Lesbian life in various places (recommendations? warnings?)

[sydnoodle]

On 3/8/2016 at 11:08 AM, flapjackal said:

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.

I went to Purdue for my undergrad, and I know there's an LGBT club on campus although it didn't seem that active. There's also a chapter of NOGLSTP on campus that has a couple grad students in it. Lafayette does have a small LGBT center as well, but all of this is nothing compared to what you'll find in a big city. As far as the campus goes, they're pretty accepting--the biomedical engineering department has an agender student and has helped sponsor their travel costs to conferences and whatnot. The students, for the most part, were more accepting than I was anticipating (I came from San Francisco originally) and my orientation was a non-issue. That being said, I only had one queer friend all 4 years being there, so visibility isn't that big. I dated someone not at Purdue (so did my other queer friend), so I can't comment on the dating prospects on campus.

If you want nightlife though...just drive to Chicago. It's 2 hours and way more fun than anything Purdue has to offer.

Links to groups I mentioned:

http://www.purdue.edu/lgbtq/resources/

http://www.pridelafayette.org/

[HiFiWiFi]

Any info about Chapel Hill NC? I'm told it's small but being in the triangle there are lots of options for going out in nearby cities.

[OHSP]

On 2/11/2017 at 7:23 AM, HiFiWiFi said:

Any info about Chapel Hill NC? I'm told it's small but being in the triangle there are lots of options for going out in nearby cities.

I've been wondering the same thing about Durham and people have pretty much assured me that the research triangle's a good place to be a lesbian. And at least a better place to be a lesbian than the rest of NC...

[Worktime Calzone]

On 3/22/2016 at 1:49 PM, 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 have no clue about Pittsburgh, but I can tell you that CBus has a growing and thriving LGBT community. A little white liberal, but it's inclusive if you look in the right places

[Worktime Calzone]

Any Trans girls or guys that can tell me about College Park PA?

[SolKit]

I lived in Davis for a few years. There are venues, events, and campus groups that are geared toward meeting others in the LGBT community. It's an affluent, bigger little college town.

[LWil]

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but I currently go to VCU in Richmond, VA and our LGBTQ+ student base is kickin'.  The diversity here is incredible (however the inclusivity could be a little better).  I am in the social work program, and the first day of every class our professors ask us our name, preferred pronoun, etc.  The professors who identify as LGBTQ+ in our program are incredibly open about it which makes the students who identify as LGBTQ+ feel very safe (myself included).

[orphic_mel528]

Just noticed the date on OP; she's probably graduated by now!

Nonetheless, here's a resource for anyone looking in the Davis area: https://localwiki.org/davis/Rainbow_Community

On 2/18/2017 at 0:24 PM, Worktime Calzone said:

Any Trans girls or guys that can tell me about College Park PA?

I assume you're talking about Penn State? If so: http://news.psu.edu/story/410239/2016/05/11/rankings/penn-state-ranked-among-best-lgbt-friendly-colleges-and

http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/lgbtqa/

https://www.meetup.com/cities/us/pa/state_college/lgbtq/

In other words, Penn State and University Park, or State College, PA, are great places for LGBTQI+ folks. 

[basketballfrost]

Do any of you guys know how is Riverside for the LGBTQ community? I want to get married with my girlfriend during my PhD and being an international student it is hard to know how is the city vibe. 

Have you seen any same-sex couples with families around town?

[M(allthevowels)H]

On 1/23/2018 at 7:45 AM, basketballfrost said:

Do any of you guys know how is Riverside for the LGBTQ community? I want to get married with my girlfriend during my PhD and being an international student it is hard to know how is the city vibe. 

Have you seen any same-sex couples with families around town?

Oh, Honey. 

If you mean Riverside, CA as in UCR you are in luck. I did my undergrad at UCR and the LGBT scene was thriving. I had trans friends who specifically came to UCR, even paying out of state tuition, because of their involvement with T*Camp and being named one of the better schools for LGBT students int he country (they also hosted the *Trans conference in 2017). I was also there when UCR Underground was hosting college-sponsored Drag events. There was an LGBT housing option (Stonewall Hall, I think), but most of my friends lived in Riverside. We were all undergrads, so I didn't notice many other LGBT with families, but they do have an LGBT Grad specific meet up, so there are lots of opportunities to find community.

Riverside itself is in the I.E., where politics can change drastically depending on area. Riverside was named the second most LGBT friendly city in the I.E. (it lost to Palm Springs which...I guess is fair haha) but if you're living outside of the city I'd avoid Fontana or San Bernardino (which are probably places you'll want to avoid anyway, suck it Sanberdoo!)  There are gay bars (VIP, and Menagerie) on main streets in Riverside. My friend and his partner opted for housing in Riverside, and were never hassled (I commuted from farther away than I would recommend anyone commuting).

Hope this rant helps!

[h-bar]

Anyone know about Rochester, NY? 

[Carly Rae Jepsen]

Perhaps a little off-topic but still related to LGBT life: is life in a big city better for single LGBT people?

I have no issues with living in a smaller city, but I'm worried of running out of possible people to date lol. Big cities tend to offer more LGBT spaces than just your university's LGBT club, too.

[ELpaso]

On 2/6/2018 at 1:52 AM, Carly Rae Jepsen said:

Perhaps a little off-topic but still related to LGBT life: is life in a big city better for single LGBT people?

I have no issues with living in a smaller city, but I'm worried of running out of possible people to date lol. Big cities tend to offer more LGBT spaces than just your university's LGBT club, too.

I'm wondering the same.

I've never lived in a big city before. From my own experience, it is true that you can run out of options pretty quickly if the city is small. But then again, I'm an international student and I've probably had a different experience in my mildly conservative country.

One thing I personally dislike, which might be true wherever you are if the LGBT spaces are limited in number, is the fact that you're doomed to always run into your exes.

[AnxiousNerd]

29 minutes ago, ELpaso said:

I'm wondering the same.

I've never lived in a big city before. From my own experience, it is true that you can run out of options pretty quickly if the city is small. But then again, I'm an international student and I've probably had a different experience in my mildly conservative country.

One thing I personally dislike, which might be true wherever you are if the LGBT spaces are limited in number, is the fact that you're doomed to always run into your exes.

 

On 6.2.2018 at 1:52 AM, Carly Rae Jepsen said:

Perhaps a little off-topic but still related to LGBT life: is life in a big city better for single LGBT people?

I have no issues with living in a smaller city, but I'm worried of running out of possible people to date lol. Big cities tend to offer more LGBT spaces than just your university's LGBT club, too.

I have lived in two very big cities, one small city, and one medium city. I would say LGBT life in the big cities was 1000x better than the smaller ones. In the big cities, I went to LGBT poetry slams, LGBT comedy shows, pride parade, a number of gay/lesbian bars, drag shows, second-change proms, and so much more. It was amazing to have those options, and to be able to meet others LGBT people (specifically other lesbians because )

The smaller cities were okay. The medium one had one gay bar that closed down, and a fairly active LGBT organization on campus... but that's it really. It was nice and I had relationships there, but it was nothing compared to the big city stuff. 

[wheresmysnow]

On 06.02.2018 at 6:52 AM, Carly Rae Jepsen said:

Perhaps a little off-topic but still related to LGBT life: is life in a big city better for single LGBT people?

I have no issues with living in a smaller city, but I'm worried of running out of possible people to date lol. Big cities tend to offer more LGBT spaces than just your university's LGBT club, too.

This is the only major thing I'm worried about when moving to such a small city/medium-sized town. I haven't lived in a city with less than a million people since was really young, and I'm afraid of not having a place to be myself. It's already bad enough having been hiding for the past couple years abroad, I don't want to do that when I go back to the U.S. :/ 

[Harlequin1890]

How about Charlottesville, VA and Champaign–Urbana, IL?

[wheresmysnow]

6 hours ago, Harlequin1890 said:

How about Charlottesville, VA and Champaign–Urbana, IL?

Re: Charlottesville I've found http://gaycville.org/index.html that has a list of LGBTQIA friendly organizations and businesses. There's even a gay/lesbian social club, which sounds really interesting!

 

From what I know, while it is still culturally southern and thus somewhat conservative, the city itself and naturally the university is quite liberal, having its influences throughout the city. It is no Berkeley or Miami, but the city seem welcoming to open queer persons. 

[Sprint14]

On 2/2/2018 at 3:04 AM, h-bar said:

Anyone know about Rochester, NY? 

Hi - I'm from Upstate New York, not Rochester specifically. 

If you have the option of a larger/mid-size city, take it. You will be surrounded by small towns and small minds the second you walk off campus. 

Edited March 4, 2018 by ohdeargodwhy

[bibliophile222]

On 1/6/2014 at 6:16 PM, thegirldetective said:

(Caveat: Straight person's perspective)

 

While most definitely not a city, Amherst MA (and the nearby town Northampton) are pretty gay-friendly. They are liberal progressive towns in a liberal progressive state. You won't find the same kind of diverse community or nightlife (the night life is very limited, regardless of your orientation) you would find in a city, but you also won't be the only gay couple holding hands in the grocery store, either. Also, on an unrelated note, there are a lot of good restaurants and cafes for a town of its size.

 

The UMass campus itself may be a slightly different cup of tea - I can't really speak to that as I didn't go there.

I second the Amherst/Northampton area. I read somewhere (Wikipedia?) that Northampton has the greatest number of lesbians per capita in the country. The LGBTQ community is vibrant, visible, and thoroughly accepted.

[brighteyedathena]

Anyone know anything about Tallahassee or Boulder? 

[CulturalCriminal]

Barring movement on my waitlist status, I’ll be reapplying next year to more PhDs. As I’m interested in comics studies, people keep telling me to apply to UF and FSU. Are Tallahassee and Gainesville queer friendly? Trans friendly? Will my NB partner face a lot of crap at local school districts?

[Statsfan15]

On 3/28/2018 at 2:46 PM, brighteyedathena said:

Anyone know anything about Tallahassee or Boulder? 

I don't know anything about Tallahassee but Boulder is an incredibly liberal town. And absolutely beautiful. It's kind of pricey to live in Boulder but if they offered my major that would've easily been my number one choice. 

[Phinished]

On 3/28/2018 at 1:46 PM, brighteyedathena said:

Anyone know anything about Tallahassee or Boulder? 

Boulder is known for being very gay friendly in general, and there are a ton of lesbians and queer women/queer folks (I’m a queer woman and spent 4 years there). There’s not really much to *do* in Boulder, though...no gay clubs or bars, no openly queer spaces (aside from a Pride House organization). Denver is a short bus ride away and has much more to do and a much stronger queer community.

[cinderellasyndrome]

As far as Storrs, I went to UConn undergrad and I have to agree with the other poster. UConn in particular is huge on the diversity stuff, so you'll be fine campus-wise, and Connecticut is very blue, so there's widespread LGBT acceptance in the overall area as well. The real problem I think you'll face – certainly one that I faced – is that it's just so damn rural. You're not going to find a gay bar (or very many bars at all) – closest would be Boston or Providence, which are not far, but probably not a drive you'll want to be making every weekend just to find something to do. If you have an existing partner you're fine, but if you're trying to date as a lesbian, the pool is going to be very small.

[senorbrightside]

On 1/22/2015 at 10:23 AM, liz0723 said:

Can anyone speak to the attitude towards LGBT persons in Urbana Champaign?

Three years later...I'm wondering the same thing. I know Chicago is two hours away or so in case not so good.