We recently posted a letter from a grad 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. We’re posting their stories in a series called Choosing Alaska.

This reply is from KHW.

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Hi there, I really enjoy reading all those stories about why did LGBTs choose to live in Alaska. I wish I had read it before I moved here. I feel like this would be very helpful for many LGBTs who are thinking to move up to AK.

Here is my experience living in Alaska as a gay asian male who recently graduated from college on the east coast.

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Choosing Alaska

Having lived in a few major international cities for most of my life, Fairbanks, Alaska was the last place I ever imagined I would end up. My initial impression of Fairbanks, to put it metaphorically, was as a cup of coffee in a latte world. Needless to say, Fairbanks was no Hong Kong, Seattle, or New York City; there were no typical metropolitan draws like Tiffany’s or Alexander McQueen, and no subway or transportation system to speak of. Additionally, and perhaps most disparagingly of all, there were no gay hangouts, which for me, as a gay Asian male in an unfamiliar environment, was a difficult fact to come to grips with. Being gay is hard enough, but being a gay-Asian (or, colloquially put, a “gaysian”) in a place where you do not know any other gay people who you can relate to is particularly challenging.

Hence, one might reasonably inquire, then, as to why I chose to live in Fairbanks, Alaska. To be honest, I do not know. Fairbanks was not a place where I envisioned the soaring skyscrapers, bustling nightlife, and thriving gay culture that I was used to. In fact, I had always visualized Alaska as some ethereal ice land near Russia and Canada dotted with igloos, dogsledders, and hardened blue collar outdoorsmen. However, my best guess as to why I moved to Fairbanks, Alaska would have to do with my propensity for travel, exploration, and adventure. Prior to moving to Fairbanks, I had traveled extensively throughout the world, hitchhiking and backpacking to many places, meeting new, interesting people, and learning new languages. Similarly, Alaska seemed very new and different to me, like a mysterious, unexplored place at the edge of the world, untouched, pristine, and isolated from the mayhem of the cities. Thus, perhaps it was the allure of the unfamiliar that lead me to Alaska. Or, perhaps it was the hope of one day going moose hunting with Sarah Palin(!). Whatever the case may be, I ended up in Fairbanks.

Now having become accustomed to living in Alaska, my perspective on this place has changed for the better. Although I still feel insensibly weird telling my friends I live in Alaska, my initial fears of being gay and not fitting in have since subsided. All in all, I have found that the people here in Fairbanks have been more than hospitable, and have welcomed me as though I were one of their own. Moreover, since getting to know new people and making new friends, I have noticed that Alaskans are generally very accepting of others from different backgrounds, conveying this almost “live-and-let-live” demeanor that is both folksy and refreshing, far different from the constant nitpickiness and judgmental attitudes rampant in the cities. Here, in Fairbanks, you are not gay, straight, Asian, White, or Black: you are Alaskan. No one cares whether you wear Dior or Dickies, Nikes or snowshoes. The fact of the matter is that you are accepted no matter who you are; a stark contrast to my experiences growing up in some of the major cities of the world.

Although I relentlessly questioned my choice to move to Fairbanks, I now have to contend with another question: Why would I ever want to leave this beautiful place and wonderful people? Fairbanks has proven to be a great city with some of the most genuine and friendly people I have ever encountered. Here, in this once unfamiliar and remote territory, I now feel as though I can live my life to the fullest, enjoy my wonderful job working with youth, and find true love and happiness. And, although I may never figure out exactly why I moved to Fairbanks in the first place, one thing I know for certain is that I am here, and I love it. I am no longer a gay Asian from the city anymore: I am an Alaskan.

As I said at the beginning of this piece, I once viewed Fairbanks as a cup of coffee in a latte world. However, with all the options you see on coffee house menus these days, sometimes a cup of coffee is all you need.

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Thanks, KHW! We’re glad that you enjoy the Choosing Alaska series. We love how the stories show the reality and diversity of gay life in Alaska. Thanks for telling your story on Bent!

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!