Don't look now, but upstanding, proper gay people are threatening to de-gay the gayest neighborhood ever.
An interesting story online today talks about the Castro, the fabled and beloved San Francisco neighborhood that has served as the gay mecca, our Oz, since the 1960s.
The phenomenon of de-gaying gay neighborhoods is nothing new. Traditionally, this happens when straight people (no offense) start moving into a previously decrepit neighborhood that gays have transformed into something livable and vibrant and beautiful. When that shift takes hold and gay neighborhoods lose their je-ne-sais-qoi, gay residents start to sense that they're becoming a minority in their own front yards. This bothers us. More established gay folk may cash out, the younger crowd can't afford the new home values, and basically the gay community sets its sights on the next frontier -- cheaper, fixer-up neighborhoods -- and moves on.
Only this time, it's not straight couples with kids who are threatening the personality of the Castro. It's us. Our own people -- with kids. They want the Castro cleaned up! And because it's the Castro, the gays who call it home don't necessarily want to tone down or move on from the very place where they can most be who they are.
The truth is that the Castro has been through many changes over the past 35-40 years. After its gay heyday in the 70s, the 1980s ushered in an eerie netherworld feeling as gay men were dying of AIDS. Young men in their prime walked the streets with canes, their faces marked with cancer. It wasn't a happy place (although it was filled with love.) As gays were dying or needed the money, and real estate shot through the roof, straight people did start moving in. Today, you have to have bucks to live in the Castro. The median home price is over $700,000 in San Francisco. But it has remained to this day, somewhere-over-the-rainbow for gay people.
The Sydney Morning Herald story cites that there are 60,000 children being raised by same-sex parents in California (sorta mind-blowing) and the needs of those gay dads and lesbian moms are creating "tension between parents who want the more explicit window displays and posters [in the Castro] toned down and those determined to guard free sexual expression from any censorship."
Did you get that? Gay parents are basically telling the gays of Castro they are too gay.
William Rogers, a city official, said: "Traditionally, the Castro has been about adults, bars, sexual expression and a gay community that has largely focused on adult needs and desires.
"As more LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, queer] people have children, there is an inherent tension between preserving that adult community and shifting towards a culture that includes children - and in some ways that means altering the meaning of the Castro to include the needs of children."
I'm all for the gayby boom. I think it's great. And I even look forward to the day when this whole conversation is moot -- when there's no need for "gay neighborhoods" because the world is such a tolerant and loving place and we can all live on one big happy planet. (OK, that's kind of a lie; I love gay neighborhoods!) But, I am troubled by this movement to de-gay our gayest environs -- especially at the hands of my own people.
I say the Castro stays. Don't want your kids being exposed to "a Buddhist god with a very large penis" in the storefront on Castro Street? Move.
· Story: 'Sex Is Out as Families Move In to Floridly Gay District' (Sydney Morning Herald)
· Photo Tour: 'The Castro, a Symbol and Beacon of Acceptance'
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6 comments:
I think this is such BS.I remember when I first came out .Castro is where i headed for my first DYKE MARCH.It was so liberating to be around folks that were like me.I live in Sacramento CA.We have not much of a gay neighbor hood.I love the Castro district. To be able to walk hand in hand with the one you love and not be judged.
i think castro should be tamed quite a bit.you people not giving a crap about what children are subjected to ....makes me sick!!!! this is why so many good people are homophobic...grow up!! it is so awesome for us to raise children.do you really have to be a perverted flamer to be open and gay
You know, it seems like the Castro is the one place on earth where its residents can not only enjoy the comfort of being accepted, but be surrounded by full-frontal dangly bits at every turn. While it's not for me, I like the fact that a neighborhood exists like that. And local couples that want to tame the Castro need to look at why they came there in the first place...then realize that the neighborhood is not for them anymore and move. There are plenty of overpriced gay neighborhood in the Bay Area.
If they want to live someplace that's lost touch with its roots and Disneyed itself up, there's always Times Square.
It appears that Gay Parents, who have been fortunate to find a partner and adopt or have children through a surrogate, are complaining about the sexual content of store signs, sexual activity on the streets, and/or the focus of "sexuality" around their children.....in their neighborhood. I remember the good old days of the late 80's early 90's. I remember fighting on the frontlines for gay rights, ACT-UP, Gay Pride Festivals, group meetings regarding court cases and protesting on the lawns of government facilities. And yes, everyone would walk hand in hand wearing "Nobody Knows I'm Gay" shirts! HA!
I now see all of those "kids" from back in the day who have settled down and have partners and perhaps even children, leaning more towards the conservative side.
I understand the concerns of those who have not "settled in" yet and simply want a place to feel accepted and have fun. Trust......I was all about that!
But I am so excited for the GLBT families who are taking the steps that alot of "straight" couples have been trying to take for years to protect our children from inappropriate sexual content.
This article may have demonstrated division among gay people, but I believe that it shows the bond between "straight and gay" families who have their children's interest as first priority.
Basically......Sexual preference has nothing to do with loving our children! Maybe it will be the children of this generation, with gay or straight parents, who help us realize that we all have the same goal to protect and nurture our legacy!
I have several gay friends who are single and totally respect my children and my "straight" marriage. My friends have never exposed them to things that were inappropriate! But ofcourse, we share the same interests when it comes to children and the future of this country.
This is not a matter of gay or straight.
This is a matter of maturity.
Humans unite!
As a gay man, with kids, I'm glad that there are still places like Castro. Places where gays can be what they want to be and enjoy their lives. Certainly, I wouldn't move my children there, but I think the debate is more than gays wanting a non-sexual place to raise their children. I think that too many gay people are bending over backwards to appease the religious right and the sanctimonious politicians. They want the nation to think that we are just like everyone else. The truth of the matter is that no one is just like everyone else. If gay people want acceptance, the nation has to see us as we really are. We are professionals partnered with children. We are also drag queens and flaming queers who are proud of everything that we are and everything that we have accomplished in life. Frankly, I wouldn't want to see the day when all gay people acted like straight people. The gay couples with children need to find a nice quiet neighborhood in which to raise their kids. They also need to realize that not all gays want to be just like everyone else. They have to learn to live their own lives and do what is best for their families, but leave everyone else alone. Let singles have fun. Life is short.
...1/2 century + .. str8 MWM ..... kentucky..saw the story and read it .
... never been there , but the Castro area has always been the " most open " gay communtity in the states . yes, things change , but I don't free this should be one of them .
... guess this is where I say , " God save the Queens ."
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