Submitted by Icy-Egg-7755 t3_yqnnil in boston

Considering moving to Boston for work and wondering about a good place for my kids that’s queer friendly. I figure Cambridge is pretty friendly, but it’s also too expensive. What about Wakefield? Malden/Medford? Quincy? Braintree? Dedham? I’d really appreciate any local knowledge or suggestions. Also would appreciate if there’s any places to avoid. Thanks!

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theliontamer37 t1_ivp78c4 wrote

I would say Malden /Medford are more so than Quincy/Braintree but I could be wrong. I grew up in Boston and know a bunch of families who moved to the south shore, or the Irish Riviera as it’s often called, and they all vote red.

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RedUSA t1_ivp7ffy wrote

Honestly pretty much all of them are. Roslindale isn't a suburb but is a pretty residential area of the city and has a pretty strong LGBT+ presence.

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randomlurker82 t1_ivp7rgq wrote

Having been in Malden about 5 years now, and lived south shore much of my life before then, I definitely think Malden is more diverse. That might not have a ton of carryover to being more comfortable here if you're LGBTQ but you might feel more comfortable that you're in a pool of all different kinds of people.

I'm biased though, I really like it here lol

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BostonUniStudent t1_ivp7rvb wrote

I guess it depends on a lot of factors. What's the age of the kids?

Not all the letters are the same in LGBTQIA.

Lesbian cis gender daughter? Northampton. Tour Smith and Mt Holyoke, you might see NoHo resident Rachel Maddow. Our new governor is a lesbian.

Gay male? Boston has BAGLY for kids. PFLAG for parents. Provincetown when they get old enough to enjoy it.

Harvard and Somerville Sq have a lot of trans activism. I don't know if this is still true, but a few years back Jamaica Plain was like the most trans area regionally.

Kids just like to be kids. They'll find friends in school. Roxbury can be pretty hostile to young gay kids. But Dorchester is a bit more gentrified than it used to be. There's a weird gay oasis there (Near DBAR) in the middle an urban hellscape.

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theliontamer37 t1_ivp9fl9 wrote

Oh Malden is awesome. And admittedly idk what constitutes making a place more comfortable for the lgbtq community as I am a straight male, but I just know all the ppl on my social media that were posting Q grooming propaganda were from Quincy, Braintree, Weymouth and Holbrook

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lesbianzebra t1_ivpbspa wrote

All of the ones you mentioned would be pretty LGBT+ friendly. When you get into the cities/towns that are more... I don't want to say "rural", but just where the houses are more spread out, it gets a little less LGBT-friendly and you'll start to see some Trump signs in the lawns (Wilmington, Reading, etc). Wakefield would kind of be just on the cusp of that, but still not bad. If you want to go super queer-friendly I'd say Somerville, Medford, and Salem fit that category.

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kissmekate48 t1_ivpdktn wrote

You could look at the town's voting history to find the friendliest places.

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bcgrm t1_ivpequr wrote

I agree with the suggestion to look at the voting history. You probably want somewhere that's at least 65-70%+ for Warren, Markey.

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RogueInteger t1_ivpeqyn wrote

I'd throw Dorcherster in the mix. Savin Hill, Jones Hill, and Ashmont all have pretty robust LGBT+ populations.

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No_Definition7025 t1_ivpgsum wrote

Welcome, fellow queer. Greater Boston is, in general, super gay-friendly, but I'd recommend Malden, Arlington, Medford, and Somerville over any of the south shore suburbs. I lived in Quincy for a bit, and the vibe wasn't exactly hostile, but I almost never saw pride flags or visibly queer folks out and about and there was a fair bit of Q-aligned graffiti.

I'm trans and generally pass, but I was always a little nervous if I went out dressed at all GNC in Quincy. I never got harassed, but I never felt entirely comfortable in my own skin.

I'm up in Camberville (Cambridge + Somerville) now and it's a lot more comfortable to play around with gender expression. Quite a few queer-owned businesses in the area, too!

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twowrist t1_ivpluk7 wrote

One of the great things about Massachusetts is that nearly every town has a Unitarian and/or Congregational church, often at or near the town common, with a rainbow flag or sticker and other indications of being welcoming.

But that didn’t tell you about the schools. I don’t know whether it’s possible to get a record of which high schools had groups marching in the pride parade (back before the parade organization fell apart). Maybe BAGLY or PFLAG can help you find the most supportive schools.

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Icy-Egg-7755 OP t1_ivpxjih wrote

I’m coming from an area of the country that’s stuck in the 80s, so I’m unused to these newfangled ways like treating people with respect. Glad to hear Boston is okay!

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No_Definition7025 t1_ivq187a wrote

Glad to help! Like I said, you'd probably be fine anywhere in Massachusetts -- homophobia obviously exists, but it's not enshrined in law and it's not a prevalent attitude.

Boston unfortunately doesn't really have a true gayborhood, but Jamaica Plain is a hotbed of married lesbians with kids. Somerville and Cambridge are super queer friendly (and actually legally recognize polyamorous marriage, to give you a sense of the level of general/structural support for 'alternative' family arrangements). Unfortunately, a lot of those places are fairly expensive (b/c they're on the big transit lines), but I also know a couple gay couples w/ kids in Hyde Park, which is still part of Boston but less connected to the rest of the city by transit.

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MoreGuitarPlease t1_ivqlp5g wrote

Compared to most of the the rest of the country, anywhere east of Worcester should be pretty great.

It’s really not a thing that anyone I knows seems to care about.

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benck202 t1_ivqm86y wrote

Salem has a huge and very established LGBTQ population and the community is an integral part of local culture.

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HebrewHammer14 t1_ivr43c4 wrote

It’s funny how must people understand that Boston area in general is very friendly to people of all walks of life. Content of character over all else. But, if you listen to national sports media, then you’d think Boston is the most bigoted place in America.

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HebrewHammer14 t1_ivtrek6 wrote

Agreed but the unfriendly nature isn’t do to any bigotry. It’s the brutal honesty of ppl from the area who don’t tolerate games and bullsh*t. We have no problem telling someone if they are just an asshole. Lol

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DearChaseUtley t1_ivtvttj wrote

We have plenty of hate, its just not directed toward sexual orientation or gender assignment.

We prefer to hate on more definitive qualities like how you drive, how slow you walk on the sidewalk and where you get you preferred slice and cup of coffee. You know, stuff that actually defines your character.

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