Advice on where to live near Atlanta?

I'm moving to Atlanta from a small town to finally live my life as a gay man, any advice please?

• Hey everyone thanks so much for reading this! Ok, I know this is probably the longest thing written on YA, but at least *try* to make it to the end! I just feel lost right now. To start, I'm 18 (gay). Right now I'm a freshman college student (halfway through my second semester). I've never had a job (but have always done well in school). I live in the most bible-thumping region of South Carolina, and I just feel extremely alone. I told my best friend I was gay 6 months ago, and she was my biggest supporter at first. Two weeks ago she told me in an 8 page text that she still had a problem with my being gay, and that she didn’t agree it. I was more crushed that I’ve ever been in my life. She told me she still wanted to be friends, but I knew that I couldn’t look at her as a friend again. I’ve been distancing myself from her sense then, and I hope she will eventually get the hint. I can’t just *tell* her that I can’t be around her anymore, we were best friends for 5 years. I feel like I need to get out of this place, and move somewhere a little more "gay friendly". Maybe then I can gather my thoughts, some supporting friends, and maybe a relationship. This could give me the courage to tell my family. Right now I’m attending a two year college in South Carolina, and the previous plan was for me to transfer to a nearby university for the last two years. Now I’ve decided to transfer to a college in Georgia (near Atlanta). Does this sound like something someone in my position would do? I would have to get a job in Atlanta to be able to do this, and a roommate. My family is totally on board with this (although they still don’t know I’m gay). I know I’ll be so much happier once I can be myself. Instead of trying to figure out about which people will accept me, I’ll finally be able to assume that more people around me do. The only problem is that right now, I’m terrified! I’ve spent so much time daydreaming about how amazing it would be to go to a more tolerant place that I completely forgot that it would mean leaving everything I currently know. I don’t know where to meet people in Atlanta (as it stands now, I make new friends through my current friends) and I’ve never been on my own before! So I guess my questions are: How do I make gay-friendly and gay friends in Atlanta? How could I make sure that my new roommate is either a woman or another gay guy? What should my overall firsts step in making sure I have a smooth transition into a big city? I can't thank you enough for actually reading all of this, and thanks again for anyone who replies! This is such a terrifying exciting time in my life, but I know it will all end in the best way possible :) Thanks everyone!

• Answer:

  What I like about UGA is that it's a big university with a liberal bent, and appears to have a niche for everyone. (Spend a day in Athens; you'll either get a feel for the place, or realize it's not for you.) With the horrendous gay-bashing crimes perpetrated last year, I think students and schools are more sensitive to diversity and the rights of all students. But with that said ... this is still the south, and bible thumpers and hate mongers abound. (I'm a transplanted New Yorker who has a real problem with holier-than-thou attitudes.) If you have the where-with-all and grades, you might want to check out NYU, which could be a good fit. NY's Greenwich Village is particularly gay-friendly. If you are interested in UGA (and really most other universities), there are roommate boards where you can pick and choose who you'd room with. I don't think you'll be allowed to share a room with a girl on campus, but you should be able to find a sympatico guy. It's your decision to announce your sexual orientation on the board -- but if you don't, it's certainly important to bring it up when you talk with prospective roommates. (My daughter has a gay friend who found what appears to be a great roommate on this board. The roommate may or may not be gay, but he has no problem with my daughter's friend being so.) Best of luck.