Prior to the 1960s and 1970s, specialized gay communities did not exist as such; bars were usually where gay social networks developed, and they were located in certain urban areas where police zoning would implicitly allow so-called "deviant entertainment" under close surveillance. In New York, for example, the congregation of gay men had not been illegal since 1965; however, no openly gay bar had been granted a license to serve alcohol. Stonewall managed to change not only the profile of the gay community but the dynamic within the community itself. This along with several other similar incidents precipitated the appearance of gay ghettos throughout North America, as spatial organization shifted from bars and street-cruising to specific neighborhoods. This transition "from the bars to the streets, from nightlife to daytime, from 'sexual deviance' to an alternative lifestyle" was the critical moment in the development of the gay community.
(from Wiki)
Six years ago, at Pride Lights, the big Boston Pride week Tuesday evening ceremony held in the heart of Boston's traditionally gay South End neighborhood, police and barricades couldn't keep the crowds from spilling out into the streets as Varla Jean Merman performed. But this past year, at the height of the event, crowds were thin enough that passersby could walk a few feet from the main stage without so much as bumping anyone.
What has happened to the South End?
The South End of Boston, once known specifically for its GLBT community, for its proximity to the most happening gay bars and clubs, is no longer what it once was. It's been said by many that the GLBT community is no longer making it its primary neighborhood. For me personally, the great exodus from the South End started with the sale of the Tremont Ice Cream Shop in the mid-90's.
Is that a bad thing?
From where the men and women who work for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and help make sure the GLBT community all over the city, and not just in the South End, have what they need - from where they're sitting, such change isn't necessarily a bad thing.
In Dorchester, where its Irish roots are twisted deep in Boston and American history, DotOUT - formed by friends Daniel Cushing and Michele Gillen - has more than 150 gay and lesbian members. Its members have marched in the annual Dorchester Day parade, a contrast of sorts where, in South Boston, an Irish-American gay and lesbian group was banned from participating in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, a ban upheld by the Supreme Court in 1995. Homes in the Savin Hill, Jones Hill, and Melville Park neighborhoods are decked with Pride flags, and as Dorchester fills with families and singles looking to buy-in at an affordable (or perhaps less expensive) rate, so, too, does the GLBT population. And on Dot (what the non-locals call Dorchester) Avenue, dBar has been making a splash and packing in gay clientele lately. The mayor's liaison to Dorchester, Molly Dunford, said during a recent interview that no matter which committee meeting or major event she attends, she sees members of the GLBT community alongside heterosexuals, often working together. "DotOUT and the legalization of gay marriage helped solidify the GLBT presence in Dorchester," said Dunford. "It provided us a chance to focus on GLBT issues and also work on issues relative to the entire neighborhood."
The 2000 Census recorded figures reflecting the South End as still having the largest populations of gay men and lesbians, but since the last Census those numbers have decreased. Surrounding neighborhoods of Dorchester, Jamaica Plain and Roslindale saw large increases in the number of GLBT residents. That doesn't mean that the South End still doesn't harbor many GLBT residents, just a much smaller percentage.
Beyond ghettos
But with the legalization of gay marriage and the ease with which members of the GLBT community and their heterosexual counterparts co-exist, you've now got a city where it's no longer necessary to ghettoize the gays. Not that Boston ever specifically labeled the South End as the sole place in the city where gay men and women would feel welcome; it just happened that way. Similarly, the diversification of different communities within Boston, and the welcoming and inclusion of the GLBT community, well, that just happened, too. "Boston is just plain different," Mayor Menino said during a telephone interview during the week leading up to his November re-election. "It's a welcoming city, and is diverse in every community." As for the change in the South End, Menino said that it was his opinion that too much emphasis has been placed on the GLBT community's specific strides as opposed to the improvements made in the city for all communities. "Everyone here shares the same concerns," he said. "The same issues of education and housing and safety. It doesn't matter who you are or where you live."
Look at San Francisco. For decades, it's been synonymous with gay life. The city and its denizens made extreme political and social gains in the 1970s and early '80s, then AIDS hit. Still, the men and women living in the Castro District fought and survived, new business replaced old, and new people brought a renewed sense of hope to the city. But, like Boston, the GLBT community in San Francisco isn't segregated in one specific area. The community has extended itself all over the city and continued to thrive. Same can be said for Greenwich Village and New York City.
Suburban assimilation
Within Boston, openly gay owned and operated businesses can be found in places that you wouldn't have expected 10 years ago. Roslindale has both the cozy Gusto and the scrumptious Bangkok cafe serving up food. Jamaica Plain has the gay friendly Milky Way and Dogwood Cafe. Just eating in Dogwood on a Friday evening you'll see the demographic spread of the city. If there was ever a sign of change, Mike's Gym, the staple of all things old South End, closed a couple years ago and reopened in Jamaica Plain recently.
Although Mass. state Rep. Mike Rush (D-West Roxbury) of West Roxbury was one of the few city representatives in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to vote for the amendment banning gay marriage, his district is certainly changing. During the summer months one can walk by the Victorians nestled behind Phil's Barber Shop on Centre Street and see Pride flags openly displayed.
Across the Charles River in Somerville, Mass., after narrowly defeating a solid incumbent, openly gay Carl Sciortino was voted representative of the district. Not only does Somerville have the feel of old South End thanks to places like Diesel but it also has one of the few ladies nights in the city at Toast.
Out in Worcester, Mass., the Central Massachusetts Business Council, after only a year in existence, already has a thriving business network. The businesses are a 50/50 split of those that are gay owned and those that are friendly. Paul Leone, president of the CMBC said, "For a first year to have 170 members, it's great!"
Rhode Island real estate developers and agencies are advertising to the gay community to move down to Providence and leave the expense of Boston behind. And for those worried they'll lose their marriage status down south, Marriage Equality R.I. (MERI) tries every year to pass a marriage law, though the official status of married Massachusetts couples that move to Rhode Island is still grey. And GLBT people are moving beyond urban Providence into areas like Cranston, R.I., which has a MERI office. And R.I.'s Youth Pride, Inc., opened a facility in Newport, R.I. Newport, a town of 26,000, even boasts its own GLBT chamber of commerce, The Newport Business Council.
Contrast: Chicago's Boys Town
Contrast Boston's experience to Chicago, where you'll still find the GLBT population concentrated in just a couple areas of the city. The place to be if you're gay is Northalsted, also known as Boys Town, and Andersonville. These areas are not only predominately comprised of the GLBT community, but are also the places where the most gay bars and clubs and GLBT festivals are held - kind of like the way the South End used to be. Northalsted is located predominately between Addison and Belmont Streets along Halsted Avenue and has more than 20 gay bars and dance clubs from which revelers can choose their evening's entertainment. It's also where Market Days, the largest GLBT festival in the Midwest, is held each year. Andersonville, originally known for its Swedish roots, runs along Clark Street between Foster and Peterson, north of Northalsted, and is predominately inhabited by lesbians, though many gay men frequent the area.
(most of the discussion above was lifted from William Henderson, IN NEWSWEEKLY, February 15, 2006, and then updated.
So, question is- once we gain equality, then what? I've lived in or around Boston's South End for 25 years now. Saw it change from a real ghetto, to a gay ghetto, to a gay Mecca, to what it is today, over-priced and only slightly gay. I miss those old days, when we were the dominant culture in this area. I was and remain angry that so many glbt folks sold out when real estate prices soared 10-15 yrs ago. So is that the "price we pay" for gaining our equality and feeling safe, to choose to live our lives in rural and suburban New England areas? How far will we be willing to go when migrating to these suburban and rural areas to integrate once we feel safe beyond the confines of our gay ghettos? I like the dancing princesses much more than the homogenous pile of dust bits! I don't want to blend!! I'm old school and miss the gay ghettos and gay Meccas, a lot! Will the other gay ghettos across the US lose their glitter when glbt rights become the norm in this country?