I think you should forget the conservative south and come to the liberal south instead!

A gay family would cause few waves in Athens, GA, although I don't know any (I can think of one family we are acquainted with where one of the parents is, I think, transgendered, and no gay couples with children.) Decatur, GA (a suburb of Atlanta) is also a very liberal spot. Aside from those places, I am not sure where in my state I would consider living if I were in your shoes. Probably Savannah; there is a big art student population there and a very artsy vibe. SC? I dunno, man. Maybe Charleston, but it struck me as pretty conservative.

So, we are seriously considering relocating to South Carolina in the next few years. Are we insane?

I vote insane.

When Emmett and I drove through SC to visit amych, it was WAY more religiously conservative than NC. Kind of scarily so. I can't see how that'd work for a gay couple with kid.

Come to Decatur, Ga., the reddest spot in the blue Southeast. Judging by the crowd at things like the Fourth celebration and all the festivals, Decatur may have as many gay couples with children as straight.

Depending on where your SC family lives, GC, Durham and related NC places might make for a fairly easy holiday commute.

SC spawned Stephen Colbert, so it can't be all bad, but it's more conservative than NC, for sure.

Greenville, SC is one of my favorite towns. Great urban planning, completely walkable, wonderful restaurants and parks. But it's also a hop, skip, and a jump from Bob Jones University (BJU, haha) where, IIRC women still aren't allowed to wear pants, so, you know, SC has its quirks.

Charleston is lovely, and I've had a lot of fun there. Charleston also has Spoleto, so it's not completely lacking in culture. And this vid came out of Charleston. If there are that many Palin haters there, there's hope, though it's hard to discern the tourist/native ratio there.

But yeah, GC, move here, to NC! JOIN US.

Also, ::waves to everyone:: Sorry I've been gone for so long. I seem to be having a mid-life crisis, which is such a cliche, since I'm turning 40 in a few weeks. But y'all are in my mind and heart, always.

So many hugs and so much love to Maria and your DH. Much ~ma to LeN, with your diagnosis. Good luck with your move, Kate! ~ma to everyone that needs it, because I am miles behind.

I'll be back when I have something interesting to say that isn't pointless, depressing whining about MY ENTIRE LIFE. Or maybe before! Look forward to THAT.

I lived in both NC and SC. SC seemed way conservative to me but I also think that probably any state, especially a university town, would have some pockets of liberalism.

I guess my main concern would be statewide stuff. For example, in CA, DW is Shane's parent, correct? Would that travel with you to SC? I don't know but I would just check into exactly what legal rights you might be giving up.

Aw, amyth. feel free to share anything you want.

amyth, that's funny - you mentioned the two cities we're thinking about (Greenville & Charleston). I lived in G'ville in the early-mid 80s and loved it. Of course, I was a young teen so things were different then. I love Charleston. Such a cool town. My parents & brother live in Columbia, but I don't know much about it. Who knows? We'd keep our CA condo and rent it out so that if we hated SC we could move back...

I have a coworker/friend who grew up in Columbia SC and visits there often (her parents live there still). She's really liberal, and has little kids and a gay brother. I can ask her what her thoughts on Columbia and other SC towns are.