Welcome to the Gayborhood?
What of the Gay Family & The Future?
Lesberhoods?
Asked to mention some of the more surprising statistics gleaned from his Gay and Lesbian Atlas research, Gates is quick to point out that "Almost a quarter of same sex couples are raising children; and those couples universally defy the stereotypes. Almost forty percent are non white ... The state where same sex couples are most likely to be raising children is Mississippi; family sizes are larger in the Midwest and South, so you find same sex couples are more likely to have children there than in urban areas that have higher concentrations of gay people." While gay men gravitate toward an urban hub, Gates says that "High concentration lesbian areas tend to be a little further away from these central cores. One of the reasons for that is lesbians make less than gay men; and lesbians are more likely to have children, so fewer have the luxury to devote their resources to developing their home. In NYC, the higher lesbian concentrations are in Brooklyn, outside of the Manhattan core. In D.C., the lesbian neighborhoods are in Tacoma Park, on the edge of where D.C. and Maryland meet. If you look at San Francisco, lesbians tend to be in the East Bay and gay men tend to be in the city."
But where do the gays and lesbians go when they’ve redeemed every last part of the city and there’s no marginal neighborhoods left to flee to and fix up? Florida, of course!
Retirement Communities: The New Gayborhood?
An increasingly appealing option for those priced out of the urban Gayborhood is a move not across town, but out of state. As the original architects ease into retirement age, more and more are expected to mimic the actions of their heterosexual counterparts by pulling up stakes and heading for a more affordable and decidedly warmer climate. Just as they originally sought to be with their own kind (according to sexual orientation), graying queer boomers are once again cocooning themselves -- but this time, according to age group.
Al Usack and Ed Kobee are residents of Palms of Manatosa: Florida (and America’s) "First Gay & Lesbian Retirement Community." A combination of single family homes and condominium villas, Kobee describes Palms as "a dream of one man who bought it back in 1995/1996 when he purchased twenty-five acres with the desire to create a gay and lesbian retirement community that was affordable. Back in 1997, when the first homes were being constructed, it was the only gay and lesbian retirement community in the country. The front part, single-family homes, of which there were twenty-one, sold out in 2001. The phase II villas were started in 2002. That section is sixty percent complete."
Along with his partner Usack, Kobee sought out Palms of Manatosa "for the community. You don’t have to worry about covering up what you’re doing with your neighbors and you can go to them with your problems." Although Florida remains, in general, a conservative state, Kobee’s overall assessment of retired life in the sunshine state is optimistic: "The surrounding community has never been a problem here with us, even though we’re in a county that is very conservative. They leave us alone, though. We get a little vandalism every now and then, but it’s actually a little less than the surrounding community. They tend to ignore us, surprisingly I find."
Also surprising is the fact that Palms of Manatosa "doesn’t have a gate. We don’t have security guards. We’re open to curiosity seekers to some extent ... We just love having a community of caring people. Everyone knows everyone else. There is tremendous support." Kobee views this sort of out-in-the-open community as a sign of things to come: "There are other retirement communities that have sprung up. Rainbow Visions is building a very expensive one out west. They raised scads of money before they got started and a couple of others around the country are doing the same thing. We lead the way by showing that such a thing is possible. I think a pretty big portion of the baby boomers will decide that if they’re going to a retirement community, they want it to be with gays and lesbians."
Broker Rudy Molinet, owner of Marquis Properties Realty, observes a trend in Key West, Florida where "younger retirees who came here in their twenties and thirties are coming back in their fifties and sixties to enjoy a youthful retirement."
Unlike recently created artificial retirement communities, Key West has been and remains an inclusive destination for the unconventional. Molinet likens its mix of artists, outcasts and others to "Greenwich Village with palm trees ... We don’t have little gay ghettos here like you have in the Castro or Chelsea. Key West is a microcosm of acceptance where no one cares if you are gay or straight; there are rainbow flags all over town."
Those flags were first planted in the 1970s, as "Key West was economically devastated when the Navy left. The gay and lesbian community was credited with gentrifying the historic district." Back in the 70s, when "gays and lesbians were not in the mainstream areas, Key West became a safe haven." That quickly led to "full acceptance and integration. Approximately thirty percent of our year round population self identifies as GLBT. They are woven into the political, social and business fabric of the community."
Key West is also home to Truman Annex (pictured,) a "gated community with 24-hour security" that Molinet points out is "really a converted Navy base. The development agreement with the city was the gates must remain open during the day. At night they close, but you can still walk through the main area. The street at the entrance is private. You get asked where you’re going, but they don’t stop you from walking in there."
Coming Back to the Castro
As with much of America in general, the future of gayborhoods may lie in its ability to attract and accommodate a graying population. Freas predicts that the Castro’s aging population is "going to see seniors moving into neighborhoods for services and transportation. We have a gay and lesbian community center very close to the Castro and we’re just launching our first affordable housing facility built to welcome LGBT seniors. When I lived in NYC, I felt like I could live on the Upper West Side and walk out my door and get anything that I needed. And now, we’re able to do it here ... In the Castro, there are several plans for new development of multi-unit properties that are on the boards and that’s what will bring people back to the community; good, affordable housing."
