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Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SurfOmaha
As you can tell I'm from Omaha, we have no gay district, but maybe someday we will. I'd like to hear from gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders from across the country. How is your gay district? Does it provide the business services your gay community needs? Do you think its missing something? If so, what? Does it have too much of any services? Does it strengthen the sense of community in your gay community?
This is a broad question, so any input will do. Of course, all the haters and bigots can avoid this thread, just hit your ignore button, the world will appreciate it!
I guess our gay district is doing OK....He keeps his yard clean,vehicles washed and his place looks nice and well kept and when I last saw him in the Post Office he seemed to be doing well.
Mythbusting the African American Vote and Prop 8 - California Progress Report (http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/11/mythbusting_the.html - broken link)
there is no gay part of town in most places with smaller populations. we have a gay club here, but it's not in a gay district. now when I lived in DC, dupont circle has a large gay population.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveTodayLez08
I'm a black lesbian....
Anyway, no part of my city is really a gay part of town....I wish there were more gay and lesbian people where I live (or more gays and lesbians who are open....).
I'm not gay, but here in Detroit the gay area looks like they fought and lost a nuclear war. The homes and businesses are commonly fire damaged with all the copper plumbing and wiring ripped out, and the aluminum siding has been taken from the building exteriors as far up as a crack addict can reach. The windows are usually broken out or covered with plywood panels and the buildings are "tagged" with gang graffiti. Crack houses are everywhere, and the streets are populated by prostitutes, gang bangers, drug dealers, murderers, car jackers, vagrants, unsupervised children, rappers, corrupt politicians and stray pit bulls. Trash collection in the area is usually unpredictable and unreliable because the trucks have a difficult time navigating side streets due to the numerous crime scenes that have been taped off by the police. The shopping isn't all that great unless you're in the market for an assault rifle or heroin. It's close to downtown and freeways. It really is one of the nicest areas in the Motor City, but the gay areas usually are aren't they?
Yes, statistically and historically they are. Sad to hear Detroit isn't so lucky.
In Baltimore, the gay district is considered Mt. Vernon although gay folks-both black and white are pretty predominate in most city neighborhoods. However, most of the nightlife centered around the gay community is in Mt. Vernon which is probably one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city. Gay folks don't dominate the area but they play a key role in it's upkeep. Also, because Baltimore is so close to DC, the gay neighborhood for the metro area would really be Dupont Circle and the surrounding communities in DC.
Its actually becoming typical for the gay areas in some large metros to spread out into satellite communities.
The area known as "the gay area" here in Houston is Montrose just west of downtown. Montrose is a very happening area with lots of wild nightclubs and nice restaurants of many different ethnicities. Although I am not gay, I do frequent the area with my girlfriend and other friends. I like the area also for all the cool little shops and boutiques there. The housing is also pretty nice and a little upscale in a number of places there.
I always hear great things about Houston's gay areas.
Gay districts evolved many decades ago so marginalized people could be near like-minded folk, and in close proximity to the bars, which were the community centers until not too long ago. It felt safe to be around like-minded people. Being marginalized meant many negative things back then, from being shunned by family to losing one's job to being encarcerated. So it was important to at least feel that sense of security associated with community. As our society has evolved slowly to a certain level of tolerance, and community resources have expanded greatly beyond bars, the level of exclusivity afforded by the "gay ghetto" (or "gayborhood" in today's vernacular) has begun to wane, depending on one's experience or location.
We've seen this with the migration of younger gays from New York's Chelsea to nearby Hell's Kitchen (aka "Hellsea"), due to the chief byproduct of gentrification: high rent. HK, while not that much less expensive than Chelsea, has evolved into a more eclectic "gay friendly" neighborhood than the more gay-exclusive Chelsea and West Village of previous decades. Further, what has resulted is a sprawling of gay men and lesbians through the outer boroughs of NYC, and into the NJ, LI, Westchester and Connecticut suburbs.
Here in Charleston, a similar pattern has evolved with young gays being priced out of the traditionally gay-friendly enclaves of Harleston Village and Ansonborough. Both communities were popular in past decades because of their cheap rent, close proximity to the nightlife venues of the historic district, and an accepting artists colony and university population. Many gays have now settled in the Hampton Park area further up the peninsula, but I think most have chosen to scatter to neighborhoods and suburbs all over the area. Even in a conservative city like Charleston, this is due to a growing tolerance for gays. Here in North Charleston, an industrial, blue collar suburb established in the 1970s, there is the gay-inclusive Park Circle neighborhood, which is popular with a sizable number of same-sex couples. Park Circle also has a couple of women's bars, and several other gay-owned businesses, most of which are not exclusively gay.
I think their is need for one in Omaha, as it grows. And if you take a peak at some of the gay threads I've started in the Nebraska and Omaha you'd see bigoted the area is. The cities on the coasts may have outgrown this need but on the Plains, where we can't even have gay civil unions or gay domestic partnerships, sexual orientation is excluded from discrimination laws, yes we could use some gayborhoods here.
Like Houston's Montrose, Dallas' Oak Lawn is gay, loud, proud and booming. I've lived in the area for ten years, been in the bars and gone to the parades. Every year the crowds are larger. The trend has continued to tear down old, defunct apartments and homes and replace them with upscale apartments and townhomes.
The main drag thru the 'Crossroads', as it is called, is Cedar Springs. At one time it was the main route from downtown to the airport, Love Field, until the opening of DFW. Now they shut down that street for gay sponsored parties 3 or 4 times a year. I first moved there is '69 when the population was largely pilots and stewardesses. Since the opening of DFW those pilots and stewardesses have moved away, leaving the party to the gay pilots and stewardesses.
I've been to Oak Lawn like 10 years ago. Loved Village Station. LOL Would like to go again.
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