I was reading an article in Rolling Stone the other day about the Anoka-Hennepin School Districts and their neutrality policy on GLBTQ students and how this particular reporter feels it has affected students and possibly driven some to have mental health issues and suicidal ideation with some even taking their lives.
Rolling Stone: “One town’s war on gay teens”
I’m not trying to debate the validity of this article or the policy of the school district, I just remember while reading it I was pretty shocked to hear so many anti-gay sentiments in Minnesota. I kept thinking to myself: “Really? But Duluth seems so gay-friendly.”
That’s why I wanted to ask PDD: do you think Duluth is gay friendly? I am an out bisexual woman, but a bisexual who never dated a woman during my time in Duluth. I’ve participated in Pride, patronized all the local gay bars (though admittedly they’re in Superior) and have noticed a lot of gay-friendly signage around Duluth’s establishments. Though I never really had an opportunity to suffer any personal discrimination as I’ve since married a man, I still never noticed an air of it in the community.
Now I’m not talking stories about one singular asshole who was heterosexist and said something awful at a bar one night. I’m talking about the general culture of Duluth. What say ye?
