What are Gayborhoods?

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Surprisingly one of, if not the, safest and some of the most prosperous neighborhoods one can live in are gayborhoods. A gayborhood is defined as an area of a city with a concentration of businesses that cater to a largely homosexual client base (Eyre 2007). In other words, gayborhoods are where gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and/or transgender peoples live. Research has shown that these communities have keen economic and sociological effects on urban areas brought on by large gentrification from homosexuals. Gay mecca's continue to flourish every year and are providing substantial benefits to the cities in which they reside in. Furthermore, gayborhoods has a wide range of ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups. Researches believe that living in a gay community has a positive effect of acceptance, safety, diversity, and even housing prices.
One such specific gay neighborhood is the community that resides in Castro of San Francisco. Unfortunately, this area of San Francisco has been faced with several conflicting instances. However, there has been cooperation by the city and citizens themselves that eventually accepted the gay community. Leading to a new form of embracing culture within this small yet large community.
San Francisco was not always the “Gay Mecca” it is today. Before it used to be a predominately white working class, like so many other large cities. However, Since the end of World War Two, the homosexual population of San Francisco has been dramatically increasing. This is because families wanted to migrate to dreamy suburbs leaving behind an empty city waiting to be filled. And it is partly due to the fact that many men were dishonorably discharged in the area because of their sexual orientation. To them the city ...

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..., & Strong, T. (2007). Romantic Relationships and Their Social Context Among Gay/Bisexual Male Youth in the Castro District of San Francisco.Journal Of Homosexuality,53(4), 1-29.
Holt, M. (2011). Gay men and ambivalence about 'gay community': from gay community attachment to personal communities. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 13(8), 857-871. doi:10.1080/13691058.2011.581390
McKusick, L., Horstman, W., & Coates, T. J. (1985). AIDS and Sexual Behavior Reported by Gay Men in San Francisco. American Journal Of Public Health, 75(5), 493-496.
Peacock, B., Eyre, S. L., Quinn, S., & Kegeles, S. (2001). Delineating differences: sub- communities in the San Francisco gay community. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 3(2), 183-201. doi:10.1080/136910501750153003
Stewart-Winter, T. (2009). The Castro: Origins to the Age of Milk. Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide, 16(1), 12-15.

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