How many DU'ers are gays living in extremely conservative areas?

[drumwolf]

At my local newsstand, one of the magazines had an article about gays and lesbians living in Oklahoma. So, that got me to wondering. What's it like to be GLBT in a very red area? Is it what I'd imagine it to be, or are there things that would surprise me? And is there a particular reason you haven't moved to a more liberal area (such as any major metropolitan area)?

I'd be very curious to hear this. And BTW, I'm hetero and have never lived in a staunchly RW area.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Not now, but I've done it

It SO sucks. That's all you can say...

[Misunderestimator]

2. Count me in for now...

I live in a VERY republican gated, golf-course community in Florida. Not for long though. I lived in Manhattan for ten years and have been homesick for such diversity ever since. Anyway, all moot for me, as I'll be moving to California.

[jonnyblitz]

4. orange county is reagan country

if that is where you are moving too.

[Misunderestimator]

6. self delete

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. Not my district..it's Loretta Sanchez, (d)

with a Dem state assembly, and a Dem state senator :)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. I don't live in a conservative area, but as to why people don't move

the way I see it, Martin Luther King, jr DIED so people could live where they want in America without the threat of violence or loss of liberty due to something as malignant as prejudice.

[jonnyblitz]

5. oops. i thought you lived in Orange County.

:shrug:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. I do but not all of OC is conservative

[comsymp]

16. Adding to that

(excellent point, btw) how 'bout... we like it here.

FWIW, my county in NC went Bush 75-25%. For the most part, our neighbors are just fine... although we did get called out at WalMart the week we moved here. (in a very nice way, though - basically, an old fella in overalls struck up a conversation and asked where we moved from and what made us pick here)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

18. But man those hotdogs you guys serve out there are PINK!

I can't take a bite out of anything that looks like my cat's asshole :evilgrin:

[Misunderestimator]

19. Eeewwwwww

[comsymp]

20. Do ya reeeeeally wanna go there?

;-)

And HELL YEAH, if the water ain't red after they're boiled, I don't want 'em!

(we also put chili & slaw on 'em)

[Heddi]

9. I live in Yakima, WA

I used to live in Seattle---little liberal hotbed.

Had to move out to this shithole so I could attend school.

Anything east of the Cascades is right-wing central.

The first time we drove out here to look for a place to live, as SOON as we passed the mountains, there were HUGE bush-cheney signs ALL OVER THE HIGHWAY. I counted, and 80% of the cars that passed us on the highway had either the W sticker, W04, or Bush-Cheney stickers on them.

The local newspaper out here frequently runs letters-to-the-editor about how God is frowing upon our nation because of the billions of innocent souls that are aborted wontonly by their heathen, satan-worshiping whores of mothers.

Alot of 'Iraq is better now that Sadaam is gone' letters as well.

On the 30th anniversary of RvW, there was a march downtown brought-on by anti-choicers. They carried little plastic fetuses (feti?), and sang hymns, and prayed, and cried and went on and on. There were about 200 people in that march.

On MLK Jr day, there was a march for civil rights, and only about 30 people showed up

Very back-woods out here. Happily, though, I have found ALOT of liberals who hide in the woodwork and let their voices be known in safe manners.

We moved out here in September. As soon as we moved, I removed my "War is not the answer" sticker from my car---it's the only car I have---I had heard from people that lived out here that cars with such propaganda placed on them have histories of having tires flattened and spraypaint put on the car.

oh how I long to move back west of the mountains.

OH yeah. I grew up in South Carolina. MUCH worse than it is out here. MUCH worse

--
Oh. I just saw this thread was for GBLT'ers. I'm straight, but have alot of gay friends.

Growing up in SC, 90% of my friends were gay. THere was ONE gay bar in town, and even there you couldn't risk having PDA's for fear of getting your ass kicked by some redneck who wandered in looking to 'boot some fags'

No way you could ever walk down the street holding hands. No way you, as a business, could ever risk flying the rainbow flag on your establishment.

When we moved to Seattle, our first day there we drove through Capital Hill, which is the 'gay' part of town. I was SO GIDDY as I saw men holding hands with men, women holding hands with women, rainbow flags flying all over the place, pink triangles everywhere. It was great being able to see people being COMFORTABLE with who they were, and living in a city where their chances of having their heads beaten in for being gay was really low.

Same out here in yakima...there's no clubs PERIOD, much less no gay clubs. Being gay is a bad thing out here. You don't talk about being gay, you don't admit to being gay, and you NEVER say that you know gay people or sympathize with gay marriage. Uh uh. No way.

Even though Im straight, I find such attitudes to be stiffling and fascist in nature, and I have honest sympathy for any GBLT'ers who live in this community. I just could not imagine it at all.

[Bouncy Ball]

10. I know lots of them here in Texas.

Although very few states are pure conservative or pure liberal. There are pockets of each, but I get what you are saying.

I've talked to a few about what it's like to live here and most of them have told me they WON'T leave, this is their home.

[Stop_the_War]

11. It's like hell....

[Rowdyboy]

12. Rural Mississippi small town, live with partner 16 years

No problems. I'm sure many folks don't like us, but most all of our neighbors do. I've never been particularly flamboyant anyway so its never been a problem. Its pretty much live and let live....

[ronnykmarshall]

13. Been there, done that HATED IT!

I grew up in Bakersfield, CA. Major GOP turf.

Escaped to SF in 1986.

[Moms Baby Democrat]

15. I can back you on that....Bakersfield Blows

I'm in hell, I think we've covered that before though.....

I'm not gay myself, but all of my friends, both male and female who are gay no longer live here. They've all spread out to l.a. and such. It gets kinda lonely around here with noone to talk to about politics besides my mom, but someday we'll get the hell out of this tweeker infested repuke shithole!!

[Aiptasia]

14. It's unpleasant for dems, much less gay dems

but things are changing. Gay people are standing up and marching all across the south, but it's still a closeted affair to be gay in an ultra conservative red state.

Culturally, most of the south is still stuck somewhere in the mid 1950's, especially in little towns and out in the sticks. But, things are changing.

[Shredr]

17. Not yet, but my job may take me to Dallas...

I was nervous, so I started doing research on-line. At least in Dallas (and other large cities in the red zone) there is a prominant gay community. I spoke with several gay men who love living in Dallas and find even their most conservative neighbors personable, on an individual level. That set my mind at ease (although I'm still hoping to stay in LA).