Comments on: Experts Agree It May Be Time To Get The Hell Out Of Indiana, Especially Gays And Women

By: Lilith

Lilith — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:44:32 +0000

This makes me ashamed to have been born in the Hoosier state. I should give her props for her response, though. I’d like to see what his reaction was.

By: Janna Cross

Janna Cross — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 17:39:28 +0000

I currently live in South Bend, IN and unfortunately, this type of story does not surprise me. We have a great grassroots group here in South Bend called, South Bend Equality, that has worked tirelessly to simply try and get the city to add “discrimination on the basis of sexuality” to it’s Human Rights Ordinance. Believe it or not, the amendment has been shot down TWICE by the City Council. Last year, South Bend made it on the Top 10 List of Dying U.S. Cities… That’s because no one in their right mind wants to move to an area stuck in the mindset of the Dark Ages.

By: WinterRoad

WinterRoad — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:04:27 +0000

To be fair, Bloomington — where IU is located — is as gay-friendly a town as you’re likely to find anywhere in the country. Huge, thriving queer community there.

By: blmorley

blmorley — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:25:05 +0000

Being from IN…shit’s depressing. And Chick-Fil-A. If you haven’t heard. Not only does the state I pay taxes to discriminate against me, so does the university I pay tuition to! Yay!

By: Grace23

Grace23 — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:02:36 +0000

“Honestly, Indiana outside the capital and Bloomington operates very much on sociological autopilot.”

Probably the most accurate statement about Indiana I’ve ever heard.

By: melerwin

melerwin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:49:42 +0000

Yeah, it’s like wow – did you not even bother to read the posts above yours?
I’ve lived here my whole life, born and raised and all.
I also happen to be part of a family with 4 generations of lesbians.
I can find lots to complain about in Indiana indeed – but far be it from me, a lifelong resident, to try and question the superior expertise of an out-of-state transplant.

By: evolve8706

evolve8706 — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:26:28 +0000

RM, I must admit that I am rather offended by your insinuations about Hoosiers. Indiana is not the backward, backwater hell-hole you make it out to be. And I am pretty sure that there isn’t any inbreeding going on either. Maybe if you gave Indiana a chance and got to know some of your neighbors and fellow residents a little better, you would not only broaden your own horizons, you might also be able to serve as a force for change, maybe educate them about the issues, and help them see things in a different way.

By: RM

RM — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:54:08 +0000

I had to move to Indiana a few years ago and it is like I went back in some kind of time warp. I’m a very average person (white, straight, middle-aged), but I will always be an outsider here. We think there has been a lot of inbreeding in this area! When I go to the polls, I don’t even have a choice of candidates — only Republicans (except for national elections) and I can’t even do a write in unless someone signed up to run a write in campaign for that particular office. They don’t really have much if any rights for workers, women, wildlife or pets. I can’t understand why some of their laws haven’t been ruled a violation of certain constitutional rights. It’s horrible and I have informed my spouse that I refuse to retire in this state.

By: melerwin

melerwin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:33:23 +0000

“I think Indiana suffers from a lack of education on the issues, rather than a complete unwillingness to change its mind about them. It would be nice to see more people fighting for our rights, rather than just throwing up their hands and assuming nothing can be done.”

That is largely true (um, I’ve had more than 3 hours of sleep this time and am not drunk, so parden my lack of profanity).

Honestly, Indiana outside the capital and Bloomington operates very much on sociological autopilot. Most people aren’t really passionate for or against queers. They also just don’t like having the flow of status quo disrupted in any way – it’s not just personally towards us. We’re in a state where there’s hardly any fucking traffic, for god’s sake, but the second orange barrels go up to block off a lane to try and work on the road, everyone here pitches a goddamn fit.

These proposed laws right now are showboating. As mentioned, gay marriage is already illegal. It won’t get the popular vote. Nothing will change here whether or not the amendment does pass. Ok, so it makes it damn near impossible to challenge in court down the road. Guess what? Nobody is doing shit to get it through the courts here anyway.

The abortion law? I could be wrong but I actually think the entire state has to rely on Indianapolis for abortions as it is. It’s failure to pass won’t make access to them anymore readily available.

These are subjects that come up because they really change nothing while giving the appearance that the politicians are doing something and that’s the way it goes. Is it the ideal political situation for any sort of social progress? No. But there aren’t enough activists here to really do much because nobody is really very active about anything at all.

As far as the actual pragmatic processes of life here, though? I live a good life. Nobody really hassles me much. I’ve rarely had anyone say or do anything really shitty to me based off the fact that I’m gay. The people who have are the same people that will find something wrong with everyone anyway. They’ll find fault with the most lily white, conservative, christian middle class soccer mom as well.

My form of activism is living here and not being a complete fuck up. I live my life in a way that shows the straight people around me that lesbians can be self-sufficient, productive, and reasonably decent human beings. Essentially, we have to be here and be queer to make it harder for them to hate on us because they’ll know us. Prove to them that through our actions, not our words, our lives are not complete disasters. They’ll learn to respect and appreciate that.

By: Sara W.

Sara W. — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:08:26 +0000

Well said, Melerwin. Though I said it would be hard for me to move back to Indiana if this keeps up, the truth is that it would be just as hard, if not moreso, for me NOT to move back. That’s where my family is, my friends, my dogs, and my life. And, as others have mentioned, day-to-day living for GLBT people in Indiana is, for the most part, just like day-to-day living anywhere else, even in France. Indeed, I find Indiana to have a more active, more vibrant gay culture than France, where gay people are, theoretically, much more accepted, and where they have many more rights, including the right to get married. Activists, politicians, and even average Joes and Janes ignore the Hoosier state because it is traditionally a very red state and they don’t think much change could be made there. But I disagree. I think Indiana suffers from a lack of education on the issues, rather than a complete unwillingness to change its mind about them. It would be nice to see more people fighting for our rights, rather than just throwing up their hands and assuming nothing can be done.

By: Kaitlin

Kaitlin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 05:15:44 +0000

Amen.

By: melerwin

melerwin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:52:38 +0000

You know what?
I am rather fucking sick of being told I need to get out of here, not by the the conservative fucks in this state, but by supposedly “well-meaning” types who aren’t from here, have never been here, and probably never will be here.

I don’t know, it’s not so goddamn simple for each and every one of us to uproot our whole goddamn lives and move out to a coast where the cost of living is twice as motherfucking high, and we have no friends and/or no family.

I am way more offended by the slang “fly over state” than I am by the term “fucking faggot-ass dyke.” Really. I am.

You know, the Mormons have no problem sending fuck tons of money and manpower across state lines to get their points across in a massive state that at least has some goddamn protection to some extent. I believe the marriage fight in California is important for us all, do not get me wrong. But gee, it sure would be nice if someone sent mass quantities of cash and labor here to protect my goddamn job, let alone fight to let me get married.

Leaving isn’t as easy as just bailing when you’ve got the things in my life that I have in addition to and not at all in spite of being gay.