U Researcher says Gay Communities on Decline

[Guest Conway]

Someone posted this article on the other site. Specifically, it references the decline of the gay ghetto in Minneapolis.

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2008/06/11/72167283

It loads slowly, FYI.

In my six years in Chicago and my previous ten in New York, I have now witnessed the decline of three legitimate gay ghettos. First was the West Village, then as it began its decline as a gay neighborhood, it seems that Chelsea sprung up and gentrified almost overnight. When I left the city in 2002, many of my friends who had called the West Village and Chelsea home had begun to leave for Hell's Kitchen. I'm not sure if it ever developed as the next gay ghetto.

When I moved to Chicago, I really fell in love with Boystown. It was small. But, it was full of gay businesses, including gay owned restaurants and shops, bars. clothing stores and the like. It too has now gentrified and the sidewalks are full of Mommies pushing strollers to the glistening new Whole Foods in the ground floor of the Gay and Lesbian Center on Halsted Street.

Due to rising rents and real estate prices, the only gay men left living in Boystown now are pretty wealthy. We still have a few bars in a three block strip of Halsted Street that comprise what's left of Boystown. The formerly "gay" bookstore has a children's section twice the size of it's gay reading section, reflecting the new demographics of the old neighborhood. I really tire of going into bars in Boystownwith go go dancers on certain nights and having to fight my way through a batchelorette party to get to the bar or tip the dancers.

Here, we are somewhat lucky that, unlike Manhattan or San Francisco, there are no limiting geographic boundaries to inhibit the next gay ghetto from sprouting up in other parts of the city.

These days, Andersonville, which was almost an exclusively lesbian enclave in 2002, has become the home to many more gay men. However, it too is quickly gentrifying despite being relatively safe, due to low rents and less expensive real estate than other nearby north side neighborhoods. In the past few years, Chicago's best go go bar was closed here due to neighbor complaints. And, the Starbucks seems more full of breeders in that neighborhood than ever before.

Uptown, which lies between Boystown and Andersonville, is not nearly as gentrified as either of those two and seems to be attracting a fair number of younger gay men with its lower rents and less expensive real estate. The downside of that neighborhood is that there still are clearly safety issues in it on a day to day basis. But, then again, that's an issue in any gay ghetto. Maybe its our next great hope

What's the story in your city or town?

[TotallyOz]

In NYC I found very similar things. The West Village and Chelsea were mostly gay when I was there. They are now Yuppie heaven. Many of the gays are moving out to Queens and Brooklyn and even in those areas, the gays seem to be more spread out than in past times. I miss the old West Village and the days where the night clubs in Chelsea were kings of the universe.

[Guest raulgmanzo]

Due to rising rents and real estate prices, the only gay men left living in Boystown now are pretty wealthy. We still have a few bars in a three block strip of Halsted Street that comprise what's left of Boystown. The formerly "gay" bookstore has a children's section twice the size of it's gay reading section, reflecting the new demographics of the old neighborhood. I really tire of going into bars in Boystownwith go go dancers on certain nights and having to fight my way through a batchelorette party to get to the bar or tip the dancers.

The gist of what you are saying is true, Boystown has greatly gentrified. But I do think you exagerate things a bit. I know plenty of gay folks who are nowhere near wealthy living in Boystown. There are more than 20 gay bars in and around Boystown, 15 of them along Halsted, now that is more than a few. Last night (sunday night) lots of people rather than come to Boystown stayed up north where some festivals and events where going on and yet I found tons of apparently gay folks walking about. Including the usual hordes of drag queens in the wee hours.

Certainly Halsted st is much tamer and straighter during the day than it used to be. You are correct that many have moved to Uptown and Edgewater, but also to Rogers Park, Wicker Park, Logan Square, and Humboldt Park. About the mommies and strollers, I believe it is a citywide phenomenon. That there used to be so few people breeding in Boystown was an indication of how few people were choosing to raise kids in dense happening parts of the city. My neighborhood with all its driveby shootings was considered very rough when I moved here and now there are more strollers than pimped out Toyotas, more toddlers than gang bangers and instead of guns and drugs I find toys in my front bushes.

The kids in the strollers will be tomorrows tolerant citizens, not afraid of people who might be different than their parents.

But yeah sometimes seeing a bachelorette party walking down Halsted is a bit of a shock, at least they don't yet come into Steamworks, The Ram or Machine shop!

Raul