Some people use the word ‘mecca’ to mean an occasional hotbed of visibility (and debauchery). I’m talking about a neighborhood where we could greet each other walking down the street and actually talk to each other. Atlanta? I’m not so sure about that anymore. For one, everything’s so spread out and isolated. And every time I’ve visited, the other Black gay men I noticed were either scurrying home to their own cul-de-sacs or drunk at a bar. Or drunk at the mall. Um, not quite what I had in mind …
Let’s clarify something else: my version of ‘Black gay mecca’ isn’t an exclusive enclave comprised only of well-to-do Black gay people. For the most part, I’m compatible with anyone who’s compatible with me, but I need to see us out and about. Interracial partners - lovely - but as the only option? Remember, “The Stepford Wives” was basically a horror movie.
There are a whole slew of extenuating circumstances and unresolved issues (like internal and external versions of lingering racism and homohatred). Even here in New York City, Rashawn Brazell’s gruesome murder remains unsolved. Violence against us is still mighty real. And, if you haven’t figured it out by now, violence against women IS violence against us.
Nevertheless, here’s my list of things I’d want (not necessarily in order of preference):
- affordable housing
- municipal WiFi
- public transportation (and easy access to an airport and/or train station)
- a farmers market
- libraries (not daycare or drop-in centers)
- Trader Joe’s and/or Whole Foods
- several vegetarian restaurants
- parks and open-air community spaces
- professionals (barbers, doctors, dentists, etc.) who resemble me
- at least one alcohol-optional place to go dancing that plays house music and features drag entertainment
Note the obvious omissions. Yes, I’ll be alright if I never see another rainbow flag or another ridiculous skyscraper full of expensive condos. Places of worship? Definitely not a dealbreaker. Gyms? Extremely optional - my feet and the street are all I really need. Malls? I don’t really consume that much stuff. Starbucks? rolls eyes You might as well have said McDonald’s …
My theory is this: by the time this neighborhood became a reality, everyone would want to live there. Which would probably end up making it unaffordable for many Black gay people who aren’t celebrities, executive directors, filmmakers, authors of national bestsellers, hedge fund managers or professional athletes. That still leaves plenty of us.
What about developing a Black gay neighborhood as part of a pre-existing community that already has either a large Black or gay population? Well, with enough money, it’s possible to cloister yourself within any environment, regardless of its pre-existing homohatred or racism. That’s another issue, called classism. Kinda not what I’m talking about either. Gentrification? Um, no. First of all, there’s the word. It’s a word that real estate developers use surreptitiously to refer to their plans for an area without mentioning those who currently occupy that area, as if the current occupants don’t really matter as much as their plans to renovate and improve for the other more prosperous population waiting anxiously on the sidelines (and sheepishly using the word just as surreptitiously). I’m not trying to push anyone else out to make room for me or make anyone conform to my way of life. Being welcome to reside within and contribute to a vibrant community - that’s what I’m talking about.
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