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 Tallimat.

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Well this Alaskan welcomes both of ya!

The operative words that caught me is your desire to garden. I suggest a garden fence to protect your crop from moose. It is best that the fence be so tall that it can be seen from space. ~giggle~ the moose around my area are half kangaroo. … just a FYI.

Outsiders often ask about the cold and dark that could cause suffering of a happy existence. ~pffft~ ah, we got some aurora… I’d suggest both of you take up moon bathing and aurora chasing during the winter months.

And if the cold still gets to your bones, a healthy cure is building a sauna. Personally, it ain’t a real 20 below winter unless you take a few dozen saunas.

Are you both a animal loving couple? If so, a dog is good to have when hiking the trails or traveling the back country. My dog can’t protect the kids and I from bears, but she will let us know if one is even a mile away. We are grateful for her.

Frankly, I could careless if your a openly gay couple. I just don’t want to see couples (gay or not) hurting each other. It makes me behave ugly.

Lastly, if you both do decide to venture north, well welcome! Big hugs. Enjoy.

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Thanks, Tallimat!

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!

Photos by Melissa S. (Mel) Green, yksin on Flickr. (1) Moose and crab apple tree, W. 20th Ave, Anchorage, January 2004. (2) Garden along I Street, Anchorage, May 2006.