Which Way is the Gayborhood? Seattle’s Capitol Hill

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]

Obama II: Moving Forward

Movies by nature are designed to entertain but on a deeper level they carry subtle messages and themes, which explain the dreams, ambitions, and fears of the cultures that create them. I recently stumbled across an article in the New York Times titled, "Movies in the Age of Obama" The piece was placed in the entertainment section but provides a fascinating cultural analysis of American film under the Obama administration. In the past four years American film has painted a picture of a country struggling to redefine itself following economic turmoil and a decade of war.

During President Obama's first term the American public's perceptions on controversial issues changed drastically. These ideas were reflected in some of the big movies in the past four years. Topics top of mind included race relations, war, Black men, and climate change. Many factors contributed to the American public's new perceptions but most notably the Great Recession and the election of the country's first Black president played crucial roles in shifting ideology.

The most notable shift can be seen in the American public's view of Black men. Always a hot topic, Black men have evolved in film from savages in "Birth of a Nation" to become heroes and even sex symbols in modern day movies. America's complex relationship with Blackness reached a turning point in the election of Barack Obama and was the culmination of the civil rights movement and carefully crafted images displayed on silver screens.

A similar transformation is taking place for the LGBT community. Gay characters in film have begun to become more complex and are no longer limited to stereotypical representations. Given the country's rapidly changing perception on Gay rights and Obama's vocal support of LGBT issues, it wouldn't surprise me if queer ideas make a big splash on the silver screen in the next four years. Only time will tell but if history is any indicator, the cultural war surrounding LGBT issues is coming to a close. Similar to other cultural issues such as interracial marriage, race, and gender equality; media is helping reshape our values and creating dialogue about once difficult topics.

As a whole Obama's first term had the makings of a blockbuster movie itself. From the big bailouts in the beginning to the shooting in Newtown at the end, Obama like many characters in film changed significantly from when he first entered office. Now starting his second term, it should be interesting to see what his presidency brings the American people in terms of policy and film.

[Photo courtesy of Digital Traveler]