GAY LIFE AND LAS CRUCES
How gay/lesbian-friendly is Las Cruces, New Mexico?
Often, to find out how gay friendly a place is, someone will type into a search engine something along the lines of Does Las Cruces have any gay bars? Certainly, the presence of a formal gay establishment marks a community as place gays and lesbians want to visit or move to. Does Las Cruces have a gay bar? No, we don’t. When we moved here over 20 years ago, there was a club in town that had an informal ‘gay night,’ but that’s not the case anymore. Still, Las Cruces—like much of New Mexico—is a safe and welcoming place for gay men and lesbians.
For the most part, LGBT people in New Mexico enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1975, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is banned state-wide. Conversion therapy on minors is banned in New Mexico, and we were one of the first states to allow adoption by LGBT people. In 2019, New Mexico passed a bill to protect students from bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2023 our Governor signed into law a bill to codify, protect, and defend “gender affirming care, abortion, sexual orientation protections and sexual reassignment surgery” for adults who want it on request, without restrictions
As for Las Cruces, we are tied for the #2 spot on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index. This is partly due to the low cost of living, affordable housing prices, and relatively low rent. If you look at the Gay Las Cruces Facebook page, there are new posts almost daily, as well as over 2000 members.
Rankings and laws aside, Las Cruces is a great community for LGBT people. In the years we’ve lived here, many gays and lesbians have moved in, but we only know of two couples who ended up leaving (because one man required specialized medical care that was not available here at the time, and the other couple for a job opportunity). While we don’t have a "gay club," there are venues that are gay-owned, and some hold get-togethers for the LGBT community. Salud! de Mesilla, for example, is a gay-owned restaurant in Mesilla. They host a drag show on the last Saturday of each month, as well as evening gatherings for LGBT people and friends. Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery also hosts drag shows. There are other venues which host karaoke nights, some which are geared toward the LGBT community.
Gays and lesbians naturally gravitate to areas with vibrant art and cultural scenes, so it's no wonder Las Cruces has been on the radar. Las Cruces has five museums and there are several others within a two-hour drive. From the Las Cruces Symphony to Camerata del Sol to the Pan American Center, live music can be heard year-round. We have had several art galleries pop-up these past few years, as well as community-based art shows like "Love of Art month," a coordinated effort with art galleries, artist studios, and art spaces throughout town every February.
On the whole, though, much of the interaction between members of the Las Cruces LGBT community happens in private homes, with friends. Though this can work to the disadvantage of a visitor who doesn’t know anybody, it is easy to meet other people and to develop life-long friendships. Having a gay club to go to takes on less importance, as you can gather with friends to talk, laugh, dine, and have a fun evening or afternoon. We lived in the Bay Area before moving here, and though we had many friends there, meeting others is much easier here. Part of it is because Las Cruces still retains a small-town feel. People are very friendly here and LGBT people are integrated into all aspects of the community. While some people will seek out gay and lesbian service providers for a sense of safety and support, I don’t find that necessary here, though we certainly have LGBT-identified doctors, dentists, realtors, pet sitters, photographers, hairstylists, landscapers, etc.
People of all stripes move to Las Cruces for different reasons. Like any place, you want to look at the city as a whole when relocating. Considerations for moving here have to take into account our weather, its overall geographical location, job prospects, medical needs, etc. For those who identify as LGBT, this may be a factor as well. No place is ideal, but in the 20+ years we have lived here, overt bigotry, homophobia, hate crimes, and oppression based on sexual orientation has not been an issue for us or our friends.
