We recently posted a letter from a graduate student and a letter from a gay couple asking for similar advice: What is it like to live and work in Alaska as an openly-LGBT person?

Our readers responded, sharing their reasons for living in Alaska and their experiences as LGBT Alaskans. We’re posting their stories in a series called Choosing Alaska.

This response is from Andrei.

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I am writing in response to your post on the return of college graduates to Alaska.

My name is Andrei. And I returned to my hometown Bethel following college graduation. I was elected to the Bethel City Council and worked on clinic construction grants for years. I am a gay male.

It was easy to return home. In fact, I didn’t give it much thought. Perhaps I have it much easier than many gay male experiences. Small town Alaska has been very good for me. Because of the brain drain I was able to hit an apex in my profession very quickly in my small town. I soon realized I had to move. I was a big fish in a small pond. I was intellectually curious about many things. And the remoteness of my location prevented me from growth.

And thus I moved.

Today I am in Bethel to care for my mom. She had a major surgery this year and required me to take care of her. I do live in New York City now. And I find Bethel to be a lot like New York. Bethel is Eskimo New York. Anchorage is Eskimo Amsterdam.

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Thanks, Andrei!

What is your experience of being LGBT in Alaska? Leave a comment below, or email us directly at Bent Alaska @ gmail .com (without the spaces), and we will include your response in a follow up post. And if you have another topic you’d like to see on Bent Alaska, please tell us about it!