In an upcoming book entitled There Goes the Gayborhood, University of British Columbia sociologist Amin Ghaziani says that “fewer same-sex couples reside in historically gay neighborhoods compared to 10 years ago” adding that “the number of gay men who live in gay enclaves [like San Francisco's Castro district, New York's Chelsea, Chicago's Boystown] has declined eight percent while the number of lesbians has dropped 13 percent.”
Ghaziani says that “gentrification, changing attitudes among gays and lesbians, and growing acceptance of same-sex couples” as well as the desire of same-sex parents to live around good schools have all contributed to the dispersal of gays and lesbians from traditional gayborhoods.
“Gay neighborhoods have been crucial to the struggle for freedom, and have produced globally important contributions, from politics to poetry to music and fashion,” Ghaziani says. “The growing acceptance of same-sex couples underlying these findings is extremely positive, but it is important that we continue to find meaningful ways to preserve these culturally important spaces.”