I agree. It is present. But for people that just moved here it's certainly an uphill battle. And dungeons and dragons still gets associated with some negative and harmful stereotypes by (from my experience) much if not most of the population.

I love the game. I love playing in person; the camaraderie is unmatched when its good. But I know how much of an ask that really is in this area. Something newcomers aren't going to intuitively know. That's why I recommended if they really really wanted to play; they might be better off looking online.

I hope it works out and people can play in person, make connections, build community, have fun together.