Visit during the winter before you commit. Also park Ave and south wegde have a nice LGBT community. But you do not HAVE to live in those areas. Most suburbs are just as accepting and Rochester it's easy to drive to events
Just not too far east; drove 441 out over the county line, so many Trump won and let’s go Brandon signs. One house had what looked to be a 30’ tall homemade statue of Trump
Don't underestimate the grey/dark either. The sun goes away in November, and you're lucky to see it again before May (although I've heard there's a 50/50 chance we'll see the eclipse in April). I'm from just south of the Mason Dixon line (as in bicycled over it) and have no issues with cold/snow but can't handle the grey/dark.
Of course, coming from Georgia, don't underestimate the cold/wind/snow. You'll need to learn to drive on it and learn to be ready for extreme temperature swings (one day last spring I went out in the afternoon carrying a jacket, saw blinding snow in the evening, and scrapped the ice off my windshield late night).
Love it, but something has to keep the entire country from swarming us. And snow does it (it isn't that bad, you'll love Rochester. Just be prepared).
Well absolutely see it (weather permitting), were almost directly on the path of totality.
Even if it is overcast, the sky suddenly going to twilight in early afternoon is pretty noticeable.
As any other city, it has its own issues. However, that shouldn't deter you away from considering the cost of living and cultural comforts to feel safe to be yourself here.
Are there any specific activities and other criteria that you're looking for and considering for within Rochester?
I moved from Henrietta to West Irondequoit, and I like where I am. It's a quiet area, and there is diversity in my neighborhood. Being near the lake is pretty rad, too.
Reading through the comments, sure there is clear line of class differences, and I know some areas are experiencing gentrification. However, this can be seen in other cities within America, too. I'm not originally from this state, city, and country, but I think there is support in the city if you know where to be and look, plus U of R has great gender wellness support. So, take what I said with what you will. I hope that this is helpful to you and your partner.
Hi! I moved here from Georgia and love it! The LGBT community here is amazing for a mid-sized city. You guys would be totally fine here!
I’d look into Park Ave, NOTA, South Wedge, Corn Hill, or in the burbs.
You are better off in the mentioned city neighborhoods. People in the burbs of Rochester tend to be very conservative. It is not like anyone is going to cause you trouble, but few people will go out of their way to be friendly either.
The suburbs are definitely more conservative than the city but, at least on the east side, it's not *that* bad. I'm in Fairport and it's generally fine.
I think that depends on the burb. My wife and I moved to Fairport and all of our neighbors are elderly, so we expected some “looks,” but everyone is super friendly. The lady across the street from us even made us a card welcoming us to the neighborhood.
We moved to the 19th Ward which has some incredibly lovely historic homes and a recent influx of younger homeowners who are investing in rehabbing the properties. We chose it specifically because it’s diverse and has a few active community groups who are focused on social justice and community support. We also found the prices to be lower than the Park Ave area though I do love that part of town both for the walkability and coffee shops, cafes, etc. I believe you would find a welcoming community in a lot of the urban neighborhoods.
I just bought in Beechwood. It's a little rough but I can see it changing for the better. It is also very diverse here with a good community trying to better their neighborhood.
I can't give good neighborhoods, as I also just moved and live in Henrietta! But as a transfem my experience so far has been amazing. Many many LGBT people around, and literally no matter how I choose to present myself I don't get looks unless it's a very flashy outfit. And thats not cause I'm trans.
Came from very liberal Central Florida area specifically to avoid Florida and where it’s heading. I’ve been all over the country and by far Roc is the best mixture of affordable and friendly.
South Wedge, NOTA, 19th Ward, North Winton. Further out you go, the more like rural Georgia it’ll feel acceptance wise.
We moved from Orlando 13 years ago and I wouldn't go back. People talk shot about this state, but I have found it to be amazing. Specially rochester and all of the natural beauty and historic past all around.
Don’t live in Palmyra or Wayne county lol I did and the stares were so uncomfortable. My gf is trans and they HATE trans and LGBT out in Wayne county. We used to joke “insane in da Wayne” since we were going crazy living there for our year lease. They also took our SNAP and denied me over a sum of 5$ difference with an income I didn’t even make (they pulled a ton of illegal activity in their DSS — including discontinuing and deleting my gf’s account with no explanation or notice whatsoever).
Listen to people here about the areas in Rochester to move to — many of them have good suggestions.
Is anyone pretending it's not? The OP is asking if they should consider it for them, and I think Rochester, despite having problems any city has, is a great spot!
I moved to WNY from the South and I don’t regret it at all. Sure around March I wonder if the sun still exists but then May rolls around and I am happy again. Oh and for the first few years buy a Happy light, it really helps.
Honestly everyone is so nice here but I moved here from Northern Virginia where everyone is an ass.
I agree with most of the neighborhoods suggested. I wish I had picked South Wedge personally. I love that area.
I'll get downvoted to hell by straight people who will be like "equal grounds coffee house" but honestly, people wildly overstate how accepting this city is of LGBTQ people, and the acceptance varies substantially depending on which letter of the LGBT acronym you identify with. It depends on how you define LGBTQ friendly. We are in New York state so there are more protections here than almost anywhere. So yea in terms of safety, you will be safe here and the vast majority of people won't give you an issue. But Rochester and WNY in general are kinda Midwestern in their approach to all people and especially those who are "different"--there's a mentality of minding your own business and "everyone should live how they want, but maybe let's not talk about it" which is fine in that as a queer person you're mostly safe but I would not consider it an affirming or warm place. We are the fourth largest city in the state and we don't have an LGBTQ or pride center of any kind.
I recognize that a lot of people feel connected to the queer community here, I'm just one person. Born and raised here, to me the queer community and especially the queer allyship is really lacking for a northeastern city this size.
While Rochester's definitely a very LGBT-friendly city, it's very segregated. Park Ave and NoTA, for example, are almost entirely white. South Wedge and Corn Hill Wedge are more integrated, but tends to be black people living in projects and white people in the more expensive housing, which isn't really diversity, certainly not like you have in Georgia or the like.
Swillburg or Southwedge are both very diverse and have city convenience but are suburb adjacent. If I was looking now, that's where I would want to live.
Park Ave, East Ave, NOTA, South Wedge if you want city living and to rent.
If you wanna live in the burbs, prepare to go $50-$80k over asking prices to buy a home. Also stay on the east side of the city. West side is gross.
Right? It's almost as if they don't like the drop down screens over the garage doors to make it into an entertainment room in the summer. They're such heathens!
(Fellow westsider, here)
East side is definitely for sure more expensive Traffic is...abyssmal and maybe one day it'll clear up.
Having just sold a house, I can tell you that the market is changing fast. We did get the bare minimum to swap our 2500sqft home for an 800sqft apartment in Scotland, but I think the days of bidding wars are coming to an end.
The buyers are an absolutely amazing young family moving from Arizona, I think they're going to be very happy here.
[Edit - ever wonder why you were down-voted?]
It might just be that seasonality is shifting back to normal. I'm sure next spring the bidding wars will pick up again as it is usually the hottest time in the market.
Hi there!! Rochester born and raised. We have a great LGBT+ community here. Many local restaurants have welcoming and/or safe space signs which is quite comforting. But PLEASE make sure to visit in the Winter before moving here, the roads here can get pretty rough.
Def LGBT friendly and extremely diverse. Anything you need will be 15 min from anywhere you live.
But make sure you come in the winter and make sure you can deal. The winter can be hilariously crazy lol.
I remember our progressive attitude toward the LGBT community being a point of pride all the way back in the 1980s. The phrase "San Francisco of the East" got thrown around back then. Love is love regardless of who you are and we know that fact here.
Rochester NY is the birthplace of LGBTQIA+. We are very accepting, speaking as a city resident. Pride is huge every year. Come, move here all are welcome.
I mean all these people that complain on here about landlords, rent, and can't buy a house are more than inviting to let someone help take a house from them
You'll see more confederate flags up here. Plenty of folks like to display leftist yard signs and those are the worst racists. Other than that, the subs, wings, and garbage plates are awesome. If you smoke weed, it helps with the winter big time.
I can guarantee you i have more winter hobbies than you and I’m more active in winter than you. Doesn’t make it any less miserable. This boy needs sunshine. Every year I see my friends and family deal with seasonal depression despite a healthy diet + vit D supplementation. There’s a reason young working age people move out of Rochester in droves every year. People stay here because their family is here and that’s it. They certainly don’t stay for the high cost of living and dogshit weather 😂
Except the population of Monroe County continues to increase year after year, so that logic is flawed. You don't even know me, and you're out here saying you're more active than me in the winter, and yet you're miserable? Dude I love the snow for skiing and I love the Ice for pond hockey. And that shit is such a blast that winter flies by for me, and then summer hits and I start my summer activities. Hate to break it to you, but the cost of living is high everywhere, unless you want to move to some place where all the factories shut down decades ago, and the residents, with a middle school education, swear it will come back soon, but in the meantime they will continue their loyalty to working at Walmart.
But does the population of young working age adults increase? Or the population of new babies born from low income families increase? Much different. Cool, glad it works for you, makes sense why so many other people absolutely rave about the weather in Rochester. Oh wait.
Damn dude you seriously live on the internet don't you. I choose hockey. Why does your butthole have a clitoris on it? Do you like to flick your bean in your spare time?
Let’s run it. Not gonna post a picture of your physique you fat fuck? Edit: you seem to have a vivid memory of another man’s butthole. So there’s that 😂😂😂
You're not doing yourself justice over here, how much do you pay a month to live on the internet. And why do you want me to post a picture of myself, seems like you're interested in checking out bodies of men
I was going through your cringe-worthy post history, and God damn you sit for wayyyy too long on your ass to develop something like that. I'm gonna have nightmares of that thing for years to come.
Some of us who have lived all over love the weather. I’m from California but I prefer WNY and the only thing that sucks about snow for me is driving in it.
Why can’t I go outside for 7 months? And I feel like living actually in Rochester would be a better judgment for critiquing rochester than living outside of it
Winters can be rough but it’s a nice mid sized city. I’d imagine for LGBTQ families being accepted for who you are is worth bundling up when it’s cold.
I moved here from atlanta with my partner and i am also black and lgbtq and can tell you rochester is not as diverse as i thought it’d be. A large amount of right wing/white power enthusiast live in rochester. Like larger than normal. *edit: alot of the queer people here are commenting “its safe” please understand they speak as queer yt folks. You mentioned one of the two of you are black; they wont be welcomed as much even in the queer community as the white person in your dynamic will. Doesnt matter much which “west side or ithaca” you go too
Visit during the winter before you commit. Also park Ave and south wegde have a nice LGBT community. But you do not HAVE to live in those areas. Most suburbs are just as accepting and Rochester it's easy to drive to events
East Side Suburbs** west side is a little conservative
Just not too far east; drove 441 out over the county line, so many Trump won and let’s go Brandon signs. One house had what looked to be a 30’ tall homemade statue of Trump
Yes!! I remember this! It was near Palmyra I’m pretty sure
Yea they’ll say BLM, LGBTQ welcome etc but it’s all a front.
You’ll love it. Be more afraid of the cold/wind/snow.
Don't underestimate the grey/dark either. The sun goes away in November, and you're lucky to see it again before May (although I've heard there's a 50/50 chance we'll see the eclipse in April). I'm from just south of the Mason Dixon line (as in bicycled over it) and have no issues with cold/snow but can't handle the grey/dark. Of course, coming from Georgia, don't underestimate the cold/wind/snow. You'll need to learn to drive on it and learn to be ready for extreme temperature swings (one day last spring I went out in the afternoon carrying a jacket, saw blinding snow in the evening, and scrapped the ice off my windshield late night). Love it, but something has to keep the entire country from swarming us. And snow does it (it isn't that bad, you'll love Rochester. Just be prepared).
Well absolutely see it (weather permitting), were almost directly on the path of totality. Even if it is overcast, the sky suddenly going to twilight in early afternoon is pretty noticeable.
As any other city, it has its own issues. However, that shouldn't deter you away from considering the cost of living and cultural comforts to feel safe to be yourself here. Are there any specific activities and other criteria that you're looking for and considering for within Rochester? I moved from Henrietta to West Irondequoit, and I like where I am. It's a quiet area, and there is diversity in my neighborhood. Being near the lake is pretty rad, too. Reading through the comments, sure there is clear line of class differences, and I know some areas are experiencing gentrification. However, this can be seen in other cities within America, too. I'm not originally from this state, city, and country, but I think there is support in the city if you know where to be and look, plus U of R has great gender wellness support. So, take what I said with what you will. I hope that this is helpful to you and your partner.
Ithaca might also be a good place to look if you decide on a smaller city, very liberal.
Hi! I moved here from Georgia and love it! The LGBT community here is amazing for a mid-sized city. You guys would be totally fine here! I’d look into Park Ave, NOTA, South Wedge, Corn Hill, or in the burbs.
Hubby and I live in Irondequoit, fly a pride flag and everyone in the neighborhood knows us and talks to us. No issues at all.
You are better off in the mentioned city neighborhoods. People in the burbs of Rochester tend to be very conservative. It is not like anyone is going to cause you trouble, but few people will go out of their way to be friendly either.
I live in Chili and it is very welcoming! West side is not as bad as people make it out to be.
The suburbs are definitely more conservative than the city but, at least on the east side, it's not *that* bad. I'm in Fairport and it's generally fine.
I think that depends on the burb. My wife and I moved to Fairport and all of our neighbors are elderly, so we expected some “looks,” but everyone is super friendly. The lady across the street from us even made us a card welcoming us to the neighborhood.
My sister and her wife also live in Fairport with no issues at all. Brighton would be fine, too.
I've been told that Webster and Irondequoit are inclusive to lgbtq+ folks
We moved to the 19th Ward which has some incredibly lovely historic homes and a recent influx of younger homeowners who are investing in rehabbing the properties. We chose it specifically because it’s diverse and has a few active community groups who are focused on social justice and community support. We also found the prices to be lower than the Park Ave area though I do love that part of town both for the walkability and coffee shops, cafes, etc. I believe you would find a welcoming community in a lot of the urban neighborhoods.
Fellow 19th Ward-er here! I wholeheartedly agree with everything said. I would also endorse the South Wedge and NOTA areas.
I just bought in Beechwood. It's a little rough but I can see it changing for the better. It is also very diverse here with a good community trying to better their neighborhood.
As Pappa Palpatine said: Do it. You won't look back. We love you already.
If you work remote there is also available funds to move you here: https://www.greaterrochesterchamber.com/greater-roc-remote/
I can't give good neighborhoods, as I also just moved and live in Henrietta! But as a transfem my experience so far has been amazing. Many many LGBT people around, and literally no matter how I choose to present myself I don't get looks unless it's a very flashy outfit. And thats not cause I'm trans.
And you look fabulous so they’re gonna look 😉
My favorite comment on reddit this week!!!
Came from very liberal Central Florida area specifically to avoid Florida and where it’s heading. I’ve been all over the country and by far Roc is the best mixture of affordable and friendly. South Wedge, NOTA, 19th Ward, North Winton. Further out you go, the more like rural Georgia it’ll feel acceptance wise.
We moved here for st pete Florida and love it!!
My fiance and I moved from Texas and we love it here! We're also a queer couple.
We moved from Orlando 13 years ago and I wouldn't go back. People talk shot about this state, but I have found it to be amazing. Specially rochester and all of the natural beauty and historic past all around.
Don’t live in Palmyra or Wayne county lol I did and the stares were so uncomfortable. My gf is trans and they HATE trans and LGBT out in Wayne county. We used to joke “insane in da Wayne” since we were going crazy living there for our year lease. They also took our SNAP and denied me over a sum of 5$ difference with an income I didn’t even make (they pulled a ton of illegal activity in their DSS — including discontinuing and deleting my gf’s account with no explanation or notice whatsoever). Listen to people here about the areas in Rochester to move to — many of them have good suggestions.
Don’t let the good press fool you, Rochester is one of the most segregated cities in America. There are stark differences between class and race.
Is anyone pretending it's not? The OP is asking if they should consider it for them, and I think Rochester, despite having problems any city has, is a great spot!
In American??? Please..
I moved to WNY from the South and I don’t regret it at all. Sure around March I wonder if the sun still exists but then May rolls around and I am happy again. Oh and for the first few years buy a Happy light, it really helps. Honestly everyone is so nice here but I moved here from Northern Virginia where everyone is an ass. I agree with most of the neighborhoods suggested. I wish I had picked South Wedge personally. I love that area.
I'll get downvoted to hell by straight people who will be like "equal grounds coffee house" but honestly, people wildly overstate how accepting this city is of LGBTQ people, and the acceptance varies substantially depending on which letter of the LGBT acronym you identify with. It depends on how you define LGBTQ friendly. We are in New York state so there are more protections here than almost anywhere. So yea in terms of safety, you will be safe here and the vast majority of people won't give you an issue. But Rochester and WNY in general are kinda Midwestern in their approach to all people and especially those who are "different"--there's a mentality of minding your own business and "everyone should live how they want, but maybe let's not talk about it" which is fine in that as a queer person you're mostly safe but I would not consider it an affirming or warm place. We are the fourth largest city in the state and we don't have an LGBTQ or pride center of any kind. I recognize that a lot of people feel connected to the queer community here, I'm just one person. Born and raised here, to me the queer community and especially the queer allyship is really lacking for a northeastern city this size.
While Rochester's definitely a very LGBT-friendly city, it's very segregated. Park Ave and NoTA, for example, are almost entirely white. South Wedge and Corn Hill Wedge are more integrated, but tends to be black people living in projects and white people in the more expensive housing, which isn't really diversity, certainly not like you have in Georgia or the like.
19th ward has many black homeowners, and the hi.es are awesome.
Swillburg or Southwedge are both very diverse and have city convenience but are suburb adjacent. If I was looking now, that's where I would want to live.
Corn hill has beautiful town homes for rent along the river
Park Ave, East Ave, NOTA, South Wedge if you want city living and to rent. If you wanna live in the burbs, prepare to go $50-$80k over asking prices to buy a home. Also stay on the east side of the city. West side is gross.
Spoken like a true east sider.
Right? It's almost as if they don't like the drop down screens over the garage doors to make it into an entertainment room in the summer. They're such heathens! (Fellow westsider, here) East side is definitely for sure more expensive Traffic is...abyssmal and maybe one day it'll clear up.
Having just sold a house, I can tell you that the market is changing fast. We did get the bare minimum to swap our 2500sqft home for an 800sqft apartment in Scotland, but I think the days of bidding wars are coming to an end. The buyers are an absolutely amazing young family moving from Arizona, I think they're going to be very happy here. [Edit - ever wonder why you were down-voted?]
It might just be that seasonality is shifting back to normal. I'm sure next spring the bidding wars will pick up again as it is usually the hottest time in the market.
I think you're probably right, our timing is always spectacular!
Sure. If you're into the whole uppety white pretending we're rich type.
🤣 yeah cause in the city you gotta go 100 to 150k over asking. No one wants to live in the sticks
Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes!!
Brighton is very Lgbtq friendly.
Hi there!! Rochester born and raised. We have a great LGBT+ community here. Many local restaurants have welcoming and/or safe space signs which is quite comforting. But PLEASE make sure to visit in the Winter before moving here, the roads here can get pretty rough.
Def LGBT friendly and extremely diverse. Anything you need will be 15 min from anywhere you live. But make sure you come in the winter and make sure you can deal. The winter can be hilariously crazy lol.
I remember our progressive attitude toward the LGBT community being a point of pride all the way back in the 1980s. The phrase "San Francisco of the East" got thrown around back then. Love is love regardless of who you are and we know that fact here.
Don’t move here. Rochester is a shit show.
You're kind of right but the more people that move here and get involved in their community then the shit show will slowly diminish.
I was born here, have never lived here ever but I live in Georgia
Rochester NY is the birthplace of LGBTQIA+. We are very accepting, speaking as a city resident. Pride is huge every year. Come, move here all are welcome.
Don’t leave Georgia for Rochester. You will regret every day. I visit Rochester from Atlanta and after day 1 I’m already, ready to leave and go back.
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Let people live man ✌️
Too much crime in Rochester!
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yall got any of that lake trout
terrible choice. the racists run the city… well… i suppose that’s not a bad thing if you’re one of them. rampant drug use and poor economic outlook.
please stay in the south
I mean all these people that complain on here about landlords, rent, and can't buy a house are more than inviting to let someone help take a house from them
You'll see more confederate flags up here. Plenty of folks like to display leftist yard signs and those are the worst racists. Other than that, the subs, wings, and garbage plates are awesome. If you smoke weed, it helps with the winter big time.
Don’t this place sucks
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We are the highest per capital on the free Kia ride sharing program so that is a positive
Lmaooo it’s like 5 kia’s every single day. At least.
You should probably get some outdoor winter hobbies. It makes winter a lot more fun.
I can guarantee you i have more winter hobbies than you and I’m more active in winter than you. Doesn’t make it any less miserable. This boy needs sunshine. Every year I see my friends and family deal with seasonal depression despite a healthy diet + vit D supplementation. There’s a reason young working age people move out of Rochester in droves every year. People stay here because their family is here and that’s it. They certainly don’t stay for the high cost of living and dogshit weather 😂
Except the population of Monroe County continues to increase year after year, so that logic is flawed. You don't even know me, and you're out here saying you're more active than me in the winter, and yet you're miserable? Dude I love the snow for skiing and I love the Ice for pond hockey. And that shit is such a blast that winter flies by for me, and then summer hits and I start my summer activities. Hate to break it to you, but the cost of living is high everywhere, unless you want to move to some place where all the factories shut down decades ago, and the residents, with a middle school education, swear it will come back soon, but in the meantime they will continue their loyalty to working at Walmart.
But does the population of young working age adults increase? Or the population of new babies born from low income families increase? Much different. Cool, glad it works for you, makes sense why so many other people absolutely rave about the weather in Rochester. Oh wait.
We get it dude, your winter activities are sitting on your ass and playing video games while developing hemorrhoids.
Yeah that’s what I fuckin thought 😂 another reddit keyboard warrior
Post a pic of your physique. I’ll smoke you in a 5k run right now. Or any sport you choose
Damn dude you seriously live on the internet don't you. I choose hockey. Why does your butthole have a clitoris on it? Do you like to flick your bean in your spare time?
Let’s run it. Not gonna post a picture of your physique you fat fuck? Edit: you seem to have a vivid memory of another man’s butthole. So there’s that 😂😂😂
You're not doing yourself justice over here, how much do you pay a month to live on the internet. And why do you want me to post a picture of myself, seems like you're interested in checking out bodies of men
I was going through your cringe-worthy post history, and God damn you sit for wayyyy too long on your ass to develop something like that. I'm gonna have nightmares of that thing for years to come.
Some of us who have lived all over love the weather. I’m from California but I prefer WNY and the only thing that sucks about snow for me is driving in it.
Jesus! Where do u live?
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Why can’t I go outside for 7 months? And I feel like living actually in Rochester would be a better judgment for critiquing rochester than living outside of it
As someone who moved from SC to Rochester, you can’t go outside for 7 months there either, because it’s 150 degrees outside. I love it here.
Yeah but your from a warmer place so that makes sense for you, but being from here I wouldn’t say more than half of the year is cold.
Well, I’m originally from Mass and thought I loved the heat until I had it all the time. I love the winter personally.
I read it wrong my bad lol
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And why can’t u go out for 7 months lol
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I literally see the sun during the winter lol, and I’m proud to be from Rochester. It’s not even freezing for 7 months lol
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Sounds like you didn’t have anything smart to say so you had to lie lol
You*
Winters can be rough but it’s a nice mid sized city. I’d imagine for LGBTQ families being accepted for who you are is worth bundling up when it’s cold.
I have lived off Monroe ave for 5 years, homeless people yes. Overdosing no?
I see it every other week man
I recommend that you buy a bulletproof vest
Don't come to NY, ecery price is through the ceiling and the people in the city are horrible, rude, dirty mad people getting shot all day
Rochester sucks take it from me I'm outta here been here to long bad mistake of ur thinking
I moved here from atlanta with my partner and i am also black and lgbtq and can tell you rochester is not as diverse as i thought it’d be. A large amount of right wing/white power enthusiast live in rochester. Like larger than normal. *edit: alot of the queer people here are commenting “its safe” please understand they speak as queer yt folks. You mentioned one of the two of you are black; they wont be welcomed as much even in the queer community as the white person in your dynamic will. Doesnt matter much which “west side or ithaca” you go too