I’m bi and if I decide to have kids I’m doing it in Vermont. my younger sister was “the straight friend” surrounded by a gaggle of delightful bi and lesbian high schoolers in 2015. I was raised in an evangelical community in Chittenden County but bigoted christians don’t have the political power or cultural influence in Vermont that they have in the rest of the country and they also don’t feel the…default entitlement to it, I guess you could say??? I think they perceive themselves as outnumbered (they are) and they definitely perceive the state itself as nonreligious.

I went to two different state colleges in the 2010s and was surrounded by LGBTQ students and I was so proud of how open and accepting people were.

There is prejudice in Vermont, but in my experience it’s just assholes outing themselves as assholes and issues with police that are inevitable anywhere in the US but mild in Vermont by comparison. my sister has expressed concerns about the state becoming more republican but I don’t think the cultural foundation of the state is crumbling.

Also, the local music/arts is wonderful all over the state and Vermonters are the best audiences, regardless of if it’s a big concert or just five people in a bar, regardless of genre.

and a lot of what is great about Vermont is true about parts of NH and MA as well.

I’m hoping to buy a house near where I grew up in Vermont soon. I’m also unsure if I can afford it but I’m thinking I might have to buy a place with one of my parents. I had to leave the state to get my career off the ground but I want to move home. That’s the struggle in Vermont, jobs and housing. The people are great and I miss them.