Have you ever been to Tulsa? Let me guess. Well, I is a poor representative for Tulsa. I strongly suggest that the next time you find yourself in the middle of the country, you take a moment to explore our fine city! When I moved to Tulsa 5 years ago, I literally fell in love with it.
Some forums can only be seen by registered members. I've never had any issues here as a lesbian, and neither has my gf. That's not to say there aren't plenty of problems with homophobia in Oklahoma, but I feel comfortable here in almost all situations. In small towns when we aren't familiar with the locals, I sometimes feel a bit uneasy, but that might just be me. Gf doesn't feel that way anywhere. And, unless we're driving out of state, we're rarely in a small town anyway.
When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriages, America generally, and the gay community specifically, celebrated. Same-sex marriages, and the gay and lesbian movement is more mainstream than ever. While the national discussion has been brought to the forefront, at the state level, conversations continue.
It took that long to move freely in a world of secrets, to get beyond bars and into living rooms, businesses and minds. The following series of stories, written collaboratively, seeks to put months of watching, several hundred hours of taped interviews and the lives of several hundred gay Oklahomans into focus. Some gays shared their secret on the condition it go no farther. For that reason, many sources are referred to by initials or by a business affiliation. In this, the first of a series, the status of gays in Oklahoma is examined.