The Frght Nature of Exceptnal Gay Spac - Spotlight On Queerg Urban Studi

Contents:

• ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER
• CLOSETED HETEROTOPIA: PUBLIC SPACE, GAY SEXUALY AND SELF-DISCIPLG SUBJECT PEOPLE’S PARK
• GAY
• SPACE GAYS
• GAY SPACE ED MEANG
• SPACE IS GAY, AND HAS AN IMPORTANT LSON FOR US
• FULLY AUTOMATED LUXURY GAY SPACE COMMUNISM
• ABOUT IJURRABOUT IJURREDORIAL BOARDAUTHOR GUILLATT NEWSJOURNAL CONTENTCURRENT ISSUEEARLY VIEWPAST ISSUINTERVENTNSBT ARTICLE PRIZEWEB CONTENTSPOTLIGHT ONBOOK REVIEWSVIRTUAL ISSUINTERVIEWSTHE URBAN NOWLECTUR & EVENTSARCHIVEDAUTHORS MEET CRICSSYMPOSIASEARCHTHE FRGHT NATURE OF EXCEPTNAL GAY SPACHOME   SPOTLIGHT ON   QUEERG URBAN STUDI   THE FRGHT NATURE OF EXCEPTNAL GAY SPACHOW DO WE GGE THE GAY AND QUEER POTENTIAL OF CI AND URBAN SPAC? WHAT DO SIGNATNS OF GAY-IENDLS DO, OR SET MOTN? IS GAY-IENDLS A EFUL AMEWORK FOR UNRSTANDG “GAY LIFE” CI? IN THIS PIECE, I DRAW OM MY REARCH ON EVERYDAY LIFE DISPTNS AND QUEER STRATEGI BEIT TO CHALLENGE HOW “GAY SPAC” HAVE BEEN ED TO PROVI EXCEPTNAL NARRATIV ABOUT CI. I OFFER MY NCEPT OF “ACTAL ORIENTALISM” OR ORIENTALISMS WH THE SO-LLED MIDDLE EAST, TO ADDRS HOW POPULAR MEDIA AND SOME AMIC STUDI REPRODUCE AMEWORKS THAT RELY ON NARROW ASSUMPTNS ABOUT WHAT GAY AND GAY-IENDLY SPAC ARE OR ENTAIL. AMIC STUDI AND JOURNALISTIC ACUNTS THAT ADDRS QUEER URBAN SPAC ALMOST EXCLIVELY EXPLORE GAY-MALE-DOMATED SPAC MAJOR CI AND METROPOLAN CENTERS. MOREOVER, EXISTG LERATURE PRIVILEG GAY SPAC THE GLOBAL NORTH, PARTICULARLY EURO-AMERIN CI, ALTHOUGH MORE RECENTLY THERE HAS BEEN A MOVE TO EXPLORE THE SPAC (OR THE POTENTIAL OF SUCH SPAC) THE GLOBAL SOUTH.MAR MIKHAEL DISTRICT, BEIT. PHOTO: GHASSAN MOSAWI.THE PROCS OF QUEERG URBAN SPACE THE GLOBAL SOUTH HAS OFTEN MEANT G SMOPOLAN URBAN CENTERS THE GLOBAL NORTH AS UNIVERSAL REFERENCE POTS. FOR EXAMPLE, BEIT HAS BEEN LLED THE PARIS OF THE MIDDLE EAST, THE SAN FRANCIS OF THE ARAB WORLD, AND MORE RECENTLY THE PROVCETOWN OF THE MIDDLE EAST. AS A JOURNALISTIC PRACTICE, CI THE GLOBAL SOUTH ARE MA TELLIGIBLE TO EURO-AMERIN DIENC BY PARG AND NTRASTG THEM TO EURO-AMERIN CI AND OTHER CI THE GLOBAL SOUTH. TO EXAME GAY SPAC, POPULAR MEDIA (AND SOME AMIC STUDI) OFTEN EXPLORE THE PRENCE OF GAYBORHOODS, GAY BARS, AND NIGHTLIFE THAT REMBLE THOSE EUROPE AND NORTH AMERI. IN ADDN, THEY LOOK FOR THE PRENCE OF “OUT” LGBT NGOS, MASTREAM GAY VISIBILY, AND LGBT-ANIZG STRATEGI THAT PRIMARILY FOC ON PRI AND G OUT. FOR EXAMPLE, THE TERNATNAL GAY TOUR-GUI SPARTAC INTERNATNAL, SCRIB BEIT AS GAY-IENDLY, BY CLAIMG THAT: “GAY BARS AND CLUBS OPERATE EELY AND AN LGBTQ CENTRE HAS BEEN CREATED TO TER TO ALL NEEDS OF THE [GAY] MUNY” (2016, 482).MANY JOURNALISTS AND SOME AMICS EUROPE AND NORTH AMERI APPEAR TO REGARD GAY SPAC THE GLOBAL SOUTH AS EXCEPTNAL BY VIRTUE OF BEG LOTED THE GLOBAL SOUTH. JOURNALISTS SEE THE GAY OR GAY-IENDLY SPAC AS EXCEPTNAL VIS-à-VIS SOME IMAGED TRANSREGNAL LANDSPE OF “GAY SPACE” EURO-AMERIN CI—WHICH THEY OFTEN REGARD AS THE NORM AND OTHERS AS THE EXCEPTN. TH, THEY EXPECT GAY SPAC THE GLOBAL SOUTH TO REMBLE THOSE THE GLOBAL NORTH (GAY BARS AND RABOW FLAGS), AND OFTEN IMPLY A UNILEAR MOL OF THE VELOPMENT OF “GAY SPACE”, WH CI THE SOUTH FOLLOWG THE EXAMPLE SET BY THOSE THE NORTH.FOR EXAMPLE, A NEW YORK TIM ARTICLE 2009, JOURNALIST PATRICK HEALY NAM BEIT “THE PROVCETOWN OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” FOR S SEEMGLY “NASCENT” GAY LIFE, WHILE DISTANCG OM OTHER (HOMOPHOBIC) CI THE ARAB WORLD. TO MARK “GAY LIFE” PARTS OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH AS “NEW” ERAS LOL HISTORI OF QUEER SPAC. IN ADDN, CENTERS WHE GAY FORMATNS EURO-AMERIN CI SUCH AS PROVCETOWN AS A METRIC TO MAKE CI THE GLOBAL SOUTH TELLIGIBLE TO EURO-AMERIN DIENC. THE NCEPT OF A PLACE BEG LABELED “GAY-IENDLY” OFTEN EXISTS THROUGH A RELATNAL PARISON TO SPAC PERCEIVED NOT TO BE GAY-IENDLY. BEIT IS HAILED AS “THE ARAB WORLD’S MOST GAY IENDLY CY,” “THE GAY PARADISE OF THE ARAB WORLD,” PROMISG TO “REPRENT A DIFFERENT MIDDLE EAST FOR SOME GAY AND LBIAN ARABS.” BEIT BE “GAY IENDLY,” AS IS SIMULTANEOLY PARED TO AND DISTANCED OM BOTH EURO-AMERIN CI, AND THE RT OF THE PRUMED HOMOPHOBIC ARAB AND MLIM WORLD. HEALY (2009: 3) CLAIMS, “BEIT REPRENTS A DIFFERENT MIDDLE EAST FOR SOME GAY AND LBIAN ARABS: THE ONLY PLACE THE REGN WHERE THEY N OPENLY ENJOY A SOCIAL LIFE NIED THEM AT HOME”. SPARTAC INTERNATNAL CLAIMS MORE EXPLICLY THAT BEIT IS “THE LARGT CY AND THE MOST LIBERAL URBAN CENTRE THE UNTRY, THE LAST BIG CY EUROPEAN TERMS BEFORE THE SERT” (2011, 578).SUCH AN APPROACH OVERLOOKS A NUMBER OF ISSU: FIRST, ASSUM A HOMOGENO SPATIAL FORMATN OF “GAY SPACE” THAT IS BASED ON AN IMAGED (WHE) EURO-AMERIN URBAN UNIVERSAL AND THAT LEAR NARRATIV OF PROGRS – WHERE EURO-AMERIN CI ARE SEEN AS “LIBERAL”. SEND, GLOSS OVER THE EXCLNARY NATURE OF WHE GAY SPAC EVERYWHERE – PECIALLY WHEN TO RACE, GENR, AND CLASS – AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT ELIS THE POLIL ENOMI OF GAY SPACE. FALLY, THIS APPROACH LLAPS “GAY” AND “QUEER,” AND THEM TERCHANGEABLY.PRI PARA. PHOTO: QUO AL.ARE GAY SPAC REALLY EXCEPTNAL?DPE THE VAST LERATURE THAT HAS SHOWN THAT GAY SPAC EURO-AMERIN CI TEND TO BE EXCLNARY – WHE, MIDDLE-CLASS, AND GENR-NORMATIVE SPAC – WE STILL SEEK TO FD THEM URBAN SETTGS AND EMPLOY THEM AS SIGNS OF A SOCIETY’S “PROGRSIVENS.” THIS REPRODUC ASSUMPTNS THAT CI THEMSELV ARE PROGRSIVE, “OPEN,” AND “TOLERANT” TO DIFFERENCE. MOREOVER, MASTREAM GAY SPAC (SUCH AS BARS, PRI PARAS, ETC.) ARE TREATED AS SIGNS OF “PROGRS,” AND “EQUALY,” WHILE FACT, THEIR PRENCE IS ALWAYS NTTED BASED ON THE MULTIPLE EXCLNS THAT NSTUTE AND ARE NSTUTIVE OF THEM. GAY SPAC, AND OF THEMSELV, DO NOT TELL MUCH ABOUT “PROGRS.” WH EURO-AMERIN CI, QUEER PEOPLE OF LOR HAVE HISTORILLY CREATED – AND NTUE TO CREATE – THEIR OWN SPAC (SUCH AS DANCE PARTI AND ACTIVIST CIRCL) THAT DO NOT GET ACUNTED FOR WHEN WRG ABOUT “GAY SPAC,” OR THE “GAY IENDLS” OF CI. PERCEPTNS OF BEIT AND S GAY SPAC, SUCH AS THOSE REPRENTED BY HEALY AND OTHERS, PRENT A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THIS FLAWED LOGIC. IN MY FORTHG BOOK, DISPTIVE SUATNS: FRACTAL ORIENTALISM AND QUEER STRATEGI BEIT, I ARGUE THAT REPRENTATNS OF BEIT AS GAY-IENDLY ARE MA POSSIBLE THROUGH WHAT I LL “ACTAL ORIENTALISM.” UNLIKE CLASSIC ORIENTALISM, WHICH SIMPLE BARI OF EAST AND WT, ACTAL ORIENTALISM IS MULTI-SLAR AND EMPLOYS NTED BARI TO SIMULTANEOLY PRODUCE THE SAME DISTCTNS OF WT/EAST ON MULTIPLE LEVELS. FRACTALS OR “NTED DICHOTOMI” AS ANALYTICS ARE MULTI-SLAR. TH, ACTAL ORIENTALISM SIMULTANEOLY OPERAT ON MULTIPLE SL OF HEMISPHERE, NATN/STATE, URBAN/RAL, AND NEIGHBORHOOD. FOR EXAMPLE, REPRENTS THE WT AS MORE PROGRSIVE THAN THE MIDDLE EAST, EVEN AS REPRENTS LEBANON AS MORE “PROGRSIVE” THAN OTHER ARAB MIDDLE EASTERN UNTRI, AND BEIT AS MORE “GAY-IENDLY” THAN THE RT OF LEBANON. THE DISTCTNS EXTEND TO CLASSIFY DIFFERENT AREAS WH BEIT, REPRENTG NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE PREDOMANTLY MLIM AS LS OPEN THAN THEIR CHRISTIAN UNTERPARTS. MOREOVER, REGARDS SECULARISTS AND CHRISTIANS AS MORE “APPROPRIATE GAY SUBJECTS” THAN MLIMS. APPLIED ELSEWHERE, ACTALS DISTGUISH BETWEEN RAL AND URBAN SPATIAL FORMATNS, REPRENTG GAY-IENDLS AS UNIQUE TO CERTA URBAN SPAC.FRACTAL ORIENTALISM REVEALS HOW CI ARE OFTEN PARED AND NTRASTED TO ONE OTHER WHEN SIGNATG GAY SPAC. AS A PRACTICE, DISTANC BEIT OM BOTH S EURO-AMERIN AND ARAB UNTERPARTS—S GAY LIFE IS NOT EXACTLY THAT OF PARIS, YET IS NOT AMMAN NOR DAMASC. FOR EXAMPLE, DUTCH REPORTER JURRIAAN TUELGS (2010) CLAIMS: “AT THE CY’S TWO MA GAY CLUBS, MILK AND ACID, A MIX OF LEBANE, SYRIAN, JORDANIAN, KUWAI AND EVEN SOME IRAQI MEN DISPROVE ANY REMAG THEORY OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM. THAT IS TO SAY, ONCE SI PEOPLE DON’T BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY OM ANY OTHER GAY CLUB THE WORLD – WH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTN OF THE OCSNAL MALE BELLY DANCE. BUT THIS BEG THE MIDDLE EAST, MOST OF THE MEN ARE CLOSETED” (103, EMPHASIS ADD). LEAVG GEOGRAPHIL NTEXT ASI, BEIT MIGHT NOT BE AS EXCEPTNAL AS IS REPRENTED.WHEN JOURNALISTS ASSUME THAT THE EXISTENCE OF “GAY-IENDLY” SPAC IS SYNONYMO WH SOCIETAL OPENNS AND PROGRS, THEY RISK ERASG OR IGNORG EXCLNARY STATE PRACTIC AROUND NON-NORMATIVE AND MORIZED POPULATNS. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THEY SCRIBE BEIT AS OPEN AND “TOLERANT” TO DIFFERENCE, THEY DO NOT ACUNT FOR S RACIST, SEXIST, AND XENOPHOBIC REALI AND POLICI – PARTICULARLY AGAST SYRIAN AND PALTIAN REFUGE, WORKG-CLASS DIVIDUALS, AND GENR NON-NORMATIVE AND TRANS PEOPLE. THIS FLATTENED PERCEPTN OF BEIT’S OPENNS TO “DIVERSY” OBSCUR THE POLIL ENOMY OF GAY SPAC. APPROACHG GAY SPAC THROUGH THE LENS OF POLIL ENOMY CENTRALIZ WHO HAS ACCS TO SUCH SPAC, SUCH AS THOSE WHO N PAY. IN ADDN, PAYS ATTENTN TO WHICH POPULATNS ARE UALLY TARGETED BY THE STATE. FOR EXAMPLE, THE 2013 POLICE RAID AND CLOSG OF THE GAY CLUB GHOST BEIT, POLICE TAED, HUIATED, AND VERBALLY AND PHYSILLY ABED SEVERAL GAY AND TRANS DIVIDUALS: MOST NOTABLY WORKG-CLASS AND GENR-NONNORMATIVE DIVIDUALS, AND SYRIAN NATNALS AND REFUGE. SUCH ACUNTS GET ERASED TALKG ABOUT “GAY BEIT,” TO THE EXTENT THAT BEIT’S “OPENNS” TO WHE GAY TRAVELERS IS MA POSSIBLE BY SUCH EXCLNARY PRACTIC AGAST UNSIRABLE GENRED, RACIALIZED, AND CLASSED OTHERS.BEIT SKYLE CY VIEW. PHOTO: GE AUFFARTH.VISIBLY GAY SPACE VS QUEERG SPACE
• MEANG OF GAY ENGLISH

ABOUT THE CENTERSCE 1983 THE CENTER HAS BEEN SUPPORTG, FOSTERG AND CELEBRATG THE LGBT MUNY OF NEW YORK CY. FD MORE RMATN ON AND OUR WORK ABOUT THE CENTER. VIS ABOUT THE CENTEROUR MISSNCYBER CENTERCENTER HISTORYRACE EQUYMEDIA CENTERLEARSHIP & STAFFEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNICORPORATE PARTNERSHIPSANNUAL REPORTS & FANCIAL INFORMATNCONTACT USHOURS & LOTNSEMAPSUPPORT THE CENTER

Durg the Gay Liberatn movement the Uned Stat, the slogan “Out of the closet and to the streets” was emblazoned on buttons, T-shirts, flyers and untls other kds of highly visible pulp material.

CLOSETED HETEROTOPIA: PUBLIC SPACE, GAY SEXUALY AND SELF-DISCIPLG SUBJECT PEOPLE’S PARK

Though there are untls opns on who thew the first brick — or if one was even thrown — durg the two nights of rtg that followed a particularly btal and unexpected police raid on the Greenwich Village gay bar, ’s a pellg and endurg myth. More recently, the travelg neon-soaked exhibn “Cisg Paviln: Archecture, Gay Sex and Cisg Culture” examed, as s tle suggts, the material stctur tertwed wh sex — om historic cisg s to the implitn of apps like Grdr.

Pri, formerly known as Gay Pri, is a regnn of LGBTQ inty, affirmatn of equal rights, and celebratn of visibily, digny, and diversy the LGBTQ muny.

While the word homosexual is still ocsnally ed some ntexts, you might have noticed that don’t make an appearance any versn of the LGBTQ acronym. As our age note on the term stat, “up until 1973, homosexualy was listed The Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs (DSM), psychiatry’s standard reference on the classifitn of mental illns.

GAY

” In fact, the term homosexual was liberately rejected by early gay rights activists bee, acrdg to The New York Tim, “they did not want to be intified as exclively sexual begs.

Gay, on the other hand, n be ed to scribe a person of any genr who experienc same-sex attractn, although is most often ed to scribe a man who is attracted to men. On June 28, 1969, the New York Cy police raid the Stonewall Inn, a bar equented by gay and genr-nonnformg people (at a time when terms like LGBTQ didn’t yet exist). Queer lerally means “strange or odd om a nventnal viewpot, ” and by at least by the late 1800s, queer was ployed as a rogatory term for an effemate or gay man.

SPACE GAYS

Ally: A person who supports and rpects sexual diversy, acts acrdgly to challenge homophobic and heterosexist remarks and behavrs, and is willg to explore and unrstand the forms of bias wh themselv. An umbrella term that refers to members of a subculture the gay and bisexual male muni and is often fed as more of an attu or sense of fort wh natural masculy and bodi.

Bicur: An dividual who typilly intifi as gay or straight while showg some cursy for a relatnship or sexual activy wh a person of the genr they do not favor.

Gay: At tim, “gay” is ed to refer to all people, regardls of sex, who have their primary sexual and or romantic attractns to people of the same sex.

GAY SPACE ED MEANG

The term n also exclively refer to men who are emotnally, romantilly, sexually, affectnately, or relatnally attracted to other men, or who intify as members of the gay muny. Heteronormativy: The assumptn, dividuals or stutns, that everyone is heterosexual, or that heterosexualy is superr to homosexualy and bisexualy.

Bee most LGBTQ people are raised the same society as heterosexuals, they learn the same beliefs and stereotyp prevalent the domant society, leadg to a phenomenon known as ternalized homophobia, whereas LGBTQ-intified dividuals feel shame, guilt or hatred towards the part of themselv intified as LGBTQ. Internalized Homophobia: The fear and self-hate of one’s own homosexualy or bisexualy dividuals who have learned negative ias about homosexualy throughout childhood.

SPACE IS GAY, AND HAS AN IMPORTANT LSON FOR US

Ksey Sle: The ntuum mol vised by Aled Ksey 1948 that plotted sexualy om 0 to 6; 0 beg exclively heterosexual and 6 beg exclively homosexual. Leather culture is most visible gay muni and most often associated wh gay men (“leathermen”), but is also reflected var ways the gay, lbian, bisexual, and heterosexual worlds. Metrosexual: A term popularized the 1990s referrg to a heterosexual male who assum characteristics tradnally associated wh gay male stereotyp.

Queer: Term scribg people who have a non-normative genr inty, sexual orientatn or sexual anatomy—clus lbians, gay men, bisexual people, and transgenr people and alli.

FULLY AUTOMATED LUXURY GAY SPACE COMMUNISM

Same-Genr Lovg (SGL): A term ed by some Ain-Amerin dividuals to scribe their sexual orientatn, as a rult of the perceptn that “gay” and “lbian” are primarily whe terms.

ABOUT IJURRABOUT IJURREDORIAL BOARDAUTHOR GUILLATT NEWSJOURNAL CONTENTCURRENT ISSUEEARLY VIEWPAST ISSUINTERVENTNSBT ARTICLE PRIZEWEB CONTENTSPOTLIGHT ONBOOK REVIEWSVIRTUAL ISSUINTERVIEWSTHE URBAN NOWLECTUR & EVENTSARCHIVEDAUTHORS MEET CRICSSYMPOSIASEARCHTHE FRGHT NATURE OF EXCEPTNAL GAY SPACHOME   SPOTLIGHT ON   QUEERG URBAN STUDI   THE FRGHT NATURE OF EXCEPTNAL GAY SPACHOW DO WE GGE THE GAY AND QUEER POTENTIAL OF CI AND URBAN SPAC? WHAT DO SIGNATNS OF GAY-IENDLS DO, OR SET MOTN? IS GAY-IENDLS A EFUL AMEWORK FOR UNRSTANDG “GAY LIFE” CI? IN THIS PIECE, I DRAW OM MY REARCH ON EVERYDAY LIFE DISPTNS AND QUEER STRATEGI BEIT TO CHALLENGE HOW “GAY SPAC” HAVE BEEN ED TO PROVI EXCEPTNAL NARRATIV ABOUT CI. I OFFER MY NCEPT OF “ACTAL ORIENTALISM” OR ORIENTALISMS WH THE SO-LLED MIDDLE EAST, TO ADDRS HOW POPULAR MEDIA AND SOME AMIC STUDI REPRODUCE AMEWORKS THAT RELY ON NARROW ASSUMPTNS ABOUT WHAT GAY AND GAY-IENDLY SPAC ARE OR ENTAIL. AMIC STUDI AND JOURNALISTIC ACUNTS THAT ADDRS QUEER URBAN SPAC ALMOST EXCLIVELY EXPLORE GAY-MALE-DOMATED SPAC MAJOR CI AND METROPOLAN CENTERS. MOREOVER, EXISTG LERATURE PRIVILEG GAY SPAC THE GLOBAL NORTH, PARTICULARLY EURO-AMERIN CI, ALTHOUGH MORE RECENTLY THERE HAS BEEN A MOVE TO EXPLORE THE SPAC (OR THE POTENTIAL OF SUCH SPAC) THE GLOBAL SOUTH.MAR MIKHAEL DISTRICT, BEIT. PHOTO: GHASSAN MOSAWI.THE PROCS OF QUEERG URBAN SPACE THE GLOBAL SOUTH HAS OFTEN MEANT G SMOPOLAN URBAN CENTERS THE GLOBAL NORTH AS UNIVERSAL REFERENCE POTS. FOR EXAMPLE, BEIT HAS BEEN LLED THE PARIS OF THE MIDDLE EAST, THE SAN FRANCIS OF THE ARAB WORLD, AND MORE RECENTLY THE PROVCETOWN OF THE MIDDLE EAST. AS A JOURNALISTIC PRACTICE, CI THE GLOBAL SOUTH ARE MA TELLIGIBLE TO EURO-AMERIN DIENC BY PARG AND NTRASTG THEM TO EURO-AMERIN CI AND OTHER CI THE GLOBAL SOUTH. TO EXAME GAY SPAC, POPULAR MEDIA (AND SOME AMIC STUDI) OFTEN EXPLORE THE PRENCE OF GAYBORHOODS, GAY BARS, AND NIGHTLIFE THAT REMBLE THOSE EUROPE AND NORTH AMERI. IN ADDN, THEY LOOK FOR THE PRENCE OF “OUT” LGBT NGOS, MASTREAM GAY VISIBILY, AND LGBT-ANIZG STRATEGI THAT PRIMARILY FOC ON PRI AND G OUT. FOR EXAMPLE, THE TERNATNAL GAY TOUR-GUI SPARTAC INTERNATNAL, SCRIB BEIT AS GAY-IENDLY, BY CLAIMG THAT: “GAY BARS AND CLUBS OPERATE EELY AND AN LGBTQ CENTRE HAS BEEN CREATED TO TER TO ALL NEEDS OF THE [GAY] MUNY” (2016, 482).MANY JOURNALISTS AND SOME AMICS EUROPE AND NORTH AMERI APPEAR TO REGARD GAY SPAC THE GLOBAL SOUTH AS EXCEPTNAL BY VIRTUE OF BEG LOTED THE GLOBAL SOUTH. JOURNALISTS SEE THE GAY OR GAY-IENDLY SPAC AS EXCEPTNAL VIS-à-VIS SOME IMAGED TRANSREGNAL LANDSPE OF “GAY SPACE” EURO-AMERIN CI—WHICH THEY OFTEN REGARD AS THE NORM AND OTHERS AS THE EXCEPTN. TH, THEY EXPECT GAY SPAC THE GLOBAL SOUTH TO REMBLE THOSE THE GLOBAL NORTH (GAY BARS AND RABOW FLAGS), AND OFTEN IMPLY A UNILEAR MOL OF THE VELOPMENT OF “GAY SPACE”, WH CI THE SOUTH FOLLOWG THE EXAMPLE SET BY THOSE THE NORTH.FOR EXAMPLE, A NEW YORK TIM ARTICLE 2009, JOURNALIST PATRICK HEALY NAM BEIT “THE PROVCETOWN OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” FOR S SEEMGLY “NASCENT” GAY LIFE, WHILE DISTANCG OM OTHER (HOMOPHOBIC) CI THE ARAB WORLD. TO MARK “GAY LIFE” PARTS OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH AS “NEW” ERAS LOL HISTORI OF QUEER SPAC. IN ADDN, CENTERS WHE GAY FORMATNS EURO-AMERIN CI SUCH AS PROVCETOWN AS A METRIC TO MAKE CI THE GLOBAL SOUTH TELLIGIBLE TO EURO-AMERIN DIENC. THE NCEPT OF A PLACE BEG LABELED “GAY-IENDLY” OFTEN EXISTS THROUGH A RELATNAL PARISON TO SPAC PERCEIVED NOT TO BE GAY-IENDLY. BEIT IS HAILED AS “THE ARAB WORLD’S MOST GAY IENDLY CY,” “THE GAY PARADISE OF THE ARAB WORLD,” PROMISG TO “REPRENT A DIFFERENT MIDDLE EAST FOR SOME GAY AND LBIAN ARABS.” BEIT BE “GAY IENDLY,” AS IS SIMULTANEOLY PARED TO AND DISTANCED OM BOTH EURO-AMERIN CI, AND THE RT OF THE PRUMED HOMOPHOBIC ARAB AND MLIM WORLD. HEALY (2009: 3) CLAIMS, “BEIT REPRENTS A DIFFERENT MIDDLE EAST FOR SOME GAY AND LBIAN ARABS: THE ONLY PLACE THE REGN WHERE THEY N OPENLY ENJOY A SOCIAL LIFE NIED THEM AT HOME”. SPARTAC INTERNATNAL CLAIMS MORE EXPLICLY THAT BEIT IS “THE LARGT CY AND THE MOST LIBERAL URBAN CENTRE THE UNTRY, THE LAST BIG CY EUROPEAN TERMS BEFORE THE SERT” (2011, 578).SUCH AN APPROACH OVERLOOKS A NUMBER OF ISSU: FIRST, ASSUM A HOMOGENO SPATIAL FORMATN OF “GAY SPACE” THAT IS BASED ON AN IMAGED (WHE) EURO-AMERIN URBAN UNIVERSAL AND THAT LEAR NARRATIV OF PROGRS – WHERE EURO-AMERIN CI ARE SEEN AS “LIBERAL”. SEND, GLOSS OVER THE EXCLNARY NATURE OF WHE GAY SPAC EVERYWHERE – PECIALLY WHEN TO RACE, GENR, AND CLASS – AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT ELIS THE POLIL ENOMI OF GAY SPACE. FALLY, THIS APPROACH LLAPS “GAY” AND “QUEER,” AND THEM TERCHANGEABLY.PRI PARA. PHOTO: QUO AL.ARE GAY SPAC REALLY EXCEPTNAL?DPE THE VAST LERATURE THAT HAS SHOWN THAT GAY SPAC EURO-AMERIN CI TEND TO BE EXCLNARY – WHE, MIDDLE-CLASS, AND GENR-NORMATIVE SPAC – WE STILL SEEK TO FD THEM URBAN SETTGS AND EMPLOY THEM AS SIGNS OF A SOCIETY’S “PROGRSIVENS.” THIS REPRODUC ASSUMPTNS THAT CI THEMSELV ARE PROGRSIVE, “OPEN,” AND “TOLERANT” TO DIFFERENCE. MOREOVER, MASTREAM GAY SPAC (SUCH AS BARS, PRI PARAS, ETC.) ARE TREATED AS SIGNS OF “PROGRS,” AND “EQUALY,” WHILE FACT, THEIR PRENCE IS ALWAYS NTTED BASED ON THE MULTIPLE EXCLNS THAT NSTUTE AND ARE NSTUTIVE OF THEM. GAY SPAC, AND OF THEMSELV, DO NOT TELL MUCH ABOUT “PROGRS.” WH EURO-AMERIN CI, QUEER PEOPLE OF LOR HAVE HISTORILLY CREATED – AND NTUE TO CREATE – THEIR OWN SPAC (SUCH AS DANCE PARTI AND ACTIVIST CIRCL) THAT DO NOT GET ACUNTED FOR WHEN WRG ABOUT “GAY SPAC,” OR THE “GAY IENDLS” OF CI. PERCEPTNS OF BEIT AND S GAY SPAC, SUCH AS THOSE REPRENTED BY HEALY AND OTHERS, PRENT A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THIS FLAWED LOGIC. IN MY FORTHG BOOK, DISPTIVE SUATNS: FRACTAL ORIENTALISM AND QUEER STRATEGI BEIT, I ARGUE THAT REPRENTATNS OF BEIT AS GAY-IENDLY ARE MA POSSIBLE THROUGH WHAT I LL “ACTAL ORIENTALISM.” UNLIKE CLASSIC ORIENTALISM, WHICH SIMPLE BARI OF EAST AND WT, ACTAL ORIENTALISM IS MULTI-SLAR AND EMPLOYS NTED BARI TO SIMULTANEOLY PRODUCE THE SAME DISTCTNS OF WT/EAST ON MULTIPLE LEVELS. FRACTALS OR “NTED DICHOTOMI” AS ANALYTICS ARE MULTI-SLAR. TH, ACTAL ORIENTALISM SIMULTANEOLY OPERAT ON MULTIPLE SL OF HEMISPHERE, NATN/STATE, URBAN/RAL, AND NEIGHBORHOOD. FOR EXAMPLE, REPRENTS THE WT AS MORE PROGRSIVE THAN THE MIDDLE EAST, EVEN AS REPRENTS LEBANON AS MORE “PROGRSIVE” THAN OTHER ARAB MIDDLE EASTERN UNTRI, AND BEIT AS MORE “GAY-IENDLY” THAN THE RT OF LEBANON. THE DISTCTNS EXTEND TO CLASSIFY DIFFERENT AREAS WH BEIT, REPRENTG NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE PREDOMANTLY MLIM AS LS OPEN THAN THEIR CHRISTIAN UNTERPARTS. MOREOVER, REGARDS SECULARISTS AND CHRISTIANS AS MORE “APPROPRIATE GAY SUBJECTS” THAN MLIMS. APPLIED ELSEWHERE, ACTALS DISTGUISH BETWEEN RAL AND URBAN SPATIAL FORMATNS, REPRENTG GAY-IENDLS AS UNIQUE TO CERTA URBAN SPAC.FRACTAL ORIENTALISM REVEALS HOW CI ARE OFTEN PARED AND NTRASTED TO ONE OTHER WHEN SIGNATG GAY SPAC. AS A PRACTICE, DISTANC BEIT OM BOTH S EURO-AMERIN AND ARAB UNTERPARTS—S GAY LIFE IS NOT EXACTLY THAT OF PARIS, YET IS NOT AMMAN NOR DAMASC. FOR EXAMPLE, DUTCH REPORTER JURRIAAN TUELGS (2010) CLAIMS: “AT THE CY’S TWO MA GAY CLUBS, MILK AND ACID, A MIX OF LEBANE, SYRIAN, JORDANIAN, KUWAI AND EVEN SOME IRAQI MEN DISPROVE ANY REMAG THEORY OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM. THAT IS TO SAY, ONCE SI PEOPLE DON’T BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY OM ANY OTHER GAY CLUB THE WORLD – WH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTN OF THE OCSNAL MALE BELLY DANCE. BUT THIS BEG THE MIDDLE EAST, MOST OF THE MEN ARE CLOSETED” (103, EMPHASIS ADD). LEAVG GEOGRAPHIL NTEXT ASI, BEIT MIGHT NOT BE AS EXCEPTNAL AS IS REPRENTED.WHEN JOURNALISTS ASSUME THAT THE EXISTENCE OF “GAY-IENDLY” SPAC IS SYNONYMO WH SOCIETAL OPENNS AND PROGRS, THEY RISK ERASG OR IGNORG EXCLNARY STATE PRACTIC AROUND NON-NORMATIVE AND MORIZED POPULATNS. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THEY SCRIBE BEIT AS OPEN AND “TOLERANT” TO DIFFERENCE, THEY DO NOT ACUNT FOR S RACIST, SEXIST, AND XENOPHOBIC REALI AND POLICI – PARTICULARLY AGAST SYRIAN AND PALTIAN REFUGE, WORKG-CLASS DIVIDUALS, AND GENR NON-NORMATIVE AND TRANS PEOPLE. THIS FLATTENED PERCEPTN OF BEIT’S OPENNS TO “DIVERSY” OBSCUR THE POLIL ENOMY OF GAY SPAC. APPROACHG GAY SPAC THROUGH THE LENS OF POLIL ENOMY CENTRALIZ WHO HAS ACCS TO SUCH SPAC, SUCH AS THOSE WHO N PAY. IN ADDN, PAYS ATTENTN TO WHICH POPULATNS ARE UALLY TARGETED BY THE STATE. FOR EXAMPLE, THE 2013 POLICE RAID AND CLOSG OF THE GAY CLUB GHOST BEIT, POLICE TAED, HUIATED, AND VERBALLY AND PHYSILLY ABED SEVERAL GAY AND TRANS DIVIDUALS: MOST NOTABLY WORKG-CLASS AND GENR-NONNORMATIVE DIVIDUALS, AND SYRIAN NATNALS AND REFUGE. SUCH ACUNTS GET ERASED TALKG ABOUT “GAY BEIT,” TO THE EXTENT THAT BEIT’S “OPENNS” TO WHE GAY TRAVELERS IS MA POSSIBLE BY SUCH EXCLNARY PRACTIC AGAST UNSIRABLE GENRED, RACIALIZED, AND CLASSED OTHERS.BEIT SKYLE CY VIEW. PHOTO: GE AUFFARTH.VISIBLY GAY SPACE VS QUEERG SPACE

Ever sce Humphrey (1970) groundbreakg ethnography on tearoom tra, public spac for gay cisg have been seen as ccial s which vernacular sexual knowledge is produced and a llective gay inty is formulated (Ivon 2007; Turner 2003; Brown 2008).

As Leap (1997) argu, the plex tersectns of sexual visibily, spatial polics and regulatn unfold the liv of gay cisers and also shape their llective sexual experienc and genred inti. is most trigug Chncey’s Gay New York is his tailed pictns of how gay men themselv vented terms and cultural meangs to negotiate wh their “viant” sexual orientatn and sire: for example, workg class fairi who evoked a notn of effemacy of gay men orr to jtify their sexual enunters/als wh self-fed heterosexual men; also, middle class gay men who attempted to re-enact an inty of masculy the stggl of both genr and sexualy. For example, one gay man may extort another for a certa amount of money after they have sexual one of the police harassments, for example, over 100 gay cisers were arrted by the police.

The police charged the gay men of prostutn and extortn, but uld not prent evince for each gay man they, The secret garn at the crossroad, onle article addrsg gay cisg People’s Park, source: ( Che language).

MEANG OF GAY ENGLISH

That same year, Pieters beme a natnal spokperson for AIDS awarens and gay polil activism after his historic terview wh televangelist Tammy Faye on her broadst, which fied the work's homophobic tennci. Rapoe, who is gay, is an outspoken advote for LGBTQ+ rights and was a lear the natnal team’s fight for genr equaly, which paid off last year when U.

Jenna Lyons, the first openly gay hoewife, and Jsel Taank, the first Indian hoewife, jo the diverse st tend to better reprent all of the different kds of New Yorkers.