Being gay in a small town

I am not the only one in my bloodline to find a family with strangers. Though typically we picture hateful strangers as the faces of homophobia, sometimes it can hit us from home. Differences between small towns/rural areas and urban/suburban areas were also relatively comparable within gender identity (e.g., cisgender boy/man, cisgender girl/woman, transgender boy/man, transgender girl/woman, and nonbinary youth).

Small Town. Very late to this, but it's a cruel reality of being gay that you need to live in a major metropolitan area. Although the problem of homophobia is not limited to small towns, many LGBT people find comfort in relocating to a big city.

Being Gay In A

Growing up as a lesbian in a small oil town presented two hard choices: either live in compulsory heterosexuality, or deal with being a target. Skip to main content. But I feel perfectly fine going to the store on my own here in the city.

Rhodes expressed being more afraid in his hometown while visiting than the large city he now lives in. Bullying was a frequent occurrence until late middle school, where I began dating men out of the pressure I felt. Simply because there is safety in numbers and a better dating pool.

Access to LGBTQ-affirming schools in small towns and rural areas is associated with lower suicide risk. Harassment, judgment and even violence can be disproportionate compared with that of large cities. Brody Rhodes, a transgender man, grew up in a small town where he faced occasional discrimination.

The Joys and Struggles

Our guest contributor and educator Alex Yates reflects on his experiences growing up trans in a small town and shares tips for LGBTQ youth currently living in rural areas. It was not until my move to a city with over half a million people more than my hometown that I felt truly free to express myself.

The first half of my life, I chose the latter. When you put on the uniform you are a soldier; nothing else matters. Login Register. This has proved to be true in my experience, also. I went from a large city to a smaller city, then wasted a good 11 years of my prime adult life in the smaller city trying to make it work.

My brother, a bisexual soldier on a tour in Iraq, found a second family with strangers. April 13, Growing Up Queer in a Small Town With minimal representation in my hometown and in the media, I hid my queerness and internalized toxic misconceptions about gender and sexuality.

Being LGBTQ in a small town by Nicole Smith Staff Writer Living in a small town in the Bible Belt can pose challenges for people who fall into the LGBT spectrum. Harassment, judgment and even violence can be disproportionate compared with that of large cities.