My best advice as someone who has lived in Houston for 15 years is to live someplace resonalby close to where you will be working. Houston is a very big, spread out region, and spending 45 minutes to an hour in your car each way is no one's idea of fun. That said, most of the trendier and gayer areas of the city are going to be inner loop, the area surrounded by the I-610 loop, espcially the western side of it. Montrose is the heart of the gay community, but it has rapidly gentrified in the last 5 years and many long time residents are now priced out. The Heights, north of montrose has many older dwellings, and has a bit of small town feel. It also has many gay people living there. The area around the museums, and to the west, University Place and Bellaire are also very nice areas close-in, but with housing stock that is mostly of recent consruction, as all the original bungalows have been torn down.