Earlier this month I attended "Evolution of the Gay-borhood"
co-hosted by the Greater Seattle Businesses Association
(GSBA) and Out for Sustainability. The
event focused on defining the notion of a Gayborhood and had voices from around the community to speak
about various topics related to retaining the neighborhood's identity
and sense of place.
One of the standout presenters was Louise
Chernin, CEO of the GSBA. She articulately defined the
meaning of a Gayborhood. Her definition is as follows, a Gayborhood is a place
where LGBT people historically have lived in large numbers. Their presence usually
has a noticeable impact on the surrounding community values and businesses.
Today these places retain cultural history and are important destinations to
celebrate key milestones in the fight for LGBT equality.
Louise was quick to point out
however that Gayborhoods shouldn't be thought of as the only LGBT place in the region. Historically Seattle's
gay population has called a variety of neighborhoods and cities home; we're beginning to
see members of the LGBT community live in
places far outside of the historic center. Two notable hot spots
include West
Seattle and Vashon Island. Louise
went on to stress the fact that neighborhoods develop and retain identities
tied to their "founders." Similar to ethnic ghettos long inhabited by
Jews, Blacks, or Asians, Gayborhoods will always retain a sense of history and
place of importance to the community.
Michael Brown, a geography
professor from the University of
Washington followed up shortly after Louise and added a few noteworthy
points to consider. Like many items in Seattle, Capitol Hill is a place heavily
infused with mythology and hyperbole. He challenged the audience to think about
the fuzziness and ask, "Where are the blurred lines and what's being left
out of the discussion." His point behind this statement was Seattle's gay
history when reviewed as a whole is actually more complex than just a single
place.
Looking not too far
back into the city's history, Michael noted that Seattle's Gayborhood was
actually birthed in Pioneer Square
and has shifted a number of times since to accommodate new tastes and
demands. As he jokingly put it, "No one wants to go to their parents'
gay bars." The visibility and scale of the community also added pressure
for it to move to a new location. It first migrated up to the upper portion of Capitol Hill – roughly between
12th St to 15th St (west-east) and East Mercer St to Pine St (north-south), and
has since migrated back further down west to encompass a larger swath of
land, arguably - like all Seattle
neighborhood boundaries, I-5 to 15th St (west-east) and East Mercer
St to Pine St (north-south).
The future of the
neighborhood is increasingly unsure. With the city as a whole doing
well economically, there is increased pressure to further develop the
neighborhood which is leading to some changes in the built environment and
community. Tom Rasumusn,
Seattle City Councilmember, spoke first on this point.
He highlighted the city's growing commitment to retaining the neighborhood’s
diversity and character by preserving "auto
row" style buildings and encouraging small businesses to
develop over big chain stores. The Pike/Pine Corridor has
even gained special protection under the Pike/Pine
Conservation Overlay District which dictates what types of
development can take place. In terms of preserving LGBT community within the
area, there is a big push being backed by Capitol
Hill Housing and GSBA to support the creation of a LGBT community
visitor center within the new Capitol
Hill light rail station. The center would serve all members of the community
but would also place heavy emphasis on supporting LGBT youth and elders - a
segment of the population which is considered ignored by many experts.
Washington state and
Seattle specifically is fortunate to have Capitol Hill. It's a major local
economic engine and has become an international beacon for the LGBT community.
Moving forward it will be increasingly important to continue dialogue about maintaining
the character of the neighborhood while still allowing for growth. Gayborhoods
and other ethnic ghettos will always continue to evolve and change, the most important
question however is how.
[Photos Courtesy
of Out for Sustainability, Seattle
Times, and City
of Seattle]