Washington West:

Does the gay-friendly community discriminate against its own?

By Nygia Hendricks, Lindsey Stewart and Colleen Dunn

By Nygia Hendricks

Dubbed the Gayborhood, the small community generally acknowledged as being from 10th to Broad streets and from Chestnut to Pine Streets, is where a concentration of Philadelphia's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ) population lives, but it is not limited to them.

The Gayborhood is also internationally known as a travel destination for the GLBTQ community. It is home to many gay-friendly businesses, nightclubs, coffeehouses, restaurants and churches.

In the 1980s, a coalition was formed to inspect the practices and policies of businesses and bars serving Philadelphia’s GLBTQ community as they relate to the treatment and employment of women and racial minorities. The Coalition of Lesbian-Gay Bar Policies conducted an investigation and survey that revealed discriminatory practices against sexual and racial minorities.

"There's no place where everyone goes, gay life in Philadelphia is relatively small...each place has a character and that character may change," said Gary Mullin, chair of the Coalition on Lesbian-Gay Bar Policies.

Today's Gayborhood has evolved into a designated gay-friendly tourism community known for acceptance, liberation and inclusiveness. However, despite these changes and the growth of businesses, racial and sexual minorities continue to feel the distress of discrimination.

According to some members of the Gayborhood, acceptance, liberation and inclusiveness are not a true depiction of the neighborhood. In truth, the neighborhood provides a limited amount of GLBTQ businesses and nightlife that cater to the diversity of the GLBTQ community. The limited social outlets create a segregation of the community, which leads to a division of subcultures: an "us" versus "them" environment.

"In queer communities and in communities that are persecuted - rarely is there ever an interrogation of self and how they persecute others," said Kaila Story, an assistant professor at the University of Louisville.