really worried about social acceptance...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

While I agree it was an odd post.. our experience with DD's friend who is LGBTQ is that it's a non issue in Bethesda/Potomac but when our kids go to an activity in Takoma the families there make a big deal out of it and make it something that is more celebrated. The families of straight friends will ask said friend about pride events and go out of their way to tell them how supportive they are. There is a difference.

You mean that your kid and their friend show up for a soccer match in Takoma or whatever, and people fall over themselves? I mean, that's a claim, but it's not at all in keeping with my experience parenting a LGBTQ+ kid in Takoma Park.

So, folks can take your word as a friend of a friend who sometimes comes to Takoma Park for activities, or mine as a resident of Takoma Park personally parenting a queer kid. People are accepting, but also pretty blase given that half of the AFB teens in Takoma Park identify as some flavor of LGBTQ+.

Thanks for the insight! What is AFB?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in MoCo for 11 years (Kensington and Rockville) and fortunately have seen very little (actually no) explicit discrimination against LGBTQ families. However, you might want to ask a broader question about equity, if that is important to you. Some (not all, of course) of the liberal, progressive families accepting of LGBTQ families are much less accepting of low (or middle) income families, particularly from low SES or immigrant backgrounds. You might want to ask yourself if moving to Bethesda, rather than a more socio-economically diverse neighborhood or school district is the right fit for you. It might in fact be the right fit, and that is okay. My family has chosen to send our children to public schools in Silver Spring, despite having access to BCC, because we wanted our children to have peers with backgrounds that are more reflective of our society. Again, I don't suggest that this should be your primary concern because that is your family's decision but something to consider when you are pondering issues of social acceptance.

This is a good point.

Yup, as someone who grew up in Bethesda (and went to WJ), this is spot on. The lovely neighborhood in which I grew up is now McMansion central; if the people seem low-key, it’s because they’ve largely surrounded themselves with other wealthy people, so they relax about being in a “good” neighborhood. These same people recoil with horror when they hear where our kids go to school. I’m only exaggerating slightly.

Uh, what? lol

I just moved to the WJ district two years ago, and the reason we specifically chose it was because it still has all of the older homes throughout the neighborhoods... homes with personality & history. They're not cookie cutters.

I find this hard to believe... where exactly did you grow up that's in WJ that's "Mcmansion central" now?

I can't think of a single neighborhood zoned for WJ that doesn't have predominantly ranches, lunchboxes, split levels, farmhouses, cape cods & small colonials with newer construction sprinkled throughout.

Yes, EVERY neighborhood in Bethesda has new construction of larger homes being built, including WJ -- but the ones in WJ aren't what anyone would traditionally consider "Mcmansions", because the lots here aren't anywhere near as large as they are in wealthier districts like Whitman, Churchill or BCC.

Even though WJ has newer homes, they have all of the other types of older homes (mentioned above) still lining the streets heavily, situated right next door to the new construction.

So, where exactly did you grow up? 🤔

I went to Wyngate. The street I grew up on is literally unrecognizable to me, because all the trees have been cut down. Also, you must not have been in many of the feeder neighborhoods for WJ if you think they’re *all* these quaint, down to earth havens you describe. Go to the homes feeding into Luxmanor, which were huge even when I was in school.

Ultimately, you protest too much. The bigger point is that any of the W schools are “liberal,” but that people who buy for the schools are often deeply uncomfortable with the reality of their kids attending school with those of lower means. Some are more obvious about it than others, but there are limits to their claims of tolerance and equity.

[Anonymous]

Pot, you are calling the kettle black. I think you need to look in the mirror!

Many of us in the WJ suburbs, including our family, don't care about your socioeconomic status, who you love, or the color of your skin. As long as you are kind people with a good moral compass and raising decent kids, no one gives a flying f*** about those things you seem so worried about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pot, you are calling the kettle black. I think you need to look in the mirror!

Many of us in the WJ suburbs, including our family, don't care about your socioeconomic status, who you love, or the color of your skin. As long as you are kind people with a good moral compass and raising decent kids, no one gives a flying f*** about those things you seem so worried about.

If this was true you wouldn’t be in the WJ cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pot, you are calling the kettle black. I think you need to look in the mirror!

Many of us in the WJ suburbs, including our family, don't care about your socioeconomic status, who you love, or the color of your skin. As long as you are kind people with a good moral compass and raising decent kids, no one gives a flying f*** about those things you seem so worried about.

If this was true you wouldn’t be in the WJ cluster.

Apparent pot, and this, precisely. You do care about SES, at least on some level. It is what it is, but be honest about it.

Also, I’m not sure how I’m the hypocrite here, since my kids actually do go to a school with a lot of SES variability. I’m not the one bragging about how tolerant I am and then cringing when I hear someone going to a high FARMS school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

While I agree it was an odd post.. our experience with DD's friend who is LGBTQ is that it's a non issue in Bethesda/Potomac but when our kids go to an activity in Takoma the families there make a big deal out of it and make it something that is more celebrated. The families of straight friends will ask said friend about pride events and go out of their way to tell them how supportive they are. There is a difference.

You mean that your kid and their friend show up for a soccer match in Takoma or whatever, and people fall over themselves? I mean, that's a claim, but it's not at all in keeping with my experience parenting a LGBTQ+ kid in Takoma Park.

So, folks can take your word as a friend of a friend who sometimes comes to Takoma Park for activities, or mine as a resident of Takoma Park personally parenting a queer kid. People are accepting, but also pretty blase given that half of the AFB teens in Takoma Park identify as some flavor of LGBTQ+.

Doesn't this strike you as odd?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pot, you are calling the kettle black. I think you need to look in the mirror!

Many of us in the WJ suburbs, including our family, don't care about your socioeconomic status, who you love, or the color of your skin. As long as you are kind people with a good moral compass and raising decent kids, no one gives a flying f*** about those things you seem so worried about.

So people there don't really care but they just happen to pay hundreds of thousands more for a home in an area to ensure their children attend a segregated school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in MoCo for 11 years (Kensington and Rockville) and fortunately have seen very little (actually no) explicit discrimination against LGBTQ families. However, you might want to ask a broader question about equity, if that is important to you. Some (not all, of course) of the liberal, progressive families accepting of LGBTQ families are much less accepting of low (or middle) income families, particularly from low SES or immigrant backgrounds. You might want to ask yourself if moving to Bethesda, rather than a more socio-economically diverse neighborhood or school district is the right fit for you. It might in fact be the right fit, and that is okay. My family has chosen to send our children to public schools in Silver Spring, despite having access to BCC, because we wanted our children to have peers with backgrounds that are more reflective of our society. Again, I don't suggest that this should be your primary concern because that is your family's decision but something to consider when you are pondering issues of social acceptance.

This is a good point.

Yup, as someone who grew up in Bethesda (and went to WJ), this is spot on. The lovely neighborhood in which I grew up is now McMansion central; if the people seem low-key, it’s because they’ve largely surrounded themselves with other wealthy people, so they relax about being in a “good” neighborhood. These same people recoil with horror when they hear where our kids go to school. I’m only exaggerating slightly.

Uh, what? lol

I just moved to the WJ district two years ago, and the reason we specifically chose it was because it still has all of the older homes throughout the neighborhoods... homes with personality & history. They're not cookie cutters.

I find this hard to believe... where exactly did you grow up that's in WJ that's "Mcmansion central" now?

I can't think of a single neighborhood zoned for WJ that doesn't have predominantly ranches, lunchboxes, split levels, farmhouses, cape cods & small colonials with newer construction sprinkled throughout.

Yes, EVERY neighborhood in Bethesda has new construction of larger homes being built, including WJ -- but the ones in WJ aren't what anyone would traditionally consider "Mcmansions", because the lots here aren't anywhere near as large as they are in wealthier districts like Whitman, Churchill or BCC.

Even though WJ has newer homes, they have all of the other types of older homes (mentioned above) still lining the streets heavily, situated right next door to the new construction.

So, where exactly did you grow up? 🤔

I went to Wyngate. The street I grew up on is literally unrecognizable to me, because all the trees have been cut down. Also, you must not have been in many of the feeder neighborhoods for WJ if you think they’re *all* these quaint, down to earth havens you describe. Go to the homes feeding into Luxmanor, which were huge even when I was in school.

Ultimately, you protest too much. The bigger point is that any of the W schools are “liberal,” but that people who buy for the schools are often deeply uncomfortable with the reality of their kids attending school with those of lower means. Some are more obvious about it than others, but there are limits to their claims of tolerance and equity.

"liberal" but plagued by frequent racist incidents from kids wearing blackface to nazi symbols but they're all liberal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pot, you are calling the kettle black. I think you need to look in the mirror!

Many of us in the WJ suburbs, including our family, don't care about your socioeconomic status, who you love, or the color of your skin. As long as you are kind people with a good moral compass and raising decent kids, no one gives a flying f*** about those things you seem so worried about.

So people there don't really care but they just happen to pay hundreds of thousands more for a home in an area to ensure their children attend a segregated school?

It's a lovely day, PP. Why don't you go outside and enjoy it, instead of staying inside to pick fights with anonymous posters about reasons people might buy a house in Bethesda?

And before you pick a fight with me: DCUM thinks my kid's schools are in Ganglandia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pot, you are calling the kettle black. I think you need to look in the mirror!

Many of us in the WJ suburbs, including our family, don't care about your socioeconomic status, who you love, or the color of your skin. As long as you are kind people with a good moral compass and raising decent kids, no one gives a flying f*** about those things you seem so worried about.

So people there don't really care but they just happen to pay hundreds of thousands more for a home in an area to ensure their children attend a segregated school?

In a nutshell, yes, it's a constant theme here. Just follow the board for a few months and it will all be clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pot, you are calling the kettle black. I think you need to look in the mirror!

Many of us in the WJ suburbs, including our family, don't care about your socioeconomic status, who you love, or the color of your skin. As long as you are kind people with a good moral compass and raising decent kids, no one gives a flying f*** about those things you seem so worried about.

So people there don't really care but they just happen to pay hundreds of thousands more for a home in an area to ensure their children attend a segregated school?

It's a lovely day, PP. Why don't you go outside and enjoy it, instead of staying inside to pick fights with anonymous posters about reasons people might buy a house in Bethesda?

And before you pick a fight with me: DCUM thinks my kid's schools are in Ganglandia.

Well you don’t pay for a “good” school district if you are so blasé about the SES of your child’s classmates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone, I was hoping to hear your thoughts on a concern I have, and I would really appreciate your full honesty!

My wife and I will be buying a home in the Potomac/Bethesda area later this year. We are an two-mom family, and have an 8-month old daughter who will be attending whatever local public school we are districted for (hs will be Walter Johnson, Whitman or Churchhill).

While the schools in that area are great, I've also read that the parents can be very snooty and cold, and are typically on the more conservative side.

How accepting do you think the other kids, parents, teachers will be? Have you come across many other LGBTQ+ families in the area? I'm mainly just worried about teasing and her feeling like an outcast.

Any insight you provide will be much appreciated. Thank you.

Bethesda and Potomac are very accepting. If you've narrowed it down to these two places you've made a great choice As for what you read, it was likely written by an east county fear monger. There is an element in east county that actively tries to smear Bethesda and Potomac because they are trying to raise their property values. What you'll get in Bethesda and Potomac are highly educated traditional liberals who will treat you like regular people. East county is filled with wokes who will treat you like demi-gods because they never met a minority they didn't gush over to signal their piety.

Bizarre, go away.

While I agree it was an odd post.. our experience with DD's friend who is LGBTQ is that it's a non issue in Bethesda/Potomac but when our kids go to an activity in Takoma the families there make a big deal out of it and make it something that is more celebrated. The families of straight friends will ask said friend about pride events and go out of their way to tell them how supportive they are. There is a difference.

We have this same type of behavior in our north Potomac neighborhood. Groups with pride signs and flags up. As a gay woman I guess it's supposed to make me feel more welcome but it feels creepy. And it bothers me that flying flags of political belief is allowed by the hoa because they will have a hard time saying no to the next guy who decides he wants to fly an anti guy flag. They set a precedent.
Aside from that, we have no incidents of bias. Montgo

[Anonymous]

*Montgomery County is accepting as a whole and we've been here 20 years now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pot, you are calling the kettle black. I think you need to look in the mirror!

Many of us in the WJ suburbs, including our family, don't care about your socioeconomic status, who you love, or the color of your skin. As long as you are kind people with a good moral compass and raising decent kids, no one gives a flying f*** about those things you seem so worried about.

So people there don't really care but they just happen to pay hundreds of thousands more for a home in an area to ensure their children attend a segregated school?

It's a lovely day, PP. Why don't you go outside and enjoy it, instead of staying inside to pick fights with anonymous posters about reasons people might buy a house in Bethesda?

And before you pick a fight with me: DCUM thinks my kid's schools are in Ganglandia.

Well you don’t pay for a “good” school district if you are so blasé about the SES of your child’s classmates.

And given that there have been 0 gang related incidents at. any MCPS school in years that's just fearmongering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:*Montgomery County is accepting as a whole and we've been here 20 years now

Kids running around in blackface doesn't seem that accepting to me.