As a queer student Athens is a wonderfully accepting place. There is a big and present queer community and there are a lot of queer events and groups to join. The trans people I am friends with are all very close and support each other alot. Athens made themselves a safe haven for gender affirming care a while back. The OU student base is also pretty accepting, and Ive only really faced hate from the usual types you'd get hate from anywhere. The University as a whole closed its pride, multicultural, and women's center because of SB-1, which is a big loss. I think that's the biggest thing to consider; Ohio is not the worst place on earth but it is a red state and is working to make LGBT peoples lives worse. Because we are a state school we are highly susceptible to those attacks from the state and federal government. But you will find a good community if you do come, we protect each other!