To queer people hoping to move to #Seattle and hoping things will get better: The state is less oppressive here for queer people. It is still oppressive. Our police sent more cops to January 6th than any other department in the nation. There are CCTV cameras in Seattle now. They pinkie promise that the data isn’t shared federally. And I’m also the pope. The queer community here are… um. How do I put it. Some people are amazing. Some people are… less so. You will still need your wits about you. Not every queer space is safe. Abuse is a persistent problem here that no one takes seriously. The cops will not help you either. It is soul-crushingly expensive here. The rent is insane, although it’s gone down. The economy here fucking sucks. The tech layoffs have hit the city hard. Unless you work in the trades (and can put up with the usual trades bullshit especially being vastly underpaid relative to the cost of living), you’re gonna wind up working at a store or fast food. Our state aid if you’re disabled is basically a joke also. Winters are in fact depressing and dark. Nine hours of daylight all winter. They are damp and somewhat cold. Not as cold as you’d expect given the latitude, but cold enough. You can survive without a car but remember that transit is good by American standards. It is not “good.” Certain trips that might take 20 minutes by car take two hours by bus, especially in the South End. Getting north to south is easy. Getting east to west is not. This place isn’t paradise by any means. Was it an upgrade from Oklahoma? Sure. Was it utopia? laughs in poverty