Not Gay Enough?

Today Curbed comments on the de-lesbianizing of Park Slope.  Apparently, PS residents feel that the once flourishing lesbian community has been replaced by strollers of SUV-ish proportions and little, yippy dogs.  Says a Curbed reader:

“I moved to Dyke Slope when it was strong. Then it became Puppy Slope. Now it’s Baby Slope. We can’t fit between all the strollers there.”

Well, now you've got us thinking...  How gay is PLG?

We'll save this question for the pending ATP PLG survey.  Don't forget to share YOUR list of burning PLG-related questions.

Comments

[Sunset Parker]

Probably not a big open scene over there. Caribean culture is notoriously homophobic. See all the scandals (or non-scandals) in the reggae, reggaeton industries where artists call for "homo-cide" with impunity.

[PLGrez]

I know a ton of gay people who live in PLG, men and women of all sorts of backgrounds. I think there are more gay people here than one would think - though we do live in NYC, so I'm not sure that anyone should be surprised.

[whoknows]

When I lived in a house in Lefferts Manor, there seemed a fair number of gay couples, both female and male. Now that I'm in a coop building, I see an even higher concentration of gay folks -- my neighbors and folks strolling down my street -- especially those from a West Indian and African American background.
Though we're not an especially "out" segment of this community, to those with gaydar, it's pretty obvious that PLG has a high density of queers... a very good thing!

[Mr. T]

Hey guys, thanks for the shout-out.

My building has its share of gays. Other than myself and two of my roommates, we've got at least one lovely lesbian couple (and their dogs).

And everybody knows the Gay Sex Grotto is steps away from PLG, in Prospect Park just behind the zoo.

And am I only imagining a general cruisiness to the subway platform...?

[Nativegal]

I know plenty of gay people living in PLG and quite a few of them have been here for over a decade. Most are older with kids just like the rest of the community so they don't really stand out.

[Ed]

Most gay people I know in PLG don't stand out because THEY ARE ON THE DL, not because they're older or are "just like the rest of the community".

Gays and Lesbians in PLG are not like the rest of the community. They can't hold hands or express affection with their partners without being harrassed. They can't stray too far from gender norms. Basically, Gays and Lesbians have to repress their identities in PLG so that they don't get their asses kicked by beastly, West Indian homophobes.

Let's not pretend that there isn't an inherent tension between advocating gay rights (or feminism for that matter) and promoting traditional West Indian culture and values, folks.

It ain't so simple and hunky-dory, PlanetPLG.

[Ed]

By the way, not all West Indians are homophobic, and not all homophobes are West Indian for sure. But all homophobes certainly are beastly. And in all fairness, gays and lesbians have to exercise caution in many neighborhoods.

[girlacross]

This lesbian *ahem* lives in PLG and while I love living in the neighborhood, I generally don't broadcast my sexuality since (bad stereotype or not) I wonder how accepting of gay people the neighborhood is.

Good to know that I'm not the only gay girl in the hood. Guess you have to know where to look.