A gay-owned Virgia rtrant is a dispute wh s neighbors - Washgton Post

Contents:

• MEET THE NEW GAYBORHOODS OF THE US
• DISVER THE COOLT, QUIRKIT, AND PROUST GAYBORHOODS THE U.S.
• THE TOP FIVE EMERGG GAY NEIGHBORHOODS OF AMERI
• A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.
• WELE TO THE GAY IENDLY PHOENIX METROPOLAN AREA
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• THE GAY-FRIENDLY CI HAVE LOTS TO OFFER LGBTQ BUYERS—INCLUDG AFFORDABLE HOM
• GAY PORTLAND
• DENVER GAY MAP
• GET YOUR HISTORY STRAIGHT AND YOUR NIGHTLIFE GAY®

MEET THE NEW GAYBORHOODS OF THE US

Soclogist Am Ghaziani suggts that LGBTQ urban are foregog the ia of a sgular gayborhood exchange for what he refers to as cultural archipelagos: queer pockets throughout a cy’s landspe that reflect a diverse exprsn of sexuali and liftyl. Halstead Street has been the central ve nng through Chigo’s OG gayborhood, Boystown, for 50-pl years, but Clark Street, the mercial artery the heart of nearby Anrsonville, is emergg as the new ontier for LGBTQ rints. While many gay-centric bs Boystown have recently shuttered and reopened as more straight-iendly tablishments, the queer offergs Anrsonville are expandg.

DISVER THE COOLT, QUIRKIT, AND PROUST GAYBORHOODS THE U.S.

After an attempt by police to arrt patrons 1959, an army of drag queens, trans women, lbians, and gay men fought back what’s believed to be the first LGBT uprisg the Uned Stat. The Castro San Francis is the crowng jewel of the US’s gayborhoods, but as the cy ntu gentrifyg wh the onslght of the tech dtry, many lament the loss of the neighborhood’s queer inty.

There’s only one gay waterg hole of which to speak — Port Bar, which opened 2016 — and while a brand-new LGBTQ Comuny Center opened 2017, there isn’t much else the vicy directly related to queer life. Buckhead, home to Woof’s, Atlanta’s only gay sports bar, is a popular statn close to queer waterg hol around Ansley Mall (Osr’s Bar, Mixx, and Felix’s Atlanta are jt a few worthy of note). Sure, the area is home to JR’s and a handful of other popular gay bars, but as rents have bee too expensive for all but the wealthy, many queer rints are head eastward and takg the gay tablishments wh them.

Both gay tablishments mix wh a ser cuise scene (check out Le Diplomate for lic French lici), world-class performance venu (see what’s playg at Stud Theater), and classic Victorian archecture that rivals what you’ll fd the old ‘hood. Hell’s Kchen is the island’s newt eratn of the gayborhood, and while ’s still the queen of Manhattan’s scene, there’s a new lole emergg to share the limelight. The recently opened 3 Dollar Bill, a queer event and performance space, attracts an eclectic crowd wh parti thrown by people like nightlife legend Sanne Bartsch, pop-mic prce Ty Sunrland, and the hedonistic homos behd Bt.

THE TOP FIVE EMERGG GAY NEIGHBORHOODS OF AMERI

Logan Circle, Washgton, DC | Nile Glass Photography/ShutterstockLogan Circle, Washgton, DC | Nile Glass Photography/ShutterstockAcross the US, ci large and small, gay neighborhoods (gayborhoods) stand rolute as welg havens for travelers om every lor of the rabow. Along wh popular ins like The Castro San Francis or Chelsea New York Cy, which mand a queer pilgrimage and of themselv, you’ll fd all styl of gay neighborhoods elsewhere, om up-and-g Pri muni to the vnted streets of Wt Hollywood. The are our picks for some of the bt gayborhoods the Marmala District, Salt Lake CyFor a place known for s Mormonism, Salt Lake Cy certaly has one of the cutt and quirkit on-the-rise gayborhoods the US: the Marmala District.

More peaceful and rintial than the typil gayborhood, The Marmala exus an almost small-town pastoral charm, where the air is agrant wh u tre, rabow flags flap the breeze, and same-sex upl share humm at queer-owned Laziz rtrant.

A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.

The Mass Ave Arts District scratch all of those ch, wh s queer-adored venu like the District Theatre for queer shows like The Goln Gays, Metro gay bar for late-night dancg, Zonie’s Closet for drag shows, and Forty Five Degre for shi and cktails.

Today, though, thgs have taken an extraordary turn, as RiNo is home to queer-n galleri (like artist Tracy Weil’s); street murals clad wh rabows and hearts; Bee Sweet, a trans-iendly hair salon that pric by the hour rather than the genr; and Tracks, one of Denver’s premier gay clubs, which has been spng dis balls and hostg Pri parti long before the neighborhood had a hip nickname. Wynwood, Miami When to inic—or dare we say stereotypil—gay culture Miami, South Beach tends to take the spotlight for s late-night clubs, neon lights, and ee-flowg vodka sodas. Wynwood began hostg s own pri ftival 2019, providg a more chill gayborhood optn for LGBTQIA+ lols and visors wh live mic, drag performanc, and llaborative programmg wh area bs like art galleri, rtrants, shops, and breweri.

WELE TO THE GAY IENDLY PHOENIX METROPOLAN AREA

The rt of the year Wynwood, where rabow murals are evergreen and queer artists are well reprented at the famed Wynwood Walls, the neighborhood is home to one of the cy’s most popular drag bnch at the gay-owned R Hoe, as well as the equally popular weekly drag night seri, Double Stubble, at Circle, Washgton, DCHome to the US Supreme Court and the Human Rights Campaign, DC is the epicenter of many major ton for the LGBTQIA+ muny. Fally, treat yourself to a lash lift at the queer-owned Logan 14 Aveda Salon Spa, which puts particular emphasis on welg and supportg the trans Hollywood, Los Angel County In 1970, Wt Hollywood hosted the first permted gay pri para the world. Northalsted, Chigo It’s hard to believe that a baseball’s toss om Wrigley Field and Wrigleyville, an area on Chigo’s north si known for straight bro stereotyp, li one of the most vibrant and expansive gayborhoods the natn.

Instantly regnizable by s soarg rabow pylons lg the ma thoroughfare of North Halsted Street (hence the neighborhood name, Northalsted, a more clive name change om s prev moniker of Boystown), this is one of the olst areas the US to be officially regnized as a gay neighborhood. The touristy Quarter, home to the cy’s inic Mardi Gras celebratns and the annual Southern Dence gay event, will always be an LGBTQIA+ mec, but jt beyond the her reach of Bourbon Street li a lmer, grtier, and arguably more thentic alternative for queer-iendly spac.

It was home to a handful of gay bars like The Eagle and The Spike, as well as one of the first known gay dance clubs, Seventeenth Saloon, where an eclectic range of gay men mgled. Through the s, gay bars ntued to open, like Splash, Barracuda, and G Lounge, and morn, gay-owned boutiqu like Mal + Goetz started replacg ubiquo sex shops.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

No other neighborhood was more gay-approved, though Chelsea’s strength beme s weakns: the neighborhood was gettg crowd, mercialized, and too expensive for longtime rints. When nobody thought Chelsea uld be out-gayed, gay men and women started headg north where they sentially found Hell’s Kchen at the turn of the 21st century.

Hell’s Kchen was rough around the edg, but paratively cheaper and already settled by a small muny of gay artists, dancers, and performers nsirg s close proximy to the Theater District.

Two relatively unknown gay bars were slgg cktails and blastg show tun and, soon enough, the unr-the-radar Hell’s Kchen somewhat rivaled Chelsea, boastg more than a dozen gay bar opengs wh the past 15 years, and beg home to a thrivg LGBT muny.

THE GAY-FRIENDLY CI HAVE LOTS TO OFFER LGBTQ BUYERS—INCLUDG AFFORDABLE HOM

Hell’s Kchen beme the new Chelsea, though too fell victim to gay gentrifitn where rents often doubled, rporatns set up shop, and many rints uld no longer afford . Like Chelsea and Hell’s Kchen, many distctive neighborhoods across Ameri have served as a bastn for gay men and women, providg a safe space and forward-thkg muny sce the morn gay movement began.

The Castro San Francis, Wt Hollywood Los Angel, the French Quarter New Orleans, Midtown Atlanta, and the South End of Boston are natnally known, trendsettg, and predomately gay neighborhoods that celebrate gay culture and liftyle. As the world turns, other neighborhoods grow wh gay pri, fueled by progrsive men and women seekg affordable rent, bigger spac, a sense of muny, and overall nvenience, both for livg and bs.

The emergg neighborhoods also give gay travelers plenty more to explore when visg their favore ci, and there’s nothg more excg than immersg the next great gay neighborhood when ’s g to s own. We traveled the untry to fd the most excg, emergg neighborhoods that are on the brk of natnal gay fame thanks to an flux of LGBT rints and bs, outstandg qualy of life, and, most importantly, a welg muny.

GAY PORTLAND

From Los Angel to New Orleans, the dynamic ci are home to flourishg gayborhoods that are rapidly growg, and they are sted to bee perennial favor for s to e. The Mile High Cy hosted one of the first pri paras the USA, gay anizatns (like The Colorado Gay Roo Associatn) were thrivg the early 80s, was one of the first municipali to adopt an anti-discrimatn policy 1990, and PriFt ranks as one of the largt gay pri week- ends Ameri wh more than 350, 000 people celebratg.

Today, the gays are quietly migratg north to the burgeong River North (RiNo) Art District neighborhoods, the hottt new area Denver wh recently erected ndos and lofts, sprawlg parks, trendy new bs, and art galleri mixed wh historic wareho and factori.

Tracks was RiNo before RiNo was even on the map, and the club is known for s themed nights cludg Bab Around Denver, an after-hours social group for gay women. The state is also the world headquarters of the Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats, which has been very active monstratg s anti-gay beliefs on the muny. Openly gay Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis, who -found the Utah Pri Center and Equaly Utah, was appoted to office December 2012, and Jackie Biskupsi was sworn as Salt Lake Cy’s first openly gay mayor January 2016.

DENVER GAY MAP

7 percent of Salt Lake Cy’s populatn intifyg as gay, the state pal is among the top ten gayt ci Ameri (acrdg to a Gallup poll 2015), and ’s only growg.

GET YOUR HISTORY STRAIGHT AND YOUR NIGHTLIFE GAY®

On The Marlama’s ial “gay-trifitn, ” lols would pot their fger to Club JAM, a gay bar that opened 2007 and first planted LGBT roots the neighborhood, “When Club JAM opened 2007, was the first domo that got thgs movg the Marmala neighborhood, ” says club owner and young entreprenr Jason Olsen.

The Marlama is close to other gay hot spots, rent is cheap, there is easy accs to major eeways and roads, and ’s nveniently loted near downtown, where visors n stay at gay-iendly hotels like Kimpton Hotel Mona Salt Lake Cy, which is close to the hood. The bsman and his wife, Melissa, first plaed to the Front Porch proprietors about pre-dawn vendor liveri 2019, not long after the nservative Christian uple moved their fancial firm right next door to the rtrant, which fli a gay Pri flag. (Front Porch Market and Grill)What’s more, the Washers say, the ad rat was jt one more sult that the uple, who once planted an “all liv matter” sign their ont yard, have endured sce movg next door to a rtrant owned by a gay uple.

They married 2020, five years after they opened the Front Porch, which quickly beme a statn The Front Porch has been flyg a Pri flag on s pat sce 2016, not long after a gunman killed 49 people a gay bar Orlando. “I had so many threats agast me that even the Dallas police statned squad rs outsi our home, ” Waybourn an activist, Waybourn says, his goals were clear: same-sex marriage, gays and lbians the ary, accs to lifavg medic. To the activist, feels like a step backward after a lifetime of fightg for gay pack the seats at the Board of Zong Appeals hearg hosted at Grace Epispal Church.