There Goes the Gayborhood…Paul Hogarthbyline‚ Nov. 30‚ 2006Are gay neighborhoods worth saving? The answer may seem obvious, but it led to a fascinating and well-attended panel discussion Tuesday night at the GLBT Historical Society. The Castro has been an internationally renowned gay mecca for decades, but gentrification has made it increasingly unaffordable. The Castro prides on being a tolerant community, but it is overwhelmingly white and male. Just last year, a new organization called And Castro For All sprang up to protest racism at Badlands, a popular local bar and dance club, after African-American customers and employees reported being mistreated. As Don Romesburg, who moderated the discussion, pointed out, the decline of gay neighborhoods is a growing problem that LGBT communities face in cities across the country. The South End in Boston, the West Village in New York, Capitol Hill in Seattle – all of these neighborhoods are becoming less affordable and less gay. Which raises the question, are they worth saving? |