Finding Your Queer Family in Perth Amboy: My Journey Home
Have you ever walked down Smith Street on a quiet evening and wondered how many others like you were hiding in plain sight? I remember my first summer after coming out, sitting by the waterfront at Bayview Park, watching boats drift by and feeling simultaneously free yet completely alone.
My Perth Amboy Story
When I moved to Perth Amboy three years ago, I knew exactly two people—my roommate and the barista at the coffee shop who always remembered my name. As a queer person in a historically diverse but sometimes traditional community, I found myself code-switching between worlds, unsure where I truly belonged. Those first months in my apartment near the historic district, I'd walk past centuries-old buildings wondering if their walls held stories like mine.
The Struggle Is Real
Let's be honest about what many of us face here:
- Visibility without community - Perth Amboy has queer folks, but we're scattered
- Dating pools that feel puddle-sized compared to nearby cities
- The exhaustion of being the "first" or "only" queer person in many spaces
- The constant calculation: Is this space safe for me to be fully myself?
Finding Your People
What ultimately changed everything for me wasn't leaving—it was staying and searching deeper. The queer community here isn't always obvious, but it exists in powerful ways:
- The monthly mixers at the arts center downtown
- Our grassroots LGBTQ+ support group that meets at the library
- The surprising allies I found in local business owners who quietly support us