Rising rents mark the “straightening” of gayborhoods like Greenwich Village. What role does queer presence play in cycles of urban redevelopment and displacement?
I think it’s an interesting problem because at the heart of it is the fact that many queer people live much happier lives than straight people because straight society enforces such strict standards on what a relationship should look like and how you should live your life. Rejecting one form of social constraint makes people more likely to consider and reject additional constraints such as a societal value placed on how much money you earn or your status in a community or other things which can be irrelevant to whether someone enjoys their life.
Because of this queers often end up making the places they live desirable because they are full of happy people who are less judgemental. They’re busy doing what makes them happy and others see it and desire to live somewhere free from the same burdens of society. So the rich who have access to capital end up moving in and gentrifying further.
I think it’s also important to note that this happens in other microcosms as well. Queer women tend to make less money and tend to get pushed out of an area by queer men. Artists often get pushed out of artist collectives and areas by folk with more access to resources over time. Minority communities with thriving art scenes of various sorts also get pushed out - this is incredibly common when new music styles catch on mainstream.
I don’t think there’s an easy answer to any of this, but I do find it amusing that it definitively proves that queers and minorities are inherently more cool. 😎
I think it’s an interesting problem because at the heart of it is the fact that many queer people live much happier lives than straight people because straight society enforces such strict standards on what a relationship should look like and how you should live your life. Rejecting one form of social constraint makes people more likely to consider and reject additional constraints such as a societal value placed on how much money you earn or your status in a community or other things which can be irrelevant to whether someone enjoys their life.
Because of this queers often end up making the places they live desirable because they are full of happy people who are less judgemental. They’re busy doing what makes them happy and others see it and desire to live somewhere free from the same burdens of society. So the rich who have access to capital end up moving in and gentrifying further.
I think it’s also important to note that this happens in other microcosms as well. Queer women tend to make less money and tend to get pushed out of an area by queer men. Artists often get pushed out of artist collectives and areas by folk with more access to resources over time. Minority communities with thriving art scenes of various sorts also get pushed out - this is incredibly common when new music styles catch on mainstream.
I don’t think there’s an easy answer to any of this, but I do find it amusing that it definitively proves that queers and minorities are inherently more cool. 😎
I’d have to agree. All the times that I’ve had hanging out with queers, over the years, have been some of my fondest memories.