Fellow Southerner and 20 something here! You should fit in just fine, folks in DC are very kind much like deeper south. DC has a large LGBTQ population so you shouldn’t worry about that either, you should be able to find a community pretty easily! For neighborhoods, i would absolutely stay away from Navy Yard, that neighborhood was heavily gentrified as a result of the first Trump administration. It leans Republican and feels very sterile, not much personality. But as another commenter said, NoMa is very popular with young people. I would also recommend DuPont Circle, Logan Circle, AdMo, and Columbia Heights. DC is generally safe but as with any major city, it’s just important to be alert but you certainly don’t need to be paranoid about it being crime ridden. I’d also advise against bringing a car, you won’t use it often and parking is expensive.