In search of the Gays and Lesbians in Boston area (Brookline: condo, neighborhoods)

[Brooklinenative]

Returned to Brookline after 25 year absence with husband. We have been checking out neighborhoods to hang out in but have not seen more than one or two gay or lesbian couples here and there. We have been to Harvard Square, Jamaica Plain, Coolidge Corner, South End (Tremont St.), Newbury St, and Allston and we feel totally comfortable holding hands as we walk, but why isn't there a more visual presence. We are not expecting the Castro, but it seems odd that there is not a more concentrated "area" that we have overlooked. Perhaps with Mass being the first to legalize gay marriage everyone is just more accepting and we have integrated into all neighborhoods, but with reserved values. If you walk down Commercial Street in Provincetown in the Summer it's quite obvious that you are in a gay "mecca" of sorts.

[shiver]

I'm very surprised that you haven't seen a gay/lesbian presence in JP and the South End. While those areas are known for their popularity with the gay community, people live all over the place. Bostonians are more reserved in general so you may see less outward affection.

Parts of Dorchester (Lower Mill and parts of Ashmont, I think) have become a new hotspot for gays/lesbians to move to since getting priced out of the South End and JP. It's a tongue in cheek expression with validity that the gay community takes the lead in gentrifying areas.

[wheelz]

Why would it matter?

Do you have something against Heterosexual couples?

[lrfox]

The South End has Boston's highest concentration of same sex couples. Back Bay and Jamaica Plain also have high percentages. That being said, almost any decent neighborhood in the Boston area will have a good number of same sex couples. Boston is fairly integrated in that regard.

No, nothing will quite have the same vibe as the Castro, but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding other same sex couples in any neighborhood.

As for wheelz' comment, Most people like to know that they're not going to be outcasts in a neighborhood. When new immigrant groups come over to the U.S. and settle together (like the Italians in the North End, etc.) they do so not because they don't like white people, but because they want to be near people with similar lifestyles and backgrounds. I don't know why a same sex couple seeking to live near other same sex couples would trigger a response like that. It's a fairly harmless request. One that we see in many, many other forms (i.e. "What neighborhood has a lot of artists?" "Which neighborhood has a lot of hipsters" "Which neighborhood has a lot of families?" "Which neighborhood has a lot of Chinese?" etc.).

[pennyone]

On a serious note, my older cousin, who is very gay and proud, has a great condo in the Savin Hill area of Dorchester. He tells me that it has gentrified quite a bit over the years, and that there are several gay couples of varying age groups living on his street alone. So, Neponset, Lower Mills and Savin Hill areas are all good bets for same sex people/couples.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by pennyone

... my older cousin, who is very gay and proud, has a great condo in the Savin Hill area of Dorchester. He tells me that it has gentrified quite a bit over the years, and that there are several gay couples of varying age groups living on his street alone. So, Neponset, Lower Mills and Savin Hill areas are all good bets for same sex people/couples.

Yes, but there's no scene in those neighborhoods as there is in Harvard Sq, etc. They're just residential neighborhoods. Where do you go to participate in some street life where many of the people out and about are same-sex people? Brooklinenative has tried all the obvious choices and finds them lacking. There's really nothing else to suggest except the occasional excursion to P-town in the summer or Northampton.

[massnative71]

Gay or straight, I would not want to live in a place where PDA (ie. holding hands on the sidewalk) is the norm. Some things just belong in the bedroom or at least in a private setting. It's one of the things I like about New England.

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Gay or straight, I would not want to live in a place where PDA (ie. holding hands on the sidewalk) is the norm. Some things just belong in the bedroom or at least in a private setting. It's one of the things I like about New England.

Really? Two strangers holding hands is a problem for you? Really? People do it all the time in New England. People are people.

In the Boston area, the place has become so gentrified that the whole "gayborhood" thing is becoming a thing of the past. The time has come in our society that there are gay bars in Southie and Dorchester. Did you ever think you would see the day? They are still in the South End,, but it's just the most affluent ones. Gay people came in when the South End was the ghetto, cleaned it up, increased property values, and now the most affluent straights want a piece of the action. Now they are living side by side with the most affluent gays. So the story goes...

Being gay is such a non issue in MA...where are the gays? Everywhere

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by thenewtexan

Really? Two strangers holding hands is a problem for you? Really? People do it all the time in New England. People are people.

Not really a "problem" just bad manners/lacking class (holding hands can be very subtle, but it can get downright ridiculous sometimes. You know what I mean). Those doing so should not be surprised if a few wisecracks/roll-eyes come their way. You see it sometimes here, but it's not in your face like it is in some other areas. It's one thing that always jumps out at me when visiting S. CA. Their culture is much more "out in the open" than ours. But then again, I don't spend much time in places like the Back Bay and South End.

[moonsparkle]

Probably because Boston is a culturally conservative city, even while being politically liberal.