There Goes the Gayborhood?

Ghaziani (sociology, Univ. of British Columbia; The Dividends of Dissent: How Conflict and Culture Work in Lesbian and Gay Marches on Washington) investigates how predominantly gay neighborhoods, or "gayborhoods," are changing. He argues that people move out of these areas because the Internet makes virtual networking easier than in the past, older gay men and lesbians often prioritize quiet over proximity to other gay people, and families put living near good school systems first. Later chapters consider the continued need for gay neighborhoods as safe havens, and the opinions of those groups that feel excluded from primarily white, male areas. The author becomes heatedly defensive when discussing even the possibility of the demise of his beloved gayborhood of Boystown in Chicago, going so far as to subtly denigrate interviewees with whose opinions he disagrees. When discussing topics that he can view objectively, Ghaziani provides a fascinating, rich view that is supported by up-to-date statistics.