Gay village

A gay village (sometimes called a gay ghetto or gay enclave) is usually an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of gay and lesbian people, as well as bisexuals and transsexuals live. They usually contain a number of gay-oriented establishments, such as gay bars or pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, restaurants, bookstores, and other businesses.

History of the gay ghetto/gay village

The gay ghetto is a relatively new invention. Prior to the 1960s and 1970s, spatialized 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. The police raid of a private gay club called the Stonewall Inn on June 27, 1969?a raid that supposedly took place due to the illegal serving of alcohol and because of its ostensible connection to the mafia?led to a three day riot involving over 1000 people. Stonewall managed to change, not only the profile of a ?gay community? but the dynamic within the community itself. After the civil disobedience which took place at Stonewall, where the most marginalized, ?out,? and ?gender-bending? had the willingness to question authority and assert their individuality, the diversity of the group was given a public space. This incident?and several other similar ones?which precipitated the appearance of gay ghettos throughout North America, as the spatial organization of gays shifted from bars and street-cruising to specific neighbourhoods. 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 (Castells, 1983 p.141).

Related Topics:
Social network - Stonewall Inn - Mafia

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The term "gay village" derives from New York City's Greenwich Village, where the Stonewall riots took place.

Related Topics:
New York City - Greenwich Village - Stonewall riots

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