From SF Gay Bubble to Conservative College Station, TX: How One Gay Woman Found Her Core of Queers.

After years of living in the gay bubble of San Francisco, Ann Gillard decided to pursue graduate school at Texas A&M in College Station, TX. Ann went from being surrounded by a city full of colorful rainbow flags to a conservative campus swarming with people wearing militaristic brown uniforms. Ann began to worry - would she ever meet anyone in College Station she could connect with?

Then, unexpectedly, Ann saw something different in the distance - a queer woman with green hair and an alternative hair style walking in her direction. As they passed each other, Ann and this woman gave each other the familiar “lesbian nod,” conveying an unspoken but very clear message: “I see you.” After that encounter, Ann was able to breathe a sigh of relief - there might be others like her on campus. Through connections and friendships, Ann created her own new bubble of gayness, finding strength and self-discovery along the way.

[DannyLTerry]

Thank you for sharing your story.
I was born AND live here in Texas we are no where near the gay life in S F but overall Texas citizen's ARE more and more accepting.
Hope you visit us again and much LOVE and success in all you do.
💙💙💙💙💙💙💙🌈

[benw]

I have mixed feelings. Texas was and still is a mixed bag for LGBT folks. There can be a frequent presence of homophobia. Yet there are gay / queer folks here. Not sure when the lady visited, but there has been a Gay Straight Alliance / Gay Student Association since before 1984. It varies, from tolerant and accepting folks to very intolerant, thought Texas. -- Yes, Texas A&M has mostly regular civilian students and a Corps of Cadets, men and women. You all occasionally find alternative folks among the students. Overall, it's pretty friendly. As with anywhere else, just be careful. -- I'm a native Texan. I went to TAMU but didn't graduate there because, well, I was having a rough time accepting myself as gay (plenty of clues from pre-teens on) and I felt isolated from home and by surrounding students. I didn't try the GSA when I went. If I Ould've come out then, it would have helped a lot. So my feelings are mixd, but it's like anywhere, just be careful and find friends, There most certainly are gay / queer folks in Texas, in small towns and big cities and college campuses.

[jaya.d-gauthier]

Really? A whole panic attack seeing a lady with green hair in a college town full of LGBT’s. As if anyone even knew she was too. Karen bye 🤦🏿‍♂️

[keywestjj]

There is no indication of when this took place but Texas in 2023 is much too dangerous for LGBT+ people. In fact it's too dangerous with all the guns for ANY decent, gentle person. I cancelled going to a car club national meet this year and also won't even drive across the 880 miles on I-10.

[siddaye]

What do you guys mean by gay no this woman is a lesbian period