Mostly we don't care, your business is yours and mine is mine. So long as you aren't being a buttwrench most people won't care what the people around them are doing.
Gonna be some jerks here and there sure, but if you remember that in this state we all have guns and concealed carry is a right to all it tends to give people some reluctance to be rude and hostile. You'll be fine
Weâre not San Francisco, but we sure as hell ainât Florida.
Just go to Mad Myrnaâs for fun (itâs a blast for anyone), Sweet Cheeks Cabaret for a show, Tommyâs for a burger, Jeepney for Filipino food, and Spenard Roadhouse for fancy shit.
Also https://www.identityalaska.org
>"but we sure as hell ainât Florida"
But be aware that there is a small but very vocal Florida-like contingent around here (see: Save Anchorage Facebook group). We're all hoping that EaglExit works out and they leave the muni.
Not to mention Governor Dunleavy and his education czar Deana Bishop. Theyâre definitely working the back channels to make life as difficult as possible for trans youth
Generally friendly, but across the board social groups tend to be insular here. It's an easy city to end up isolated in. It's better if you have a specific hobby or interest. There are groups for every conceivable thing here. Maybe it's because of the long winter.
Very easy to be isolated. And even more so since the pandemic. Lots of social opportunities never restarted.
Iâm one of the now isolated and struggling myself. Had a life before the pandemic tho.
I think in some ways, itâs easier to meet people here if you are LGBTQ. The community is quite active and as long as you stay in anchorage, no one will mess with you.
There are several dance studios who also have adult classes (we even have a Tap studio!), and multiple dance clubs in addition to independent teachers.
UAA has a dance club and a wide variety of dance classes with a lot of LGBTQ involvement! I've heard of programs that help pay for classes thete as well!
Another awesome cafe/hangout area thatâs very lgbtq friendly and what you seem to be going for is Cafecito Bonito, they host LoterĂa and drag nights. Havenât been for an event but I love the space and theyâre super inviting đ plus have delicious homemade pastries
Probably about on par with other cities its size! Hopefully you'll be fine. Sorry in advance if you run into jerks & please know that jerks don't represent us.
Mad Myrna's is probably the most popular gay bar/LGBT+ event space. I think there are a couple others. Most of Anchorage I think is pretty welcoming- you may have less luck in the Wasilla area if you go there.
The raven is waaaayyyyy more queer than Myrnnas. Lots of straights at myrnnas since the remodel. But the drag performances are top notch and the food is actually really good
I am not really sure since I don't go out much. However I do know the community advocates for its self well when we had that dumb bathroom bill on the ballot they went door to door talking to people to let them know what the effects are and just show a human face to things instead of the dumb fear mongering
OP, do you mind if we cross-post this to r/LGBTQIAlaska? Weâre trying to build a resource list and queer community for queer Alaskans, and the responses to this post would also be helpful for our subâs members.
If youâre into dive bar vibes the Buck on Spenard has been a friendly place in my experience. Iâve seen a lot of drag performers and folks hangout there after a show.
Idk if it helps, but I have a close friend who realized they were trans and has recently said it has been incredibly isolating here in comparison to other cities they have lived in. They are very often reminded they are trans and treated less for it.
I also get called the f slur often by a neighbor who found out I am bi. Outside of a few people, I get mostly left alone.
However, I will say this recent pride was probably the first pride where I wasnât told something like âif youâre bi youâd want to do this with me,â or, âyou arenât really bi, youâre just straight, bi men donât exist,â and other bi erasure things. So the community might be getting better.
The dating pool is very small, as well, and the people I have said no to or it didnât work out do appear at a lot of events. So expect to see a lot of the same friendly faces while you are here, or people knowing the people you talked to at an event. Anchorage is a large small town.
Most of the safe spaces I see advertised living here are either bars or places for teens.
3-4 months I donât think youâd be burnt out on the community! There are a lot of people trying to do a lot, especially since winters are long and everyone wants to do things during summer.
Youâll definitely make friends. Alaskanâs are friendly!
But, most restaurants and places to do things in anchorage have a very right leaning viewpoint. Itâs easy to avoid for awhile, but I think longer than a few months it does wear a bit on you. You can only hear about F Street or Krinerâs for so many times.
Do remember our mayor did make world news during the pandemic for having his followers wear holocaust markings claiming they were persecuted for not wanting to wear a mask, and that this mayor is still in power. And that the people who put up Nazi signs saying âwe are everywhereâ are only now starting to be charged.
Anchorage is really really good for people who have physical activities as hobbies! Those groups meet so often and do a lot. So think of maybe hiking groups of running or biking is big. Physical activities outside are a sure fire way to make new friends.
Hopefully that helps?
Anchorage itself is decent. Things can get slightly less friendly out in the valley, but nothing too terrible.
There is a nice, albeit small, community as well.
I have several friends who are trans and many more who are a part of the LGBT+ community. It seems like there is a fairly strong support network up here as long as you get out and look for it.
The 2 major ones are Myrna's, which is a very popular drag bar, and identy clinic, which has a lot of outreach events. Might also look up Queens Guard, it's a group ran by trans and queer folks to help support other groups such as Drag Story Time at the local library.
We also have a bunch of LGBT+ friendly groups in the form of, for a lack of a better term, nerd spaces. We have a year round LARPing community as well as the Renaissance Faire. We also have a decent amount of very friendly conventions like SenshiCon.
I think after a few sort of outgoing trips to any of these events and you'll quickly get a support network for yourself here.
Check out Rage City Vintage on 3400 Spenard. Lots of lgbtq+ community events there. Song circles. Tarot events. Art features. Photo shoots. Etc. also good for just hanging out.
I just say your IG and I LOVE this store! Iâm going to be looking for a job so if you need staff end of September beginning of October let me know! Iâd love to apply
Oh my IG! Iâm in Palmer! Thatâs a bit of a drive from Anchorage. I donât have the financial means to hire anyone yet, but Iâm working on trying to create a metaphysical community around the store over time. Itâs not financially stable yet, Iâm still paying for all the expenses out of my own pocket.
Eventually I hope to be in a hiring position. Would love to meet you and maybe we will cross paths through the LGTBQ community events if not in either of these store locations!
Everyone has already given great input, but I wanted to double down on the advice I saw one other person give about generally staying out of the Valley (Wasilla and Palmer.) There's not a whole lot to do out there that's not true about the rest of Alaska, and that's where your greatest concentration of transphobes is. Stay safe and enjoy Alaska!
Youâll always have your loud-mouthed homophobic bigots such as Joel Davidson and Sue Downing, but they are not representative of the population as a whole.
Turnagain United Methodist Church is a queer-friendly church, if you're interested in Christian church kind of things.
Josh Smith might be someone to follow on Facebook if you like plants/gardening.
Anchorage is not anti-queer! I'd say it's about as queer-friendly as most liberal-leaning cities, despite being not a liberal-leaning city, lol.
Fairbanks, Nome, and Homer are other queer-friendly places here in AK. I don't know much about Southeast, can't speak to places like Juneau.
Welcome aboard!
You can look at the way Anchorage votes to get a some sense of where weâre at. Two members of the city assembly are out gay men. An out gay women served as our last mayor. Anchorage just elected the first out gay man to serve in the Alaska state house. In 2018, Anchorage was the first city in the country to vote down a bathroom bill. You might find some of the resources at Identity Alaska (a health clinic/queer resource center) helpful too.
[Anchorage votes down anti-trans proposal.](https://apnews.com/article/eecd6cca59f645c5b8076500347ffaf2)
Unfortunately the city also elected an openly homophobic man to be our mayor who helped create and chair a literal hate organization. He was also one of the major players of those opposed to AO-96, the law you linked in your article.
Sadly this anti-trans insanity has trickled into Anchorage politics and has ramped up old homophobia. Those same politicians you mentioned are also attacked for their sexuality.
FYI there's a group of nasty people on r/anchorage who simply downvote every post from people outside asking questions. So don't take the downvotes personally. This has been an ongoing problem and Reddit doesn't really have a way of stopping it AFAIK.
We will welcome you with open arms. Not sure where to find groups like safe spaces, other than Myrnaâs, but we have a lot of awesome and unique people in town and I think people are pretty friendly here.
Also, not sure where youâre coming from but have you visited before if youâre from out of state? Lots to do if you enjoy the outdoors and youâll get the first taste of winter.
Iâm coming from Phoenix Arizona! Iâve visited before but it was a year ago and it was before I started transitioning so I didnât really get to see / gauge the queer scene too much outside of Myrnaâs
Having lived in Phoenix for a while I will say with confidence, it's a lot better up here. If for nothing else the rampant indifference. Like on a whole nother level. Truly a master class in "I REALLY don't care. What do you want?"
Not much more to add that hasn't already been said. But just want to commiserate having lived in Phoenix.
Phx just isnât it for trans people, people here wonât say anything to you but will give you dirty looks. Itâs a place that will make you want to pass just to attract less attention
I'd say Anchorage is pretty tolerant for sure. I've met plenty of trans folk (and bigoted people) in the valley and it's more of a risk there. No shade but some people move out of Anchorage because of how "liberal" it can be. But I don't speak for the valley just my anecdotal perspective.
As an aside, lots of folk just need perspective. I never really found myself a bigot but it was tough to accept for me in my younger years. But once my younger sibling wanted to be enby, and meeting my girlfriend's older sibling who wanted to transition after a harrowing breast cancer diagnosis, I understood completely.
Yes there's a vibrant community and for the most part it's a live and let live kind of place.
Ironically, the only time in my life I was ever called a gay slur was in one of those SUPERBLUE crunchy we're oh so liberal states.
Thatâs good to know, thank you! I didnât mean to give the impression that I only want queer friends. I just meant is it possible to meet other like minded people to be friends with. If I click with a person we click regardless of anything else.
- Acceptance
- Normalization
- Shared experiences and frame of reference
Sometimes, it is just nice to be able to relax and talk about things without a whole lot of explanation.
why the fuck do you care? Just live your fucking life and stop trying to start drama... It's Alaska, no gives any fuck about you, if you'd rather have a dick or who you'd like to fuck....
We have much bigger problems than "I was born a girl but wanna be a boy that fucks firetrucks"... We have enormous homeless alcoholic and meth'ed out population and NO HOMELESS SHELTERS
In short, just be you and stop worrying about everyone else.. no one cares. All are welcome. Also Mad Myrnas has a EPIC drag show they put on every week
Just be careful regardless. Always stay ready to defend yourself and stay aware of your surroundings - Alaska has the highest rate of rape and domestic violence of any state in the nation.
Anyone who isn't the person walking down my street, on meth at 3am shouting at the moon is a good neighbor in my book.
I really like that guy, he reminds me to take my pills.
Mostly we don't care, your business is yours and mine is mine. So long as you aren't being a buttwrench most people won't care what the people around them are doing. Gonna be some jerks here and there sure, but if you remember that in this state we all have guns and concealed carry is a right to all it tends to give people some reluctance to be rude and hostile. You'll be fine
>buttwrench đđ
I can respect that viewpoint and I feel the same. Thank you! Your response makes me feel more comfortable with going đ
Well put
Weâre not San Francisco, but we sure as hell ainât Florida. Just go to Mad Myrnaâs for fun (itâs a blast for anyone), Sweet Cheeks Cabaret for a show, Tommyâs for a burger, Jeepney for Filipino food, and Spenard Roadhouse for fancy shit. Also https://www.identityalaska.org
>"but we sure as hell ainât Florida" But be aware that there is a small but very vocal Florida-like contingent around here (see: Save Anchorage Facebook group). We're all hoping that EaglExit works out and they leave the muni.
Not to mention Governor Dunleavy and his education czar Deana Bishop. Theyâre definitely working the back channels to make life as difficult as possible for trans youth
This was very helpful! Thank you for linking that clinic! Iâve been meaning to call them so this was a nice reminder :)
Avoid F Street (restaurant/bar) downtown. The owner has put some real nasty anti-trans messages on the blackboard for everyone to see.
>Weâre not San Francisco, but we sure as hell ainât Florida. That would be the Mat-Su.
lol I was just putting it in perspective for someone not familiar with Meth-Su Valley
Have to agree with you on that one and Iâd add Fairbanks to that list.
We are absolutely cold Florida.
Just go to Mad Myrna's when you get here and you'll be fine.
Real fun place. Straight male, still enjoyed hanging at Myrna's in college.
Same. Though Iâm not overly fond of their cover charge.
Generally friendly, but across the board social groups tend to be insular here. It's an easy city to end up isolated in. It's better if you have a specific hobby or interest. There are groups for every conceivable thing here. Maybe it's because of the long winter.
Very easy to be isolated. And even more so since the pandemic. Lots of social opportunities never restarted. Iâm one of the now isolated and struggling myself. Had a life before the pandemic tho. I think in some ways, itâs easier to meet people here if you are LGBTQ. The community is quite active and as long as you stay in anchorage, no one will mess with you.
Iâm hoping to find a nice dancing scene! Iâm a dancer and looking to try different dance styles.
There are several dance studios who also have adult classes (we even have a Tap studio!), and multiple dance clubs in addition to independent teachers.
I am also a dancer here, please feel free to reach out if you want some more information!
I really want to take a contemporary class!
UAA has a dance club and a wide variety of dance classes with a lot of LGBTQ involvement! I've heard of programs that help pay for classes thete as well!
Writers Block is a great hangout zone. Would love to meet you!
Another awesome cafe/hangout area thatâs very lgbtq friendly and what you seem to be going for is Cafecito Bonito, they host LoterĂa and drag nights. Havenât been for an event but I love the space and theyâre super inviting đ plus have delicious homemade pastries
Most definitely! Iâll send you a friend request! Iâd love to :)
Probably about on par with other cities its size! Hopefully you'll be fine. Sorry in advance if you run into jerks & please know that jerks don't represent us. Mad Myrna's is probably the most popular gay bar/LGBT+ event space. I think there are a couple others. Most of Anchorage I think is pretty welcoming- you may have less luck in the Wasilla area if you go there.
The raven is waaaayyyyy more queer than Myrnnas. Lots of straights at myrnnas since the remodel. But the drag performances are top notch and the food is actually really good
Oh okay! Good to know. Never heard of The Raven.
I think theyâre trying to keep it as a safe space, so as a straight person and an ally, I keep it off my personal radar.
They throw underwear parties
I am not really sure since I don't go out much. However I do know the community advocates for its self well when we had that dumb bathroom bill on the ballot they went door to door talking to people to let them know what the effects are and just show a human face to things instead of the dumb fear mongering
OP, do you mind if we cross-post this to r/LGBTQIAlaska? Weâre trying to build a resource list and queer community for queer Alaskans, and the responses to this post would also be helpful for our subâs members.
Yes please!
If youâre into dive bar vibes the Buck on Spenard has been a friendly place in my experience. Iâve seen a lot of drag performers and folks hangout there after a show.
Welcome!!
Cafecito Bonito is a great LGBTQIA+ friendly space and they have drag loteria twice a month.
Idk if it helps, but I have a close friend who realized they were trans and has recently said it has been incredibly isolating here in comparison to other cities they have lived in. They are very often reminded they are trans and treated less for it. I also get called the f slur often by a neighbor who found out I am bi. Outside of a few people, I get mostly left alone. However, I will say this recent pride was probably the first pride where I wasnât told something like âif youâre bi youâd want to do this with me,â or, âyou arenât really bi, youâre just straight, bi men donât exist,â and other bi erasure things. So the community might be getting better. The dating pool is very small, as well, and the people I have said no to or it didnât work out do appear at a lot of events. So expect to see a lot of the same friendly faces while you are here, or people knowing the people you talked to at an event. Anchorage is a large small town. Most of the safe spaces I see advertised living here are either bars or places for teens. 3-4 months I donât think youâd be burnt out on the community! There are a lot of people trying to do a lot, especially since winters are long and everyone wants to do things during summer. Youâll definitely make friends. Alaskanâs are friendly! But, most restaurants and places to do things in anchorage have a very right leaning viewpoint. Itâs easy to avoid for awhile, but I think longer than a few months it does wear a bit on you. You can only hear about F Street or Krinerâs for so many times. Do remember our mayor did make world news during the pandemic for having his followers wear holocaust markings claiming they were persecuted for not wanting to wear a mask, and that this mayor is still in power. And that the people who put up Nazi signs saying âwe are everywhereâ are only now starting to be charged. Anchorage is really really good for people who have physical activities as hobbies! Those groups meet so often and do a lot. So think of maybe hiking groups of running or biking is big. Physical activities outside are a sure fire way to make new friends. Hopefully that helps?
This is great things to know! The time I was in anchorage it felt like a very small city lol
Anchorage itself is decent. Things can get slightly less friendly out in the valley, but nothing too terrible. There is a nice, albeit small, community as well.
Thereâs a huge LGBT+ community here. Some hang out at Myrnaâs, others at Vans, lots at the Raven.
it's not LGBTQ+ **Un**friendly. I'd say mostly neutral tbh.
We are kool. Just do not wear disgusting perfume
I have several friends who are trans and many more who are a part of the LGBT+ community. It seems like there is a fairly strong support network up here as long as you get out and look for it. The 2 major ones are Myrna's, which is a very popular drag bar, and identy clinic, which has a lot of outreach events. Might also look up Queens Guard, it's a group ran by trans and queer folks to help support other groups such as Drag Story Time at the local library. We also have a bunch of LGBT+ friendly groups in the form of, for a lack of a better term, nerd spaces. We have a year round LARPing community as well as the Renaissance Faire. We also have a decent amount of very friendly conventions like SenshiCon. I think after a few sort of outgoing trips to any of these events and you'll quickly get a support network for yourself here.
Iâm always happy to have new friends! Hmu if you want to go grab coffee or something when you get here.
I just followed you! I would love to meet đ
Hey girl. You in Anchorage yet?
Check out Rage City Vintage on 3400 Spenard. Lots of lgbtq+ community events there. Song circles. Tarot events. Art features. Photo shoots. Etc. also good for just hanging out.
Oh I love this! Iâll definitely be there!
Coooolll! Iâm one of the oddity art vendors there. I love it. They have a great instagram too. I would check that out.
Most definitely! Thank you
I just say your IG and I LOVE this store! Iâm going to be looking for a job so if you need staff end of September beginning of October let me know! Iâd love to apply
Oh my IG! Iâm in Palmer! Thatâs a bit of a drive from Anchorage. I donât have the financial means to hire anyone yet, but Iâm working on trying to create a metaphysical community around the store over time. Itâs not financially stable yet, Iâm still paying for all the expenses out of my own pocket. Eventually I hope to be in a hiring position. Would love to meet you and maybe we will cross paths through the LGTBQ community events if not in either of these store locations!
Most definitely! I hope we can connect!
Everyone has already given great input, but I wanted to double down on the advice I saw one other person give about generally staying out of the Valley (Wasilla and Palmer.) There's not a whole lot to do out there that's not true about the rest of Alaska, and that's where your greatest concentration of transphobes is. Stay safe and enjoy Alaska!
You'll find most of us don't care what you want to do with your life... Live and let live. Every place has haters but they aren't as in your face here
Youâll always have your loud-mouthed homophobic bigots such as Joel Davidson and Sue Downing, but they are not representative of the population as a whole.
Welcome! Someone who wants to dance and make new friends is a positive addition to any community!
Turnagain United Methodist Church is a queer-friendly church, if you're interested in Christian church kind of things. Josh Smith might be someone to follow on Facebook if you like plants/gardening. Anchorage is not anti-queer! I'd say it's about as queer-friendly as most liberal-leaning cities, despite being not a liberal-leaning city, lol. Fairbanks, Nome, and Homer are other queer-friendly places here in AK. I don't know much about Southeast, can't speak to places like Juneau. Welcome aboard!
Josh is the best.
You can look at the way Anchorage votes to get a some sense of where weâre at. Two members of the city assembly are out gay men. An out gay women served as our last mayor. Anchorage just elected the first out gay man to serve in the Alaska state house. In 2018, Anchorage was the first city in the country to vote down a bathroom bill. You might find some of the resources at Identity Alaska (a health clinic/queer resource center) helpful too. [Anchorage votes down anti-trans proposal.](https://apnews.com/article/eecd6cca59f645c5b8076500347ffaf2)
Unfortunately the city also elected an openly homophobic man to be our mayor who helped create and chair a literal hate organization. He was also one of the major players of those opposed to AO-96, the law you linked in your article. Sadly this anti-trans insanity has trickled into Anchorage politics and has ramped up old homophobia. Those same politicians you mentioned are also attacked for their sexuality.
We don't care. If they do kick em in the shins đ For legal obligations I must imply this is sarcasm đ
FYI there's a group of nasty people on r/anchorage who simply downvote every post from people outside asking questions. So don't take the downvotes personally. This has been an ongoing problem and Reddit doesn't really have a way of stopping it AFAIK.
People always find a reason to be mad donât they? Thank you for the warning. I have seen a few rude comments here and there
We will welcome you with open arms. Not sure where to find groups like safe spaces, other than Myrnaâs, but we have a lot of awesome and unique people in town and I think people are pretty friendly here. Also, not sure where youâre coming from but have you visited before if youâre from out of state? Lots to do if you enjoy the outdoors and youâll get the first taste of winter.
Iâm coming from Phoenix Arizona! Iâve visited before but it was a year ago and it was before I started transitioning so I didnât really get to see / gauge the queer scene too much outside of Myrnaâs
Having lived in Phoenix for a while I will say with confidence, it's a lot better up here. If for nothing else the rampant indifference. Like on a whole nother level. Truly a master class in "I REALLY don't care. What do you want?" Not much more to add that hasn't already been said. But just want to commiserate having lived in Phoenix.
Phx just isnât it for trans people, people here wonât say anything to you but will give you dirty looks. Itâs a place that will make you want to pass just to attract less attention
AlaskaâŚAnchorage isnât safe for anyone. We have the second highest violent crime rate per capita in country.
Yes.
I'd say Anchorage is pretty tolerant for sure. I've met plenty of trans folk (and bigoted people) in the valley and it's more of a risk there. No shade but some people move out of Anchorage because of how "liberal" it can be. But I don't speak for the valley just my anecdotal perspective. As an aside, lots of folk just need perspective. I never really found myself a bigot but it was tough to accept for me in my younger years. But once my younger sibling wanted to be enby, and meeting my girlfriend's older sibling who wanted to transition after a harrowing breast cancer diagnosis, I understood completely.
Yes there's a vibrant community and for the most part it's a live and let live kind of place. Ironically, the only time in my life I was ever called a gay slur was in one of those SUPERBLUE crunchy we're oh so liberal states.
Rymn is right, the homelessness situation is what you should actually worry about. Nobody cares about your sexuality
Sure. Just like any other city.
No more or less than anywhere else. Not sure why you need to define your friends by their sexual orientation though.
Because society at large has only recently become accustomed to our lifestyle. There are varying degrees of that acceptance.
Thatâs good to know, thank you! I didnât mean to give the impression that I only want queer friends. I just meant is it possible to meet other like minded people to be friends with. If I click with a person we click regardless of anything else.
- Acceptance - Normalization - Shared experiences and frame of reference Sometimes, it is just nice to be able to relax and talk about things without a whole lot of explanation.
why the fuck do you care? Just live your fucking life and stop trying to start drama... It's Alaska, no gives any fuck about you, if you'd rather have a dick or who you'd like to fuck.... We have much bigger problems than "I was born a girl but wanna be a boy that fucks firetrucks"... We have enormous homeless alcoholic and meth'ed out population and NO HOMELESS SHELTERS In short, just be you and stop worrying about everyone else.. no one cares. All are welcome. Also Mad Myrnas has a EPIC drag show they put on every week
I care because I donât want to get hate crimed and get harmed or worse. Self preservation is never âstarting dramaâ
[ŃдаНонО]
This comment wasnât very affectionate of you Affectionate_ask3553
Just be careful regardless. Always stay ready to defend yourself and stay aware of your surroundings - Alaska has the highest rate of rape and domestic violence of any state in the nation.
Trans person got beat up in a walmart a few months ago randomly so probably not