A Woman Moved To A Blue State For The First Time And Is Calling Out The "Stark Differences" Between Living In A Republican Vs. Democrat-Leaning Area

A 32-year-old woman recently moved to a blue state for the first time, sparking discussions about "blue state privilege" and the significant differences between Democrat and Republican-leaning states in the US.

TikTok: @officialnancydrew / Via tiktok.com

Lindsey Bales describes "blue state privilege" as the disparity where people living in Democrat-leaning states have greater access to certain resources, such as abortion, that should "just be the standard quality of life," compared to those living in Republican-leaning states.

In a recent TikTok, Lindsey (@officialnancydrew) talked about her experience moving to a blue state after only living in red states — Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas. In the video, which has over 600K views, she begins by talking about moving to Minnesota and how different it is, thus introducing the topic of "blue state privilege:" "Y'all have it soooo much better here," she wrote in the caption.

Lindsey explains that she recently lived in the South, where she was terrified of getting pregnant again after having a high-risk pregnancy. She also alludes that her husband couldn't receive a vasectomy: "My husband couldn't get a snippy-snippy done because it wasn't on his insurance. Because they don't play that way."

As said in the TikTok, though people often tell her that Minnesota's rural and suburban areas are "so conservative," Lindsey says that, compared to "the rest of the country," they aren't. "Have you ever driven in a rural area in a red state?" she asks in the video. "Have you ever been to Texas? Y'all — and I'm not trying to sound better because I lived in Texas, but it's f**king scary."

Lindsey continues to say that some people don't understand the meaning of actually being in a place with "scary" people. She explains about the South, "You would be driving in rural areas, and you would see signs that are far worse than Trump signs. Far worse — and these people will, like, pew-pew you. They will." The 32-year-old then recalls how she would get yelled at all the time by strangers, even with her newborn baby, simply because she has tattoos and dresses "differently."

Compared to what she's experienced formerly, Lindsey says, incredulously, that she has never felt unsafe in a rural part of a blue state and that "there is so much privilege here." Some of those privileges, Lindsey told BuzzFeed, include wide bike lanes, a large bike culture, city-wide recycling and composting, and how easy being able to vote is. But one of the most glaring differences between Democrat and Republican-leaning states is abortion, which is one of the reasons why Lindsey's husband sought out a job in a blue state.

As mentioned previously, Lindsey had a high-risk pregnancy and had a miscarriage prior. She told BuzzFeed that she needed a D&C (dilation and curettage), which is an abortion. "We moved to Texas right after having my daughter, but if we were living there when I needed an abortion, I couldn't have gotten one," she explained. "I would have had to travel out of state, and there are still precautions with doing that. I wanted to live somewhere where I knew I could have an abortion if I needed one."

Further, as a former teacher who may pursue teaching again in the future, Lindsey said to BuzzFeed that she wanted to teach where she felt like she could express her values. Though she did receive an offer to teach in a Texas public school, Lindsey was told that she couldn't display a Pride flag or keep up a sign saying "Black History Matters" year-round. "While absolutely nowhere is perfect for public education in this country," she said, "I at least wanted to know that I could have a book in my classroom that showcased a mom and a mom. At least that." So, when Lindsey's husband received a job offer in Minnesota, she knew that her quality of life would improve.

And judging from the more than 4,000 comments on Lindsey's TikTok video, many others have noted the stark contrasts between living in red and blue states as well. As one user said: "I grew up in Seattle and then moved to a red area and I had a complete culture shock. I could not believe some of the things I saw and heard."

Meanwhile, some commenters who currently live in blue states expressed their thoughts on "blue state privilege." One TikToker said, "As a Californian, thank you for putting this in perspective."

Even so, Lindsey is aware that, despite living in a liberal-leaning state, no place is perfect, and people of all political affiliations can be found regardless of where one lives.

"There are certain places in the United States that I believe would and do offer me personally a higher quality of life," she told BuzzFeed. "But when we live in a country that was built on and is rooted in white supremacy, nowhere is 'perfect' and nowhere is really 'better.'" She continued, "As a white individual and straight-passing person, I am able to navigate spaces differently than others, perhaps."

All in all, Lindsey's experience in Minnesota versus the past conservative-leaning states she's lived in is certainly a change. As she writes in her TikTok caption: "It is so different and everyone is really lucky to have the access they have — but not saying it is enough, just saying it is way better than i have ever had and many others do."

If you've ever moved from a red state to a blue state or vice versa, what was your experience? Share your story or with us in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using this form!

For more content, follow Lindsey on TikTok.