What are the best places in Ohio for a single, 20-something gay person to live? I am going to college in NYC for Communications (graduating next year) but I am sick of the city- the thought of actually living here gives me nightmares. I miss Ohio, where the cities are much cheaper & quieter.

 

But one thing I remember about Ohio is how difficult it was for me to meet other gay people. I mean, I left when I was 18 having gone to one club in Youngstown with my lesbian friend and thought "Damn, I have to get out of Ohio if I ever want to meet other gay people who aren't old or pervy" (Now I just realize that I thought this because Youngstown tends to have more older people than young and its smaller). After moving to NYC and going through a HORRIBLE relationship & breakup, as well as being diagnosed with multiple anxiety problems because of how badly my small-town upbringing prepared me for city life, I've decided to come home to Ohio to wind down. I do still keep in touch with some friends & of course family, and I figured I may as well approach the question of gay Ohio life with more maturity than I did as a wide-eyed 18 year old.

 

Obviously, I grew up in NE Ohio and so I never really had any issues with my sexuality (mainly because I have a strong support system, plus I don't show it at all) but Cleveland never struck me as a gay friendly place. I mean, I hear there are clubs in Cleveland/Akron and the Positively Cleveland site really tries to market the city to gays but I never thought of it as being a "gay" place. Am I wrong? Are there lots of gays in the Greater Cleveland area?

 

Columbus is a plus but because of my nebulous age I'd be too old to chill with the 50,000-strong OSU college crowd, and the 10-11 times I've been there it seemed like a suburban area with a nice downtown. However I keep hearing everybody say that it is the 2-nd best place for gays in the Midwest besides Chicago.

 

so:

-What place has the best gay scene for a younger person? (Clubs, churches, bars)

-If I opt to live outside of the city: where can I live that's near a city/ in a city (30 minute drive max) that's quaint/quiet but not out in the sticks?

-Overall LGBT population for Columbus vs. Cleveland?

-Personal opinions/experiences preferred- I wouldn't be asking here if I didn't want them, I would google it if I wanted something from a tourist brochure.  :-)

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

I'd recommend Columbus.  The Short North/Vic Village/Italian Village is about as gay friendly as youre going to get in Ohio.  German Village too.  Don't overlook Northside or DT in Cincy.  A very burgeoning gay populaiton and scene there. 

Well I can't speak for the rest of the state, but I'm happy with gay life in Cleveland. I'd say its an emerging and expanding gay city/region, with a well established community. Scene wise, u have about 10-12 clubs and bars, plus a handful in akron. I don't go to church, but I know there are a couple gay and gay friendly churches around town. People are generally accepting, as I personally think most people in the county have a live and let live attitude about social and moral issues. There are a lot of gay people in CLE, mostly centered in lakewood, and the city neighborhoods of edgewater, detroit-shoreway, Ohio city, tremont, downtown, and some neighborhoods and suburbs on the eastside, which an eastsider will have to let u know about. Plus, Cleveland will play host to the 2014 gay games...so we are doing something right:)

I read somewhere that Lakewood is one of the gayest cities (per capita) in the Midwest. That said, the hoods between downtown Columbus and OSU are probably some of the most gay-friendly in the Midwest. Traffic isn't bad, and you can drive out of the city quite easily. Cincy as a region does not strike me as particularly open, though some places in the city are fine. I really don't know much about Cleveland....good luck with your move, and welcome back to sanity!

It's 2010. You will be able to live in any major metropolitan area in Ohio with a great deal of comfort and freedom. Almost every major company in the state offers partner benefits, every city has some kind of anti-discrimination policy, and they all have places to socialize and community supported events.

 

Even Cincinnati has done a complete 180. The notorious anti-gay law was thrown out by popular vote, and the city's pride parade was moved from the gayborhood to the central business district, complete with pride banners on the city lightposts, and it was quite a success.

 

The lines between straight and gay life are blurring. You can live pretty much anywhere.

I have some gay friends who live in a really neat area by St. Clair/E.55 in some converted warehouses.  It's a quiet little area and they feel safe and happy with their investments.  I don't know if you can consider it an emerging, gentrified community (I wasn't crazy about the surrounding neighborhoods), but hey, you gotta start somewhere. 

 

They regularly hit up some of the clubs in Lakewood and Cleveland and are having a pretty good, dare I say, gay ole' time:)

 

 

 

     

If you're into the ubiquitous gay bar/club scene, then you'll have no problem. If not, you're pretty much on your own. I'm guessing that goes for NYC too.

The cities do have employment and housing antidiscrimination laws, but few suburbs do, and the state does not. As a state, Ohio ranks very low on protections for gays and lesbians, though I agree that most people are cool in Ohio.

 

It's 2010. You will be able to live in any major metropolitan area in Ohio with a great deal of comfort and freedom. Almost every major company in the state offers partner benefits, every city has some kind of anti-discrimination policy, and they all have places to socialize and community supported events.

 

Even Cincinnati has done a complete 180. The notorious anti-gay law was thrown out by popular vote, and the city's pride parade was moved from the gayborhood to the central business district, complete with pride banners on the city lightposts, and it was quite a success.

 

The lines between straight and gay life are blurring. You can live pretty much anywhere.

I am bi and not gay, but I feel Cleveland has a pretty good acceptance of gays. There are a lot of gay-friendly bars and even the corporate place where I work has partner benefits for health care and for when you have or adopt a child, which is nice, and we're not exactly the most progressive where I work.  I've had a lot of gay and bi friends here and I would say Lakewood is definitely the most gay-friendly IMO.  As the PP said, I heard a stat once that per capita, there are more gay people in Lakewood than in any other city except for San Francisco, though I have no idea if that's true.  My mom's next door neighbors are in a gay sports league and headed up the commission to bring the Gay Games here, and they love Cleveland for a variety of reasons, some having to do with being gay and some not related at all.  I spent most of my 20s going out to bars, more gay bars than straight, and I feel there's a vibrant gay community here. But again, I'm bi, not gay, and my exposure has been more limited in recent years as I've settled down into the conventional side of my life, getting married and having a child, but I had a steady girlfriend only a few years ago and we regularly went out downtown and were open about our PDA, and nobody ever gave us a hard time.

I'm not Gay, or an expert on the Gay scene... However, I like to help promote small and unique locally owned and independent neighborhood businesses that add something different...so, be sure to check out The Dean Rufus House of Fun on W. 29th St. in Cleveland...  Great little place...  Sort of like a locally and independently owned Spencer Gifts for people of all walks of life and persuasions. Minors are not allowed in the store, however. Dean has done a great job in being a part of cleaning up that part of 29th St. Here is their web page plus full catalog: http://www.baynewear.com/page4.htm

I think your best bet would depend on your interests, your job opportunities, etc. I enjoy a nice night out at the bars/clubs as much as the next guy but I recommend doing things like volunteering or things like group sports to really meet people. As others mentioned - there are several open and affirming churches in Cleveland, including the United Church of Christ (HQ'd here). There's definitely an active gay community here, yes - Columbus Pride is a much larger event but that's not the best way to gauge day-to-day gay life of a city.

 

I think the scene in Cleveland would appeal more to someone in their late 20s, whereas Columbus (with OSU nearby) might have more appeal to those in their early 20s. I'm not sure of the last time you were in Columbus but they've made a lot of great strides in their built environment - still some ways to go, but definitely improved over the years. Anyway - with Cleveland, most of the places I prefer are "mainstream" bars in neigbhorhoods that attract an eclectic clientele, but I'm in my late 30s and happily exclusive so I'm not the one to ask where the great singles bars are. I've lived in Greater Cleveland since 1993 and I've been open at every place of employment (aka I have my S.O.'s photo on my desk, he comes with me to company functions just like others bring their spouses, etc. - I'm not one to plaster rainbow flags all over my cubicle). Hope that helps :-)

 

The cities do have employment and housing antidiscrimination laws, but few suburbs do, and the state does not. As a state, Ohio ranks very low on protections for gays and lesbians, though I agree that most people are cool in Ohio.

 

It's also worth mentioning that Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and Toledo all have domestic partnership registries.  Not sure about other places in the state.

Thank you all for your suggestions!! I am thinking about going with Cleveland; because then I'd be closer to family & friends.

 

I still have a while to mull this over, but I'll give all of your suggestions equal thought. thanks :)

Unlucky25, Cleveland is great for being gay in, but as has been mentioned before, it depends what your looking for.  There are lots of gay friendly areas around Cleveland (Lakewood, Edgewater, Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City, Tremont, Cleveland Hts, Shaker Sq. etc.), so much so that it appears to lack a "gay ghetto" that some younger gays may find appealing.  When I lived in Columbus 15+years ago, it was likely better there for this, but I believe even there it has changed and spread/scattered.

 

So as a whole Cleveland has alot of what Mayday mentioned, where many of my favorite places are places where people co-exist and co-mingle, that arent really defined either way, but are just "open".

 

I think Cleveland is especially great for established/long term couples, because you can basically live like a king there, with a 2 income household: its an easy place to live with tons of amenities and you can afford to live in a fabulous house.  Thats why me and my partner are trying to move back there from DC.   

 

Good Luck! 

Welcome back to Ohio and (hopefully  :-)) to Cleveland!  Here's my take on being a 30 y/o gay man in Cleveland.  Overall, I would echo what willyboy and the others have said, particularly about there not being any single "gayborhood".  If I had to guess, I'd say Lakewood or Tremont would come closest.  Everywhere I've been, especially in Cleveland itself, has been gay-friendly.

 

I honestly don't do much in the whole gay-scene, so I can't comment too much on bars, clubs, etc.  That probably has to do with the fact that most of my friends/coworkers are straight.  Anyways, while my BF and I go out a lot, it's usually to regular restaurants/bars and we've never felt uncomfortable. 

 

Employment-wise: The only place I've worked at here is the Cleveland Clinic (the largest private employer in the area) and they offer domestic partner benefits.  My coworkers and also (largely) accepting. 

 

Churches:  Assuming you're a mainline Protestant you won't have any trouble finding a gay-friendly church.  If you're Episcopalian, you may want to try the cathedral.  The cathedral dean is a lesbian and a number of gay people attend there.  As has been mentioned, the UCC is quite gay-friendly.

 

Overall, I have nothing bad to say about being gay here.  My BF wishes there were more bars/clubs, but it could just be that we don't know where to go.  If someone wants to PM me with some suggestions, that would be great.  We've been to Bounce and Twist and a few places in Akron (where he works), but that's about it.  Like I said, we've been on numerous (obvious) dates without any bad experiences.

 

I've never lived or been out in Columbus, Cincy, or Toledo, so I can't comment on them or compare them to Cleveland/Akron.  One of my ex's moved from Akron to Columbus and he always raved about their gay scene.  Anyways, I hope that this is helpful.

I am not gay, but I think that you would be very comfortable in Cleveland.  I won't give the cliche about "I have some gay friends", but it has been my experience that Cleveland is very friendly and accepting of all people.  Welcome to Cleveland.