So this isn't as big a problem as others seem to have and after reading other posts in this section I almost am not sure if my problems qualify. Anyway, I live in a very, redneck, church governed, area of Lakeland Florida that doesn't look too friendly on gays. One of the most popular shopping days here was when Chick-Fil-A had what I called its Gay Hate Sale. I count twelve churches within walking distance of my where I live. I would very much like to move but being a college graduate unable to find a job, that isn't really an option. I haven't had any huge problems with this but I would like to find others nearby. A bit lonely having no one nearby to socialize with or anywhere I can go and hang out without an hour or more drive home. Also a very low chance of ever finding myself a BF. I love the Parliament House in Orlando but I am not the most social person so not having a friendly face with me, I tend to just leave, plus its not as fun. Is there any good CLEAN places in or near Lakeland that I could try? I never know whether to trust the websites and google searches for things like this given the tendency for most gay bars or, well, most primarily gay hangouts to follow the negative stereotypes.
It doesn't say how old you are on your profile. If you are a teenager I would suggest going to college somewhere else where people are more accepting, maybe Orlando or another state? If you are an adult, you might consider joining a online dating website. You could also consider moving.
I am 23 but as I said, I already graduated college and have been unable to find a career starting job so I am unable to move. All the dating websites I look at are so, illegitimate, for lack of a better word. They all look like sexual hookup sites where the only replies I seemed to get were old men more than twice my age sending me pictures of their assholes. True story by the way.
We all face different problems so, yes, your problem def goes here, too Lakeland is not as unfriendly as it looks. Okay, is not gay mecca, but at least is not Panama City. The only group that comes to mind is a youth group called Lakeland Youth Alliance which meets every week. Its mainly younger kids (13-24), but they would be the people that I would get in contact with if you want to start finding more support around your area. Another thing to look into would be any community colleges around the area. Some of them have some gay-straight alliances that you can go to even if you aren't a student there. As for Orlando or Tampa now that you have plenty of options if you are up to the drive. And if you want to try more serious dating-sites PM and I can give you a couple that seem to work for friends that I know.
I feel your pain, man. I live in the bottom of the bucket that is Alabama. I actually thought Florida was pretty gay friendly, but I guess it truly depends on which part of Florida you live in. I think the more South you go in the USA, the more conservative it gets.
It may not be as bad as I think it is from what TheEdend is saying. A nearby church was just strongly pushing people to vote yes for proposition 6. That was the main thing that kind of opened my eyes to the dislike of gays in the area. That and Chick-Fil-A I guess.