Because ‘Geography … attends to the multiple intersections and interactions within and beyond place’ (Preston in Geogr Educ 28:41–49, 2015), we see it as a pivotal connective discipline in examining challenges, opportunities, and complexities in particular communities that raise specific concerns. With increasing movement between geographies of place and belonging, the possibilities of estrangement and alienation from one home base emerge, so that place becomes a contested site. Within the context of mobility between urbanUrban and rural places in Slovenia, the chapter addresses the recent post COVID-19 turn to ‘settle’ through the lens of rural in-migrationRural in-migration. The chapter offers new conditions of possibility to increase inclusivity in educational settings that teach both traditional geography and “alternative geographies,” as well as within community life, by both critically analyzing current trends and by interviewing diverse subjectivities in rural post-socialist Slovenia to develop data sets that can inform future curriculum design. Our study challenges the dominant narrative of rural areas as inherently less safe or welcoming for queer individuals by unveiling the nuanced realities of rural gay men in post-socialist Slovenia. Highlighting the importance of local contexts and the evolving nature of rural communities, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics shaping queer rural lives and underscores the need for inclusive approaches in both academic and community settings.