BreakOUT News

Gay Bars, Jewish Delis Disappearing

December 04, 2007

20071205_poolhall_320x240.jpg

The Boston Globe had an interesting article this weekend mourning the loss of gay bars and other “third places” in the city. Third places being public spaces where people spent time together outside of their normal work and home environments.

Many cities used to host gay ghettos and urban environments that contained gay bookstores, old-fashioned drug stores, pool halls, barber shops and other places for kvetching and catching up. More and more, these places are disappearing and being replaced with chain shopping, chain banks and other kinds of pricey, soulless real estate.

The three causes of this sited in the article are the Internet, gentrification and more acceptance of gay lifestyles. Gays can shop and cruise from home, the cheap real estate of the gay ghetto is now the expensive real estate of the posh neighborhood and when you don’t have to band together for fear of violence, you can live wherever you want. But with the disappearance of places that make cities special and unique, what will be the advantage of living in urban spaces? It’s sad to think about.

 

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