Is anyone ever afraid for their safety?

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I have learned over the years since my parents moved to the south that there are "havens" of progressive thinkers. Are you near Asheville, Raleigh-Durham, or Atlanta? My guess is that there are some groups in those metropolitan areas, and perhaps there are even more in places I don't know about.

Even though I live in London, there was still a guy beaten to death in central London a few years back for being gay. I live on a council estate and have never had any trouble, but there's a lot of very religious people and gangs around so I'm a bit wary.

My partner and I don't look like a couple, because I look so young and he looks older than he is. People have sometimes mistaken him for my Dad (lol!) and occasionally my brother. I don't even think our neighbours, who know we're two guys living in a one bedroom flat, suspect we're together. For this reason I don't think it would look too weird if we were to hug each other in public, but on top of two guys kissing, I look like a child, so we also have to bear that in mind..not that we're very touchy feely or romantic at all!

When out and about in London generally I feel quite safe. I'm confident that in a public area, if I was to get any hassle for some reason, people would object and protect me.

Apart from people shouting, I've had a gun pointed to my head.

I've never been beaten up, though I did get kicked out of my dorm room once at a christian college. at a different school people formed a "straight pride" group that had a "weapons director" position on facebook, and the route for the first pride parade in my town was covered in several miles of literal s**t. (someone used a tractor and some kind of fertilizer spreader to spread manure over it.) a close friend of mine spent a day with me because his room mate said he was going to get his bible study group to beat him up one time, too.

I don't believe I've ever held hands in public or anything like that for fear of being attacked. yay Arkansas!

I've experienced the fear of going out simply because I am a girl and I get street harassed, I imagine it must be similar for you but I've never had to hide who I am. Hope things get better. =)

I have been. Not rationally, mind. I don't really go out, and when I do it's with friends who (I damn hope) would stand up for me should s**t hit the fan. I'm not confrontational and I'm definitely not flaunty, anyway - I'm more likely to be beaten up for being boring than for being camp - but, look, when people post things on Facebook about how gays aren't real people who deserve the wrath of God, or how they despise the very existence of gays... look, it's hard not to get a little insecure. I'm more afraid I'll take my own life than someone else will, but it is still a very, very real fear. And I fear most of all for my friends who are in the middle of the really disgusting stuff.

Short answer: yes, but its not entirely justified.

Most of the people in this area are Conservative Christians who are not very supportive of the gay and lesbian community. However, I live not too far from the city of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh does have a few bad neighborhoods (as does every city or town in America) , but there are most certainly people in this area who are wonderfully supportive of the gay and lesbian community. There are people in Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities who will not condone the harassment of anyone. You should know the entire state of Pennsylvania has a reputation of being a place full of people with redneck and bigoted attitudes. Don't be confused by Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. I have to watch my back when I go through a lot of these small town type neighborhoods. I must be very careful who I hang out with, because you cannot always predict people's attitudes towards the whole issue of LGBT rights.

Yes, and I've felt that way my entire life. My parents seem to be anti-everything that I am (and they aren't even officially aware of that I'm not heterosexual and my gender is non-binary). Living here has definitely had a strain on my health (physically and especially, psychologically) but I lack the resources necessary to leave.

Yes, both because of my parents and the area I currently reside in.

I usually get afraid when I am in a new environment. It's like the fear of being gay-bashed and the anxiety of trying to blend make a perfect storm. Then I internally freak out and have to go home.

Yes, even around my bipolar, gay-bashing mother and my antisocial, gay-bashing sister.



Yes, sometimes I can tell people that I encounter have a high intolerance for LGBT folks and/or have a high intolerance for people in the Autism community. For example, whenever I'm minding my own business, such as when I'm visiting the neighborhood public library, going to church, waiting for a bus, ETC, whenever someone slows down to look at me, I feel as if that person already knows of my AS & of me being bisexual.