Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Does Hampton Roads Have A Gay Neighborhood?
Words Joval Martin
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Hampton Roads is a region of 1.6 million people.
Photo | Ludovic Bertron
And if the widely-used estimate that 10 percent of the population is gay holds true, then Hampton Roads should have about 160,000 gay men and women.
And presumably there would be close to 23,000 gay people in Norfolk alone. So if this is the case, where are they? Where do they live? Because it’s not Ghent.
Gay flags spangle the Castro. Photo | Theodoranian
Now Ghent is widely touted as the gay village of Hampton Roads, but I’m having a hard time seeing it. There are no gay bars in Ghent. At various times a couple of gay bookstores were in the neighborhood, but they are both closed. Ghent doesn’t have a gay pride parade or festival. (In the interest of full disclosure, I sit on the board of Hampton Roads Pride, so I would be aware if there was such an event.) Lacking these element are bad enough, but the true reason that Ghent is not the haven of gayness that people say it is, is that I have never seen a gay flag hang over anyone’s door.
For whatever reason, Ghent doesn’t inspire its residents to shout out, “I am gay and so is my neighborhood.” Maybe it’s because the gay people that live in the neighborhood feel that they have achieved utopian harmony with their non-gay neighbors and that there is no reason to wear their gayness on the sleeve (or house, as it were). Maybe they don’t choose to hang the flag because the colors are so God-awful. I admit that something more subtle would fit better into the beautifully-landscaped yards. But without this simple, yet visible, show of solidarity, people aren’t comfortable being “out”, even in a liberal neighborhood like Ghent.
The gay people of Hampton Roads need a place to feel completely comfortable, not just with who they are, but also with their surroundings. This should be a place where two men or two women can walk down the street holding hands, walking the dog, or pushing their baby’s stroller without the staring eyes of others to make them feel awkward. Examples of this would be the obvious Castro district of San Francisco, or 17th St. in Washington DC’s Dupont Circle. Provincetown, Mass. is a town almost entirely populated by gay people, where, as a straight girlfriend of mine once said, “It’s like dying and going to gay heaven.” What makes these places so great is the overwhelming acceptance and welcome, the feeling of belonging that most people, gay or straight, have been searching for since grade school.
So what would Norfolk’s gay neighborhood look like? The most important thing that it needs is a concentration of gay people. This may seem obvious, but if gay people aren’t abundant and visible, then the neighborhood will not have the feeling of being a safe haven, or the comradery that comes with being surrounded with others like oneself. It would also have to have restaurants and shops, a small grocery store, hardware store, pet supply store. All of these would need to be within walking distance to homes, because community happens when people run into each other on a regular basis going about their daily lives.
In short it would look just like Ghent, with a lot more gay flags.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Hampton Roads Native Joval Martin, studied Art History and Urban Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University. Before that he sang with the Virginia Opera Association and studied classical voice at the Governor's School for the Arts, a visual and performing arts high school serving the Greater Hampton Roads Region. After two years in Washington, DC at the Smithsonian Institution, Joval has returned to Tidewater to attempt to make a difference in his local LGBT community.
Other posts by Joval Martin.
Other posts by Joval Martin.
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For what it’s worth, I feel pretty comfortable in Ghent. It might not be the Castro, but I don’t know if I want to live in that neighborhood. I’ve lived in the gay ghetto in other cities, and it has its place. But, I like Ghent. In fact, the diversity of Ghent is exactly what I like. Gay and Straight. Military and Civilian. Jewish and Mormon. Black and Asian. Million dollar homes and Apartment Dwellers. All side by side watching their Dobermans and Chiwawas play in Stockley Gardens.
(pause to sing “We Are the World” here)
And I often hold hands with my boyfriend. On the street. In a restaurant. At the Naro. You should too. And I like the idea that we are slowly growing post-gay. Post-labels, if you will. In whatever tiny way. That’s my hope. I love that who I am is defined by way more than who I sleep with. I’m just me. And I engage in PDA. In Ghent.
There exists a host of reasons that this rare dynamic didn’t come to fruition in Norfolk (which has always been the most metropolitan of the so-called “7 Cities”, and was the only place this could possibly have happened) – economics, population density, urban renewal, racial divisions, conservative politics, the Navy, and AIDS, to name some of them. It also comes down to timing.
Ghent’s what you’ve got – make the best of it.
btw – “Ghent doesn’t have a gay pride parade or festival”??? NORFOLK doesn’t have a gay pride parade, and our pride “festival” is held in Chesapeake City Park, which is something of a step up from being held way in the back of Lakewood Park, but is nothing like being held in Town Point Park. Maybe Hampton Roads Pride needs to work on that before it goes about taking over a whole neighborhood.
Being a straight female who just moved here from Dallas…I miss the hell out of the gayborhood! I have wondered on more than one occasion “Where are all the gays??”. I am so glad that I am not alone in this sentiment. On the other hand I am also glad that so many people don’t feel the need to advertise their life choices… just as long as it is because they feel comfortable in their own skin and don’t feel that they have anything to prove, and not because they are afraid of other people’s reactions to their lifestyle. Hopefully in time (and with a little awareness started by your blog) there will be a place to mingle and mix and be G…A…Y!!! And maybe I will even see you there soon:)
We are EVERYWHERE! People here just don’t wear it on their sleeve…I don’t like, nor would I ever put a rainbow flag on my window -remember, we are supposed to be the ones with “good taste”- on the other hand, I do feel comfortable in both Ghent and downtown where we live walking side by side and kissing my boyfriend -not a total display of affection just you know, bye honey; love you….see you later kind of kiss. It comes down to feeling comfortable with ourselves; our younger neighbors across town couldn’t care less if my beau and I are queer, the come to our place, we get invited to theirs, we all party together. I found having a so-call “Pride in the Park” far out in fucking Chesapeake (no offense, but it would ne nice to walk to these events) and surrounded by cops downright disrespectful, the Pier party on the other hand does show that while surrounded by lots of diverse, straight characters we are very out there and demonstrative of our feelings with friends and loved ones. I know is out in the Bay, but is not exactly hiding… too bad is just a couple of times during the summer. We should start organizing events (gay night at the Naro?, brunches at The Green Onion or Pasha?, a gay street fair in the Norfolk bars area?)Snap out of the stupor Virginias and take back the city; fags united will rule!
I guess is called “Out” in the Park….? Oi, I rest my case!
As Richard Florida in his book (The Rise of the Creative Class: Why Cities Without Gays and Rock Bands are Losing the Economic Development Race) says, the theory is that tolerant communities, where homosexuals are likely to reside, nurture an open-minded culture of creativity -which of course prompted Steven Corbett’s hilarious statement (on his Comedy Central show)- “can lead to innovations like Google, or YouTube, or ShirtlessHunksBaggingGroceries.com”…but also better neighborhoods, more restaurants, stores and gentrification, not to mention real estate values!
The author of this article doesn’t make a valid point about Hampton Roads “needing” a place for Gay people to hang out. I live in Ghent, and I’m not gay, but I don’t have a serious issue with the large number of gay people that live here – in fact, I rather enjoy the diversity in both age, race, sexual orientation, etc.
What I do have a problem with is the concept of gay people segregating themselves off into a corner of H. Roads to live by themselves in their own little “gay heaven” as you call it. It’s gays like you that aren’t helping your cause – integrating with the other 90% of society might make people more accepting of you, rather than creating a neighborhood that’s known as the “gay community”.
Have your gay parades, your gay rallies, whatever it is that you want to have to enjoy your gayness – but when you take over a corner of the town and segregate yourselves, it’s just opening yourselves up to hate crimes when people feel like you consider yourself too good to live with those silly heteros – and then label yourselves! I don’t put straight pride stickers or flags on everything I own to mash the fact that I like pussy into everyone’s faces – I just accept the fact that I’m hetero and some of my friends are gay rather than making it the defining feature in who I am.
ill make my speach simple and short , please build us a gay club in newportnews va ,, me and my lover has been together for 10 years , and we tell everyone we know wer very gay and so happy ,, but we have no gay friends , so please build us a bar ,, and we thank you …jerry /frank newportnews va ,,,
Ghent is awesome! everyone gets along no matter what you “are”. As a ghent native i feel that everyone is pretty much equal and content
i’ve never seen someone give the stink eye to gays holding hands or the jews walking to temple! just friendly hello, how are you’s?