I'm considering Blowing Rock and Highlands as well. My question is what would the reception be like for me? It's not exactly all warm and fuzzy here in the suburbs of Orlando so I do have an idea of the possibilities. I'm not flamboyantly gay or closeted for that matter, just kind of an "Average Joe". I've lived in the usual places one feels completely accepted in (DC, Philly) as well as Chapel Hill/Carrboro many years ago. I don't really need the typical gay social scene any longer (been there, done that) as I have enough long-term friends to keep me occupied, but would like a place with genuinely friendly people who aren't just smiling and then putting the knife in your back when you look the other way. I'd appreciate any constructive feedback, preferably from residents or former residents. Thanks!

I highly recommend Sylva, which is 45 min. west of Asheville and central to Highlands and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gays live their lives openly and are not just accepted, they are *successful* as owners of shops and cafes, members of the medical community, and proprietors in the service industry.