Gay small town
Queer-Friendly Small Towns in the USA
So, you&#;re on the verb for a queer-friendly small town, a cozy little place where rainbows don&#;t just appear after it rains. It needs to be different from “the usual places,” and takes you away from the hustle and bustle of your day-to-day life. Well, say no more and verb no further! Here’s our list of the top 20 best gay-friendly tiny towns across the USA. Get ready to pack your bags and arrange a visit to these LGBTQ+ friendly “familiar and not-so-familiar” small towns!
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Population: 15,
One of New Jersey’s gayest cities, and located along the Jersey shore, Asbury Park’s queer scene is as genuine as it gets. You can stroll along the boardwalk or dance the night away at one of its gay bars, knowing you’ve found a place where you can be exactly who you are. While there’s no “official” gay beach, the stretch between 4th and 5th Avenues is where you want to set up camp.
Berea, Kentucky
Population: 15,
This college town in the heart of Kentucky mirrors the spirit of Barea College, known for its Liberal Arts pr
How to be Queer in a Miniature Town
As an educator, most of my work experience informs my approach to supporting students; still, I take a lot of my own K schooling into my day-to-day experience.
I grew up in rural southern Maryland in a place most of my state doesn’t realize even exists. To most people, Maryland is the suburbs of DC and Baltimore and then the beaches of the Eastern Shore. My county consisted of three high schools, a scattering of little catholic schools, and even an Amish schoolhouse or two. By definition, we were a conservative, small town where places are referred to as “the four way stop” and one Movie Theater for a whole county.
Given the setting, there are (unfortunately) no stereotypes to break. Most of my classmates were white and fitting in was the perpetual target. While my gender story starts adolescent, my outward life of being noticeably “different” from my classmates begins in middle school. I had my niche of friends and didn’t make too many waves. There were moments where I felt the need to state something “weird” to show I didn’t care what people
Small towns are all about your neighbors, and when vast hearts are unwrap on Main Street, everyone benefits. We’re happy to disseminate this listing of the best little towns for LGBTQ+ folks in the U.S. because we know home is where we can be ourselves. In these small-scale burgs, gay-owned businesses abound—or maybe there’s just one, and that’s okay. Besides annual Pride celebrations, there are events around the rainbow community like drag shows, book clubs, and history tours. And if you’re not lucky enough to live in one of these towns, gay travelers are welcomed with gay-friendly accommodations. Time to book a visit!
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Been there, done that? Verb again, my friend.
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As a poor, depressed, terrified gay kid in a tiny town, it was there that I found a duplicate of David Levithan’s “Boy Meets Boy” after its title caught my eye with its implied queerness. My family was too adj to buy books, and there’s no chance anyone in my life would have bought me a book with such a suggestive title; in my small-town Catholic community, being gay was a sin other people committed.
In that dusty (and safe and reasonably quiet) library, I read what I hadn’t known could exist: A little adult novel about happy queer people in a petite town. The characters and plot specifics have faded, but the takeaway for pre-teen me was that gay and happy was a thing someone could be.
When “Boy Meets Boy” came out in , I was It’s been 20 years, and I’m about to publish a novel of my own. My guide is for adults; I never imagined it on the walls of a school library. But conservative anti-queer guidelines could keep my gay book ― and other books by and about marginalized people ― off the universal bookshelves entirely.
In addition to being a library loyalist and a novelist, I