I've noticed that Jay already blogged about this article from the Star but I just wanted to give my two cents (I promise this a different take). I want to point out some issues raised in the article:
(i) gentrification: Church and Wellesley is no longer the 'ghetto' it used to be before the victories of gay rights e.g. same-sex marriage
(ii) not a very welcoming environment for trans folks
(iii) multi-ethnic events are very rare and everything seems to be dominated by males (read: gay white men)
(iv) unfriendly bars and clubs towards lesbians
(v) businesses are largely geared towards middle-class white men
What then are the problems in the gay village that seem to be unfriendly and unwelcoming towards our brethren who potentially are 'outsiders' in the community which is supposed to be welcoming to everyone? The first problem that I could see here as the article stated is the gentrification of the village. I remember one episode of Will and Grace when Jack and Will bought a property (I think, I do not completely remember)in a small town in the middle of the woods and their presence was welcomed because they were gay and they thought that by bringing in the gays there, they will gentrify their neighbourhood.I think that this is partly true but at the same time, who gets disadvantaged with the gentrification of the village? As the article have said, the businesses are largely targetted towards middle-class gay men and by the fact that they are white and gay tells us that the racialized minority gay men and women cannot and are not able to afford living and hanging out in the village. The fact that multi-ethnic events are very rare is also not a surprise. Just hang out in the village and you will see how the village is dominated by white men. Further, as with anything concerning LGBTs, the trans folks are always left out. Where is the warm embrace and welcoming spirit that the village is supposed to offer 'us' for simply being a non-heteronormative person? It seems to me that the village has become a beacon and epitome of exclusion and hierarchy between and amongst those who identify as LGBTTI2Q. In any community afterall, eventhough we are considered to be marginalized, there is another layer of marginalization in that marginalized community. The exclusionary practices in the village shows us how these multiple layers of marginalization work within and between the LGBTQ community. How do can we address this further marginalization of racialized LGBTQ folks, womyn, trans folks and bisexuals, in addition to Jay's questions below.
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3 comments:
I think it's an over statement to say that trans individuals are left out of everything.
I'm not exposed to everything, but I believe there was a trans stage at Pride. There's trans support groups. There's some groups that even exclude white people. There's an arts group specifically for those that identify as gender queer.
I think it's easy to look at the village and only see the bars. But let's face it, the bars are slowly becoming the past.
Those succeeding and attracting a lot of attention, even have nights specifically geared towards trans individuals (ie Goodhandys). Though, it is for T-girls. But they're pansexual nights are inclusive to all.
Obviously, I can't speak for a group of people that I don't personally identify as, but it seems to me that there is quite a bit available.
When you locate a group/event for a guy in his late 20's who's bi, deaf, and suffers from chronic pain and isn't into house music and casual sex every night...please let me know. ;)
My statement concerning trans folks is probably based on a theoretical level rather than on a micro-'real life' level, based on a book that Shane Phelan wrote entitled "Sexual Strangers" where she wrote in one of the chapters that in which she problematizes the 'LGBT' community. She claims that the B and the T are actually excluded from the lesbian and gay community. She claims that on a theoretical level, the construction of a "homosexual identity" for white gay men, homosexuality is seen as their distinguishing characteristic. They use this to negotiate their commonality to oppression and struggle to the exclusion of gender, race and class.
There might be a trans stage at Pride, but by whom and for whom are the main events in Pride? Most of the time, I would argue, that events for trans, events for racialized minorities, events for gender queers, events for disabled, etc, etc. are sometimes "token" events in that they "acknowlege" our presence but it doesn't change the dynamics of who dominates the community. On the other hand, it could be argued that these events are a source of empowerment for "us" who are doubly (or more) marginalized in the queer community :)
I just wanted to problematize and interrogate the further marginalization of the "Other's Other" in the queer community because, as Phelan quotes Cohen, "In communities subject to advanced marginalization, the access and privilege of some is conditional on the secondary marginalization of 'the most vulnerable and stigmatized in their communities' (Cohen in Phelan, 2001, 116). :D
No fair, u can't bring academic sources into a lets be vain comment posting.
I see your points, they make sense.
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