Is it dangerous being a gay woman on the road at all?

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kjal010

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My girlfriend and I have been wanting to get a pop up camper (most likely an A frame since they?re more insulated) and travel around the country for 3 months or so. We?ve found some campers, but we have no idea where we want to go and it just occurred to us... is it dangerous for two 19 year old girls to travel the road in general, and do we have to hide our relationship? We are both going to take self defense classes before heading out just in case, but I thought you guys here might be able to share some stories and ideas with us on how to stay safe, possible areas to avoid, or any other words of advice you may have.

Is also like to say that I?ve only been on this forum for a few days and I?m so grateful to have found it. Everyone in here has been nothing but helpful and kind and it?s so nice to know that people like you guys are on the road too!
 
Tom is correct. We have been in several campgrounds where camping clubs have had rally's and will fly their rainbow flags and banners without any problem at all.  There may be a few still out there with anti __________ (fill in the blank) attitudes, but mostly you will find a "live and let live" mindset.

Most are more concerned that your dog doesn't bark all day, and the music isn't too loud. Just smile and wave!
 
SargeW said:
Tom is correct. We have been in several campgrounds where camping clubs have had rally's and will fly their rainbow flags and banners without any problem at all.  There may be a few still out there with anti __________ (fill in the blank) attitudes, but mostly you will find a "live and let live" mindset.

Most are more concerned that your dog doesn't bark all day, and the music isn't too loud. Just smile and wave!

True dat.

Displaying hate because someone isn't like you can be an all way street for sure, but we haven't experienced it in campgrounds.  Well, there was the one woman who tried to get belligerent with me because my Doberman's ears are cropped (said something about chopping my ears off) but I just smiled and waved and told her Jesus loves us all.  That got her on down the road in a hurry.  :)
 
Can't imagine it being a problem.  Rving is a large community from all walks of life.  Enjoy yourselves, and stay aware, just because it's prudent in general.
 
I would recommend self defense classes for any 19 (or "Teen" or younger even) age young ladies.. Sexual orientation, relationship status or _______ (fill in the blank) not withstanding. Far too many men feel "Entitled" to shall we say sample your services without permission .

Self defense may not protect you as much as you think. but ... Well. on the other hand it might.

But. as to traveling together.. Well. I'd not flaunt your relationship.. Again there are far too many who will shall we say object.. I just do not think the danger is any greater in a campground than say a Starbucks or Denny's or ______ (fill in any location in the USA).

My personal position is this; If you are camped next to me , IN a trailer as opposed to a Motor home. and power goes out park wide or area wide... I have a spare TT-30 outlet that just might be live I can let you plug into.  (In short no problem).
 
In general, the world is a dangerous place for two teenage girls to be wandering around in. The good news is that most campers are friendly and welcoming, so you're probably safer in that environment than elsewhere.

No one cares. Really.
 
I agree that generally dangerous people are more of a concern than homophobes. You may get harassed, but I doubt you will be assaulted just for that. You guys may not be of age to legally possess a pistol, but it might be worth investing in some pepper spray or maybe what's referred to a "tactical" shotgun in case you find yourself in a bad neighborhood at night.

One way to find out if youre in a bad neighborhood is to check the local gas stations. If they require a key to use the bathroom, its probably not a good area. If you see an elementary school with bars on the doors and windows, its a huge red flag!
 
Looks like posts got removed as I was typing but I do believe the term "queer" is perfectly acceptable today and is used both within and outside of the LGBT community (perhaps less so outside due to it's negative connotations from years ago). I also read the original post shortly after it appeared including the word queer.


In any event, I agree with most of the other statements that you should not experience any problems within RV parks or other campgrounds.
 
Campers are generally an east group to get along with.  My advice is to have AAA or another road side service, keep your vehicle serviced, and plan to try to get off  of the road early.  Breakdowns at night are not a good place for anybody, especially young ladies.
 
You should not have an issue at a campground.  Bad things that happen in life seem to be far less of a worry in the camping community, including theft, disputes, criminal activity and general disrespectfulness.
 
I agree with all that has been posted so far, yes there are some places that you will receive disapproving looks, if you walk around in gay pride T-shirts and have a rainbow flag painted RV, but the same can be said for wearing a MAGA hat, or having a Hillary for President bumper sticker.

You are likely to get far more looks in campgrounds due to your age than you are due to being gay, Most people you will meet in campgrounds will be retirees, some families travelling with children, in general people between the ages of 30-50 seem to be a minority, and people between 20-30 a rarity.

So to sum it up, when in campgrounds, I see no reason to hide it, though life may be easier if you don't flaunt it.
 
if you walk around in gay pride T-shirts

I have a Twin Cities Pride Tshirt from 2016. It says "Love Always Wins" in rainbow lettering. I also have a "God Loves Gays" Tshirt, that has the Facebook God on it with a rainbow. It was a design he put on a billboard in Topeka Kansas,,, home of Westborough Baptist Church.  ;D

Anyway, I have never had anything more than an occasional sneer when wearing these. Even down in Texas. On the other hand, Ive had lots of people say thank you, or that they liked my shirt and Ive actually been able to help a couple of "closeted" people with resources for advocacy groups and stuff
 
You asked for stories..
Well.. 3 years ago in a Nashville campground we met two young twenty-something ladies staying near us in a nice trailer. Don't know if they were gay or not and don't care. They were friendly and talkative. Soon, everyone knew them. Shortly, there were a bunch of young drunk party guys that moved in and started hitting on them and giving them trouble. We all heard the commotion and a large group of us old farts came over and got them to leave. (LOL There's strength in numbers.) I remember one 60 something guy (not me) said, " You all need to leave NOW. But not before you apologize to these women." They left without incident. The point is... if you stay at good, populated, well maintained campgrounds, there are sure to be many of us older guys that have your back. If we know who you are, the cavalry is ready, but most likely not needed.....
 
I don't think your sexual orientation would cause any increase in danger and I doubt you would have problems at any campground.....but I would tell two 19 year old girls the same thing I would tell my wife, though I don't actually have to tell her, and my little sisters....get a concealed pistol license, practice, and carry your pistol when you travel...???if you are not comfortable with firearms, adopt a Rottweiler.
 
2PawsRiver said:
I don't think your sexual orientation would cause any increase in danger and I doubt you would have problems at any campground.....but I would tell two 19 year old girls the same thing I would tell my wife, though I don't actually have to tell her, and my little sisters....get a concealed pistol license, practice, and carry your pistol when you travel...???if you are not comfortable with firearms, adopt a Rottweiler.

:)) :))

I agree (though I am partial to Dobermans).  ;D
 
Be prudent in your actions ~ Don't flaunt or become 'pushy' about relationship ~ We've been camping over 40 years  ~ tent ~ TC ~ pop-up ~ class C ~ class A.  Alone or with groups [check out RVW if like groups]  Never** had an unpleasant occurrence. Never been hassled.  Be aware of your surroundings ~~ If it doesn't feel right or the 'fur on the back of your neck' stands up GET the HECK out.

JM2?  ~~  YMMV

**once one 'old man' became excessively friendly watched us thru his wind shield all evening.  Creepy night but nothing happened ~ just before daylight brought in our chairs and ran like the devil to next pull-out . walked the dogs ~ fixed breakfast and had a wonderful day.

TakeCare  ~~  TravelSafe  ~~  HaveFun
 
There are a lot of gay or straight older women who travel alone.  I have never had any problems traveling alone and strongly believe staying in a campground, particularly a state or national park, is MUCH safer than staying in hotels.  I am guessing your age is going to more likely attract attention than sexual orientation, anyways. 

Just do what you would do in any neighborhood--be aware of your surroundings and be good neighbors, and you will not have any problems.  And the others are right that fellow campers do look out for one another, much more so than in a regular neighborhood, in my opinion. 

Note: Traveled on a cruise ship with a friend once, and had an older really creepy man stare at us all during mealtimes. (This was an assigned seating, old-fashioned ship.)  We changed tables and discovered later that the old guy was almost blind, hence his reasons for "staring," so you really never know why people are acting strangely. 
 

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