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It’s no secret that cities are typically more tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community, and a larger city allows for greater opportunities in general, as well as a larger dating pool. But how did the iconic gay neighborhoods we all know and love come to be?
In this episode, we're taking a look at the history of gay villages, their core themes that attract LGBTQ+ people, and how gayborhoods have fallen victim to gentrification.
Additional Resources:
Snarky Opener (0:00)
You know what they say. It's a beautiful day in the gayborhood, assuming you can afford rent because gentrification is a bitch.
Episode Introduction (0:26)
Hello, my LGBTQuties, and welcome back to another episode of A Jaded Gay.
I'm Rob Loveless and, today, I'm a non-jaded gay because we are finally approaching what feels like fall.
Now, I know it's late September, so some people feel that fall begins September 1. I would love to be one of those people.
Unfortunately, I cannot if the weather is still so freaking hot, which it's been here in Pittsburgh, I've been sweating non-stop. I'm over it. I just want to be cold. I want the rain. I want it to be cloudy.
I swear I'm not depressed, okay, maybe just a little bit, but I'm just craving that fall weather. But we are starting to get there.
I am noticing it's starting to cool off, and I'm really just leaning into the fall and embracing it. You know, I've got my pumpkin candle, I got my pumpkin spice Greek yogurt, pumpkin spice, everything.
I'm basic when it comes to fall, and I'm not sorry about it. So, yeah, gearing up for fall here.
But one thing that's not falling is the price of rent in some gayborhoods, which we will be talking about today.
Do you see that little transition I did there?
Gayborhoods & Gay Villages (1:19)
So yeah, we're gonna be talking about gay villages.
Now, unsurprisingly, we know a lot of gay men who live in large cities. Specifically, if you're in the United States, think LA, New York, Chicago, and DC.
And we all know that there are some major gay hubs within these cities.
But why do gay men tend to flock to cities, and how did these gay villages come to be in the first place?
So, we're going to explore that today. But as we always do, let's pull our tarot.
Tarot (1:46)
So, for this episode, we pulled the King of Wands in reverse. And this card is based on pure masculine energy. We have it being a king card within the Suit of Wands.
And as you know, Wands is the element of fire, which is also a masculine energy. So, we just get double masculine here. So really, this card is calling us to take action.
And as you remember, Wands is tied to fire energy, which is tied to passion, creativity, sometimes sexuality. And the king is the final card within the Minor Arcana suits.
So basically, this card is signifying the end of a journey and end of a cycle, and potentially the start of a new one.
And, like I said, this card is a pure masculine card, but in reverse, it may actually signify that there are unhealthy displays of masculine energy going on in our lives, such as an abuse of power in a situation, holding grudges, or even acting like a bully.
Now, this could be ourselves, or it could be somebody else or a certain situation in our lives, so we really need to look inwards to reflect and see how this applies to us.
And remember healthy masculine energy, it understands the responsibility that comes from being in a place of power.
And if it's us, that's maybe displaying the unhealthy masculine energy, we need to ground ourselves and remind ourselves that being in power, we should be empowering others and lifting others up, not acting like a dictator and just laying down the law and being irrational.
We really need to use our power to support others. And above all else, we can't let that power go to our heads. We need to act with integrity.
And even if we're not in a position of power, this card can also be an indicator that maybe we're being aggressive and arrogant in pursuing our own goals.
So, it's good to be goal-oriented and pushing ourselves forward and working for what we want to accomplish, but we want to do that in an ethical and fair way.
We want to maintain integrity through the actions we take to achieve our goals so that as we're moving forward on our journey to accomplish what we want, we're not tearing others down to get to our goals.
And it could also indicate that maybe we're setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves. Maybe our goals are too ambitious or lofty, and we're setting ourselves up for failure.
And so, if that might be the case for you, look at your goals, and instead of trying to jumpstart into where you want to be, map out the ways to get there. Nothing big happens overnight.
You need to take baby steps to get there. You need to plan and put in the work to build up to what you want. So, lots to think about there.
Hopefully, some of that resonated with you, and let's get into our topic.
The Origins of Gay Villages (3:55)
So, to start off, where does the term gay village even come from?
Well, according to Lexico, a gay village is an urban area with a significant homosexual population and a high concentration of businesses catering primarily to this community.
And it cites that the earliest use of the word appeared in the 1970s in Gay News, which was a UK-based newspaper that ran from June 1972 until April 1983.
And some of those gay-oriented businesses that cater primarily to the community are things like bookstores, restaurants, nightclubs, boutiques, and bathhouses.
Now, I was able to find the history for individual gay villages, but not for the concept of a gay village as a whole.
So, full disclosure, this next part comes from Wikipedia, and they don't list sources for some of this. So, it is what it is. Maybe you need to take it with a grain of salt.
But supposedly, the neighborhood of Schöneberg in Berlin was the first gay village in the world and developed in the 1920s.
Now there is an NPR article that talks about the rise of gay subculture in the 1920s Berlin, which ended up being eradicated by the Nazis. So that could attest to Schöneberg being the first gay village.
But again, I couldn't find any source besides Wikipedia explicitly saying that. But something to think about.
And generally speaking, it seems like while there were gay bars and places for gay men to socialize discreetly, gay villages didn't really come to be until the 1960s and 1970s.
And I think again, let me emphasize think, since the history is a bit shoddy, but I think that gay villages came to be by the congregation of gay men in areas that originally were undesirable areas due to quote-unquote deviant behavior.
And the early days of these gay villages are somewhat linked to the term ghetto. Now, I know that's a problematic word, but I wanted to touch on its history as it relates to gay villages.
So, the word originally comes from the Jewish area of Venice, the Venetian Ghetto in Cannaregio.
And the term ghetto originally referred to neighborhoods in European cities where Jewish people were required to live according to local law.
And then, shifting into the 1900s, the word was used to refer to areas that were inhabited by people who society deemed were not socially acceptable.
And that included Jewish people, poor and homeless people, ethnic minorities, sex workers, and, wait for it, LGBTQ+ people.
So, with that in mind, I think these quote-unquote gay ghettos eventually built up and evolved into what we recognize now as gay villages.
Top Gay Destinations (6:14)
Now, according to World Population Review, an independent organization without political affiliations, these are the top 10 gay cities in the United States for 2022.
So, we have:
Now, I tried to find a definitive list of top gay cities globally, but there were a few lists, some focused on luxury travel, some focused on living.
But across the board, these were some of the top gay cities around the world. And it's important to note that San Francisco, Miami, and New York showed up on a lot of these lists as well.
But globally, we're talking about:
So, that being said, I wanted to go through some of the more well-known gay villages in those cities.
So, we have:
And I haven't traveled much, so I'm just assuming I nailed the pronunciation for all those names.
And in the United States, some of the more recognizable gay villages we have are:
Although, I'd use the term gay village loosely because Pittsburgh is a small city, and so, there's a small gay population here as well.
So, for anybody who's outside of Pittsburgh, don't get your hopes up when you hear those two names. I mean, nice enough areas, but nothing big like you would expect in these larger cities.
And in Philly, there is Washington Square West, which is referred to as the Gayborhood.
And there's also New Hope in Bucks County, which is about an hour outside of Philly. And I actually did go to New Hope with my good friend Sara.
I was visiting her in Philly, so we did a couple wineries that day, ended up in New Hope. And we got in a car accident. Specifically, we were rear-ended, and it doesn't get any gayer than that.
Key Themes of Gay Villages (8:54)
Anyway, as you can see, a lot of these gay villages or gayborhoods are in large cities. And, it's not surprising since cities are typically more tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community.
And a larger city also allows for greater opportunities in general, as well as a larger dating pool.
In fact, in 2021, Amin Ghaziani published a study titled Why Gayborhoods Matter: The Street Empirics of Urban Sexualities that looked at specific reasons the LGBTQ+ community flocked to gay villages.
And, Ghaziani found the following core themes:
Now, that being said, I thought this next statistic was pretty interesting. Now, keep in mind, this is a bit dated. Actually, a bit is being generous.
It comes from a Pew Research study from June 2013, so almost a decade ago. I tried to find an updated number, but I couldn't.
And I really wanted to find something comparable to this statistic, but I couldn't. So, we do have to just go out off of this June number.
Anyway, this study conducted a national survey of 1,197 LGBT adults, and it found that only 12% of those lived in a neighborhood known for being an LGBT neighborhood.
And 14% said that while they do not currently live in an LGBT neighborhood, they lived in one in the past. And 72% said they had never lived in an LGBT neighborhood.
Now, again, since this is almost a decade old, I'd be interested to see what the number is now, especially given the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an uptick of remote work, and people aren't constrained to live in the places they work.
And I'd also be curious to see what the current percentage is for LGBT respondents who do not currently live in an LGBT neighborhood but have lived in one in the past.
Because over the past few years, there have been quite a few articles popping up about how gay men specifically are leaving gayborhoods at higher rates compared to the past.
Gayborhoods are Losing Their LGBTQ+ Residents (10:51)
So, in July of this year, the New York Times published an article about how gayborhoods are losing their LGBTQ+ residents.
And I'm going to read a quick quote from the article:
“Across the country, LGBTQ neighborhoods in big cities — New York, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco among them — are experiencing a confluence of social, cultural and economic factors, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, that is diluting their influence and visibility. In a few cases, some LGBTQ leaders say, the neighborhoods’ very existence is threatened.”
So, if you think about it, back in the day, these gayborhoods were essentially a refuge for gay men who were rejected by family, friends, society, and so these hubs were built up around the acceptance of gay men, where they could live and love without facing discrimination or harassment.
And today, although it doesn't always feel like it, we have made progress in being accepted by society, which is great. But, this shift in acceptance has had an effect on LGBTQ+ neighborhoods.
The article states that younger LGBTQ+ couples are starting families, and when it comes to where they live, they're looking for more traditional features, like public schools and parks and larger homes.
Additionally, one of the reasons gay men went to gay bars was to find a potential date or hookup, but now many gay men rely on dating apps, which has replaced gay bars for this need.
And this is another topic I plan on having a whole episode dedicated to. But for now, you can see how these factors can negatively impact gay neighborhoods.
Gentrification of Gay Neighborhoods (12:14)
And another negative impact is gentrification. In the case of gay neighborhoods, LGBTQ+ people moved into what the article describes as downtrodden neighborhoods and have fixed them up.
Then, once the housing costs become too much, residents and younger generations relocate to another downtrodden neighborhood. In New York City, that has resulted in a shift from Greenwich Village to Chelsea to Hell's Kitchen.
And in LA, gay men are migrating from West Hollywood to Silver Lake. It's a cycle of gentrification.
And in 2017, Peter Moskowitz covered this topic in a Vice article titled When It Comes to Gentrification, LGBTQ People are Both Victim and Perpetrator.
He states that, aside from cities providing safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people, another aspect that makes cities good for the community is simply economics. So quick quote from the article:
“Queers comprise a relatively small portion of the American population, making it hard to have a "gayborhood" without density. Any given suburb likely doesn't have enough LGBTQ people living within it to support multiple bars and stores, or nonprofits, or other aspects of queer culture—arts, pride events, and the like—that make for vibrant communities.”
Moskowitz goes on to explain that you saw that in cities like San Francisco, New York, and Chicago.
But in the early days of those gayborhoods, they also had a political focus allowing the LGBTQ+ community to organize grassroots liberation movements for gay rights.
He says that if you look at those gayborhoods today, and he cites the West Village, Castro, West Hollywood, and Boystown, specifically, he says that they are now, quote-unquote, Disneyfied, corporate-friendly versions of their former selves.
And a big reason this occurred is because real estate developers viewed cities as attractive prospects after a period of urban decline in the 1960s and 70s.
That decline was brought on by developers and governments who subsidized mortgages for suburban housing and redlined Black and Latino neighborhoods.
Moskowitz explains that this trapped poor people of color in cities and decimated real estate values, and developers found this attractive because they could buy back those neighborhoods for cheap.
And LGBTQ+ people happen to be concentrated at the center of those neighborhoods.
And then, when we get to the AIDS epidemic in the 80s and 90s, thousands of previously occupied apartments in those gentrified neighborhoods in New York City were suddenly available.
Additionally, LGBTQ+ people, especially white gay men, began to become complicit in gentrification.
And that's because post-Stonewall, LGBTQ groups were focused solely on safety and teamed up with law enforcement to protect them and their businesses.
And Moskowitz states that now, because gay men, and typically white gay men, are associated with safety in now attractive cities, they've become tools for real estate developers to enact gentrification themselves.
And as gentrification occurs, property values rise. So, going back to the New York Times article from July, they profile Cleve Jones, who lived in Castro for 50 years but left in May this year because the monthly cost of his one-bedroom apartment soared from $2,400 to, wait for it, $5,200.
Again, that is per month. And I tried to do a quick search on how we can protect gayborhoods. And I actually came across a 2014 Bloomberg article titled Why Gayborhoods Matter.
And I really doubted that Bloomberg would provide an answer to this question, so I was disappointed but unsurprised to find that this article basically leverages gays as a real estate marketing tool.
So, a couple fun quotes from the article:
“Economists have long speculated about the effects of gayborhoods on everything from diversity to gentrification to housing prices. One common theme of this analysis is that neighborhoods with a higher-than-average density of gay residents are, by definition, more diverse and open-minded, with a wider range of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, as well.
Another common argument is that gays often pioneer the revitalization of disadvantaged, crime-filled urban neighborhoods – and their presence can be seen as an early marker of gentrification and a precursor to a jump in housing prices.”
They then discuss how there's no box on the US Census for sexual orientation, and they have a problem with that because it interferes with their straight investing research. They say:
“Tracking the location choices of gay and lesbian residents is an important part of understanding neighborhood transformation. The notion that gay men often serve as “pioneers” – moving into older downtown neighborhoods and spurring gentrification – is one that deserves a data-driven test.”
So, that's great.
Episode Closing (16:33)
Anyway, as you can see from this episode, gayborhoods have definitely evolved over time from a place of refuge to what Moskowitz described as being Disney, corporate-friendly neighborhoods.
Obviously, you know, they're not perfect, as we've seen from the points on gentrification. And they were definitely born from a place of need but have shifted as we progressed over the decades and made strides in terms of equality.
But I think at the end of the day, it's important to have a place where you can feel a sense of community, whether that's in a gayborhood or your own local neighborhood.
And, more importantly, I think it's important that within the LGBTQ+ community, we are all doing our part to be inclusive of everyone. Of all genders, of all races, of all economic backgrounds.
And it goes back to like we pulled in the tarot today. You know the King of Wands in reverse is a signifier of abuse of masculine energy. And so, we need to look within ourselves.
Are we lifting others up around us as we try to move forward on our own path to success, or are we tearing others down if they get in our way?
You know, there's nothing wrong with wanting to achieve your goals, but again, you need to be acting with integrity. And obviously, this is a very complex issue. I'm definitely not an economist by any means.
You know, this is just based off of my own research online, and I always include the sources in the episode show notes. So, if you want to read anything further, go in, the links will all be there.
But I think again, just at the end of the day, we all need to do our part, especially within the LGBTQ+ as a marginalized community, we all need to do our part to support one another, regardless of gender, regardless of race, regardless of sexuality or economic background, because we are one community, and we need to lift one another up.
Connect with A Jaded Gay (17:59)
So, thank you all again for listening. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast.
If you have any questions, you can email me rob@ajadedgay.com.
You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @ajadedgaypod. And you can follow me, Rob Loveless, on Instagram @rob_loveless or on Twitter @robjloveless.
And remember, every day is all we have, so you got to make your own happiness.
Mmm-bye.
Outtake (18:51)
The neighborhood of Oh, my God, I did not pronounce this word.
Schnazburg, schlongburg? No, that's not right.
