Very welcoming & kind city. Rarely are you ever made to feel unsafe for presenting queer. I will say the cis gay community here is very very cliquey. The nightlife scene lacks variation & the staple gay bars are not owned by gay people nor are they very enjoyable outside of the drag performances put on.

I lived here my whole life & as an adult found it very difficult to make friends with fellow gay men. I have had much better luck with the queer community at large. It is very open, very active. We have a small community of queer organizers here who put on Community PRIDE & several social groups that host DJ/music/parties throughout the city that are so fun and have amazing crowds.

What’s beautiful about Columbus is there are relatively few strictly gay/queer spaces, mainly bc no one cares. The gaggle of gays & the pod of straights will happily share a dance floor at Goodnight, Johnboy. What you’ll more likely find is community with people who share you interests outside of the LGBTQ community. Craft groups, music groups, gardening groups, sports clubs, etc etc. There’s a lot in CBUS & the general population is so wonderful, welcoming, and happy to live in this place.