I moved to Philadelphia a little over a week ago from a small town in southwestern Virginia. Philadelphia isn’t the only city I’ve lived in, but it’s certainly the biggest. I knew that I loved Philly the first time I visited, and when I knew that I wanted to move, I made a list of cities far enough away from my family that insanity couldn’t just pop in for dinner, but still close enough to visit for the holidays. I compared crime rate, cost of living, public transportation, neighborhoods, and GLBTQ communities and Philly won, hands down, by being cheaper and less violent than New York of Washington DC but still close enough to visit both.

I found a roommate (who would like you, the homo-public, to know that she’s good looking and single) on craigslist, mailed the belongings I couldn’t bear to part with to my new address, packed up the rest of my stuff and boarded a greyhound north. Sixteen cramped, smelly hours later I was a new resident of the City of Brotherly (and, hopefully every now and then, also Sisterly) Love.

The obvious major difference is that Philadelphia is much bigger than my hometown. That’s probably the biggest understatement I could make. Where Tazewell has maybe 200,000 residents within town limits, Philadelphia is the 6th largest major metropolitan areas in the United States. As to the question of GLBTQ community, well, it’s different everywhere.

There isn’t a gay bar in Tazewell, though there used to be one about twenty minutes away but it closed down after the owner died and it shifted management a couple of times. What passes for a queer community there is a close knit group of friends and ex-lovers.

I know that where you are doesn’t define who you are, and mostly I like the person that I am. But I can’t help but wonder if having access to a stronger support network like The Attic Youth Center, The William Way Community Center or a support group for queer teenagers wouldn’t have made my coming out process (approximately nine thousand years ago) easier, and helped me make healthier choices. It breaks my heart to know how many other kids in rural and religious backgrounds have that have that same stigma to go through, even years later.

So, I’m here, and I’m falling in love with this amazing, beautiful, sometimes tragic and confusing city. For lack of other romantic companionship, Philly is my new girlfriend, and I can’t wait to see what kind of adventures we find together.