LGBTQIA+ people in Atlanta, do you feel safe and like you have a secure future in Georgia? I am considering a move… (Decatur: wedding)

[Grouchomarxist6]

I was born and raised in Greenville, MS but I’ve been living in the Midwest for nearly a decade (4 years in Gambier, Ohio for college and 5 and a half years in Chicago) and thus for my entire adult life. Earlier this year I visited Atlanta for the first time since I was a kid for my cousin’s wedding and had a really good time, and this October I’m returning with my mom to go to pride. While I was down there I got to explore some of the city a little bit and liked it, my cousin and her now husband say that the area that they live in — North Decatur — has a lot of LGBTQIA+ families and I know that Atlanta is in general a very gay city, I am sick of brutal winters, and the idea of being much closer to my parents, grandparents, siblings and extended family (who lived scattered throughout MS and AL) is very appealing, but I am worried about the state of Georgia’s far right politics and general cultural environment. I’m not getting any younger and if I go through the process of moving across the country that’s where I want to stay for a long time.

A little about me: I’m in my late 20s, white, non-binary (though I present as a gay man who is both/neither fem or masc and use he and they pronouns), work from home, polyamorous, into Wicca/paganism and alternative spirituality, I like to go out sometimes but more than the bars I prefer live music and museums these days, I like to get involved in my local community with both volunteering and social justice oriented activism and I love to go hiking and camping.

Is Atlanta a good fit? Do you feel safe and secure as an LGBTQIA+ person? (btw I am only using the long acronym because the word that I prefer which begins with q is censored on this board for some reason)

Thanks so much!

[Atlwarrior]

It sounds like you already answered all your concerns in your own post. Politics are irrelevant and should not be the lenses that dictate big personal moves. Each major city has cultures that appeal to all preferences.

[Yoski]

Just be yourself. Respect others and I think you will find that respect returned in kind.

[testa50]

One mild positive about Georgia is that culture war issues don’t really drive the Republican swing vote here, so we tend to get a lot of moderate(ish) Republican governors. Kemp and Deal both ran on one red meat culture war issue and then stayed out of the culture war BS largely while in office. A DeSantis type in Georgia would fall flat in the north ATL suburbs, which are more socially liberal than most red leaning areas, and lose the state to a dem. Most other red states don’t have to worry about that sort of thing.

Not that that is a great deal of protection, but it’s better than being in Florida…

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by testa50

One mild positive about Georgia is that culture war issues don’t really drive the Republican swing vote here, so we tend to get a lot of moderate(ish) Republican governors. Kemp and Deal both ran on one red meat culture war issue and then stayed out of the culture war BS largely while in office. A DeSantis type in Georgia would fall flat in the north ATL suburbs, which are more socially liberal than most red leaning areas, and lose the state to a dem. Most other red states don’t have to worry about that sort of thing.

Not that that is a great deal of protection, but it’s better than being in Florida…

Yep, and we have the advantage here of safety by numbers. This has always been a LGBTQ+ mecca, and it remains so. OP, once you see the size and depth of Pride in a few months, you'll know the answer.

[Citykid3785]

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

It sounds like you already answered all your concerns in your own post. Politics are irrelevant and should not be the lenses that dictate big personal moves. Each major city has cultures that appeal to all preferences.

I agree with this statement. You are talking about a top 10 city in the US. People congregate in their own pockets as they do in most environments, Atlanta is no different. With 6M people, you have all sorts of subsets.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by testa50

One mild positive about Georgia is that culture war issues don’t really drive the Republican swing vote here, so we tend to get a lot of moderate(ish) Republican governors. Kemp and Deal both ran on one red meat culture war issue and then stayed out of the culture war BS largely while in office. A DeSantis type in Georgia would fall flat in the north ATL suburbs, which are more socially liberal than most red leaning areas, and lose the state to a dem. Most other red states don’t have to worry about that sort of thing.

Not that that is a great deal of protection, but it’s better than being in Florida…

^^^
This is right here.


Compared to other notorious states, Georgia is becoming know for having common-sense, moderate Republicans/Conservatives.

[Grouchomarxist6]

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

It sounds like you already answered all your concerns in your own post. Politics are irrelevant and should not be the lenses that dictate big personal moves. Each major city has cultures that appeal to all preferences.

I’m sorry but this comment seems to come from a place of privilege. Politics aren’t irrelevant, especially when you’re part of an oppressed group that is actively facing state persecution in large swathes of the country.