Well, Massachusetts is the most liberal state in the nation, contrary to what Californians might think. Even my super conservative, gun-nut boss has been totally accepting of transgender individuals so far (not that I've come out to him yet, but when a transwoman on my floor transitioned, he pulled us aside in small groups to say, "Look, she's doing this thing, and yes, she will be using the women's restrooms, and if you have a problem with any of that, find a way to deal. If you do or say anything unprofessional, we will take action against you."). Not that conservatives are all transphobic, but that's the stereotype I keep hearing.
The only two people from MA who haven't been accepting of me so far are my Mormon Mother-in-Law (who is still willing to use gender neutral terms at least), and a very conservative and religious acquaintance who sent me an email to say she thinks I should do what's right for me, but to be honest, she doesn't feel comfortable around me anymore (that's fine, I no longer feel comfortable around her!).
So yeah, people around here are pretty darn welcoming, from what I've seen so far, especially in geeky communities.
As far as Laser vs Electrolysis goes, generally, laser is significantly cheaper, faster, and less painful than electrolysis. However, it only works on dark hairs on light skin. If you have light hair (blonde or red) or dark skin, electrolysis is your only option. While it may look cheaper, it takes many more sessions to get all the hairs. Generally though, what you want to do is laser as much as you can and use electrolysis to get the rest.
There are three types of "laser" treatments currently in use: Diode, Alexandrite, and IPL. IPL (which is not actually a laser) is the worst by far and it is not recommended anymore (it's the old technology). Diode lasers are slightly more effective than Alexandrite lasers, but they are also much more likely to cause adverse skin reactions. All adverse skin reactions to laser treatment are temporary though. For instance, for me (using a Diode laser), I get pimples and some crusting on my face after laser, as well as a raw feeling like the skin was sunburned (which it basically was), but it goes away after a week or two. Even if an Alexandrite laser would have fewer side effects, I wouldn't want to use one for me. I want this done as fast as possible and don't care about side effects that are only temporary no matter how bad they are.
The people who say that laser is only good for hair reduction, not hair removal, are generally comparing electrolysis with IPL, which doesn't even technically involve a laser. Laser and electrolysis both do the same exact thing - they superheat hair follicles until they liquefy. Laser sends the heat down the hair itself to the root, allowing it to get multiple follicles at once. But, if your skin is dark or the hair is light, your skin will burn before the follicle liquefies causing it to not work. Electrolysis, from what I understand, involves the technician putting a needle into every single follicle one at a time and then shocking the root itself with current until it superheats and liquefies. This difference allows it to work on any skin or hair color, but it's slow and reportedly more painful. A friend who had both done told me that, for her at least, electrolysis hurt more each session, instead of less like laser did.
So, if you have the right skin/hair color for laser, it seems from what I've researched that the best thing to do is to start with laser, get as much cleared as you can, and then switch to electrolysis for anything that the laser can't get. A good hair removal specialist should be able to tell you which is right for you though.
