Lesbian life in various places (recommendations? warnings?)

[beanburrito]

I will most likely be attending Penn State in the fall (waiting on other offers but the likelihood of a positive outcome is waning) and was wondering if anyone knew anything about State College, PA? I saw someone had asked earlier, but no response was given. I'm very nervous as I feel Central PA may be very conservative :\

[1314Spofford]

Can anyone give any insight on Albany, NY? 

[Amayan]

Regarding this topic, I can vouch for Minneapolis and Madison being awesome options in terms of general public acceptance and active communities/clubs where it is easy to meet similar people.  I found Fargo to be far less inviting.

[kosmo]

Thanks for this thread. What about the atmosphere at Princeton and its surrounding area? 

[thepriorwalter]

Thoughts on Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor?

[Ilspflouz]

On 3/8/2015 at 10:30 AM, thepriorwalter said:

Thoughts on Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor?

 

I currently live in Ann Arbor and have for about a year. Ann Arbor is known as being one of the most liberal cities in Michigan, and being very "alternative-lifestyle" friendly. I'm straight and this is my perspective so I suppose it could be skewed, but I would say that Ann Arbor does seem pretty gay friendly. I see gay couples walking around hand in hand here often during the summer and no one seems to bat an eye. The queer acquaintances I have talked here have openly stated they love living in AA. I know of two gay bars for certain in AA, but there could be more. Ferndale (about 40 mins away) is also very gay friendly and even has a pride week complete with a parade and everything every year. I have only ever lived in Michigan so I can't speak with how AA compares with the rest of the country, but I would definitely say it is one of the most (if not the most) gay-friendly cities in the entire state. There's also a ton of stuff to do here for fun, and it is very close to the airport. 

 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. 

Edited March 10, 2015 by AliasJane2342

[thirdfromthesun]

Hi all! I currently work in Storrs and was a student at UConn for a brief period (I ended up transferring out). I'm from CT, and while the state is liberal-leaning and gay-friendly, UConn isn't exactly a gay Mecca. Their "Rainbow Center" is small and kind of clique-y, from what I recall during my time there. Maybe it's different as a grad student, though. Just thought I'd throw in my two cents since the OP mentioned Storrs

[gagawoahlala]

Just admitted by UCSD and I also applied for UW(seattle),UC davis,Duke,Umich Ann Arbor. Could someone please tell me which school to choose in terms of LGBT friendly?

[vestigialtraits]

2 hours ago, gagawoahlala said:

Just admitted by UCSD and I also applied for UW(seattle),UC davis,Duke,Umich Ann Arbor. Could someone please tell me which school to choose in terms of LGBT friendly?

http://www.campusprideindex.org/searchresults/zsnap

Check out their website 

[gagawoahlala]

21 hours ago, vestigialtraits said:

http://www.campusprideindex.org/searchresults/zsnap

Check out their website 

Thanks!!

[Kymkkk]

So glad to find some info about Minneapolis, as I might be attending UMN-twin cities.

Is it true that Minneapolis doesn't have a lez bar? I'm totally fine with straight people, just kinda hoping to have established places for lesbians.

[emiliajulia]

I really appreciate this resource! Super glad to see the majority of my prospective schools mentioned here. 

[crobnsn3]

Pretty cool to see this topic as an ongoing thread. I will likely accept admission to UC-Davis for Fall 2016 so if anyone wants to hang out I'll be there! Good luck and congrats to everyone

Edited February 17, 2016 by crobnsn3

[jlt646]

Really thankful that this thread exists, but still kind of worried about my future in State College, PA- what do queer adults do in the Valley? 

[thirdfromthesun]

On 2/23/2016 at 1:41 PM, jlt646 said:

Really thankful that this thread exists, but still kind of worried about my future in State College, PA- what do queer adults do in the Valley? 

Hi there! I did my undergrad at Penn State, and can vouch for the fact that it's exceedingly LGBTQIA friendly. There's a gay bar right downtown (Chumley's), and the LGBT center on campus is highly active. There are also a few LGBTQ-centered support groups around town, which can potentially be venues in which to meet people. I never really felt any sort of discrimination or alienation during my time there... it's really a great place to live. Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions or want more info!

[Soft Rains]

On 1/28/2016 at 7:00 PM, gagawoahlala said:

Just admitted by UCSD and I also applied for UW(seattle),UC davis,Duke,Umich Ann Arbor. Could someone please tell me which school to choose in terms of LGBT friendly?

I can only speak to Seattle, but your orientation would 100% be a non factor here   

[esheshesh]

Hello! I was wondering if anyone knew about what life was like for LGBTQIA individuals in Indiana (particularly West Lafayette and the area surrounding Purdue)? I come from the northeast and have never spent much time outside of the coast. I'm worried about feeling unwelcome, and the potential lack of dating prospects / nightlife / social support for LGBTQIA people, especially since it seems like a relatively small city.

[GradStudent2016]

I've lived in MI just about my entire life and I lived 45 to 30 mins away from Ann Arbor. I would travel there just about every week or so to visit friends that went to U of M and it is very LGBT friendly.   

[GradStudent2016]

Does anyone know how the LGBT community is in Cincinnati, OH?

[Septerra]

1 hour ago, GradStudent2016 said:

Does anyone know how the LGBT community is in Cincinnati, OH?

Hey there. My girlfriend goes to the University of Cincinnati and has been living in Cinci for about a year. We are long distance, and when I have come up to visit, we aren't really able to find a "gay/lesbian hub," although we are not natives so we may have missed it. Good luck.

[Septerra]

I am between Columbus, OH and Pittsburgh, PA now for grad school, and I'm wondering which one has a more robust LGBT culture. Anyone know the story of either?

[GradStudent2016]

Okay thank you!

[Jknips]

7 hours ago, Septerra said:

I am between Columbus, OH and Pittsburgh, PA now for grad school, and I'm wondering which one has a more robust LGBT culture. Anyone know the story of either?

I'm currently an undergrad at Ohio State and Columbus has a thriving LGBT culture.  There is a huge gay pride rally each year and plenty of resources (both in Cbus and at OSU) based on my own opinions and from what I've heard from my LGBT friends.  That being said, I have family in Pittsburgh and will mostly likely be there for grad school next year, and from what I've seen they also seem to be fairly accepting.  I can't speak too much into how big the culture is there though.

[Effloresce]

so heading to Vanderbilt in the summer..anyone have any insight on LGBT life in Nashville? 

[Septerra]

On 3/24/2016 at 7:47 AM, Effloresce said:

so heading to Vanderbilt in the summer..anyone have any insight on LGBT life in Nashville? 

Hey there! I live about an hour north of Nashville and it has a bustling LGBT scene. There are a couple of great gay clubs, including Play and Tribe on Church St., as well as a few others. There is even a lesbian bar called the Lipstick Lounge, although it is a bit off the beaten path. There is a modest Pride parade and festival in June. However, keep in mind that you will be living in Tennessee, and there are several state-wide initiatives that aim to keep LGBT folks down, including one that does not allow teachers to discuss anything in a light that might be considered "pro-gay."

Edit: Prepare to see plenty of "Are you ready for the reckoning?" -type signs from Kentucky on southward.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Septerra