Apr19 |
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Gayborhood Officially Renamed Gayborhood
Not content to let the city’s gay tourists find the Gayborhood just by looking for the transvestite prostitutes and drug dealers, our fair city has finally officially designated the Gayborhood the, uh, Gayborhood. Well, there are now rainbow flags on the street signs from 11th to Broad and Chestnut to Pine. (Aw, I guess I miss living in the Gayborhood by a block or so.) Says Tami Sortman of the Philadelphia gay tourism caucus: “If we’re welcoming gays and lesbians, then we need to show them where the gayborhood is.” Fair enough. Strike a blow for civil rights — if, uh, rainbow flags on the street signs in an area where there are already 2.2 million rainbow flags can be considered such — and make some sweet cash at the same time? Now that’s a good idea. Not that everyone is all that excited. NBC 10 spoke with area resident Kathleen Vaughan, who worries the official Gayborhood designation will, uh… I dunno.
Yes, despite the opposition of Kathleen Vaughan, the Gayborhood remains popular in large liberal cities. Anyway, the mentally ill can live in the Mentally Illborhood. Or call it Midtown Village. Actually, that’s much worse than any other name. Gayborhood Gets Official Designation, Recognition From City [NBC 10] |
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This is a bit descriminatory to the heterosexual population in the neighberhood, which occupy the majority of the area that has been designated by this signage. I don’t feel that this needed designation to support any one group of people, but should include all residents, occupants, and business owners. I am all three, and feel descriminated against. why don’t we call south Philly, Wop Town, and North and West Philly Chocolate City while we are at it. Somehow I don’t think that would go over too well, so Why should this?
I don’t think it’s to label the area, but more so that the visiting GLBT community can easily identify when they are on “friendly ground.”
I never thought Philadelphia to be a hostile city to the GLBT community. Gays live everywhere in the city and are accepted in all neighberhoods. So I think they should feel that they are on “Friendly Ground” anywhere. What is it that they can do in this neighberhood that they can’t in others? If they are looking for Bump or Woody’s they can just ask. As for everything else they can feel free to be comfortable anywhere in the city. So I agree with “Concerned Resident” this is discriminatory to all others, who should not have to have their community labeled for any one people. I think the Flags and Banner are enough indication to the GLBT community, we don’t need to brand it into our street signage too. Be free to be “Gay” if you want just don’t force it on the rest of us.
This is overly concerning. It seems that just as this neighborhood has begun to blossom and stand on it’s own two feet, and with the recent move by business owners to name this part of town Midtown Village, the city has made their own designation with public street signs, as gay. People have been moving into, opening business’s in, and spending money in this neighborhood because it’s eclectic, diverse and progressive. There’s no doubt that the gay population has helped with this growth, but there are as many if not more business’s that are owned by people who aren’t gay.
It’s ironic that the motivation, as stated by the city, is for part of the gay tourism dollar. Really? What are they going to “tour” in this specific neighborhood? The shops and restaurants in this part of town are great but they are definitely not all “gay” as one is now led to believe. There’s one hotel I can think I can think of in the neighborhood and it’s a Holiday Inn. One might pass through here to shop and eat but hopefully they are seeing the historic parts of the city, the art museum, etc. Furthermore, does this mean Rittenhouse Square and Old City are not gay friendly? I think the official designation will have a very opposite effect and unfortunately shut more people out than bring people in.
Lastly, it feels strange to be part of a neighborhood for years and then, out of nowhere have the city brand it for you. A neighborhood develops organically, not with signage. It’s more than fine if businesses want to post rainbow flag stickers in their windows as many do, but for the city to declare, on their own with no public discussion that this is now the gay part of town is absurd. I wish the city would spend more time cleaning up the homeless issue (which is prevalent in this neighborhood) and making the streets a little safer after midnight than putting up new rainbow street signs.
This is a bit descriminatory to the heterosexual population
Conern Troll Resident
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Yes - they have these in many different neighborhoods - like Chinatown. Bonehead.