Do cities marketing themselves as gay-friendly need a gay village?
As the iconic setting for Channel 4’s groundbreaking Queer as Folk series in the late 90s, Manchester has over the last decade become one of the gay capitals of Europe.
In recent years Manchester has been transformed. The impressive cultural and economic revival has been lauded as a model of inner city regeneration. The gay village has been showcased by politicians as a symbol of this urban renewal.
On the other hand, recent reports, including an article in The Economist early this year, have claimed that while Manchester is booming, the gay village is facing a decline.
Interestingly the article included a quote from Richard Florida, an influential American academic, who claims that the presence of a visible and confident gay community lures investors and jobs, particularly of the high-technology kind. They are, he says, "the canaries of the creative economy".
This recent economic growth of Manchester, most notably the creation of a new hub of media companies including the BBC in Salford Quays, formerly a deprived district in the city, would appear to support this view.
Despite its reputation as a tolerant and welcoming city for gays and lesbians, the village in Manchester is facing an uncertain future.
Manchester’s gay village has become a victim of its own success attracting many straight people and women in particular. As a frequent visitor myself, I have seen how groups of women celebrating hen nights can certainly dilute the atmosphere of a night out and make many gay people feel uncomfortable.
It begs the question of whether Manchester can continue to market itself as a gay-friendly destination when its village suffers from an identity crisis.
Many bar owners would like to see the village restore a more “ghettoized” environment with stronger gay-only door policies. There has been opposition to plans to develop Canal Street further from those who believe it has become too commercialized and risks losing its distinctiveness.
This is a very difficult dilemma for all of us who want to see ourselves integrated into mainstream society but who also want to preserve the unique character of gay villages and the identity of the gay community.
Manchester’s north west neighbour Liverpool is now looking to develop a gay village, and market itself as a gay-friendly city both for tourists and the "the canaries of the creative economy". Many other cities in the UK and elsewhere are following this path in the pursuit of the “pink pound”.
The lesson from the Manchester experience for all cities looking to market themselves as gay-friendly is that a gay village is an important driver to promote a tolerant image but ultimately the true sign of achieving this comes when gay people are welcome everywhere in the city and do not feel confined to a ghetto.
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Toronto has the same issue to some degree. Recently more and more people are coming into the village, but it tends to be more straight people. It’s become so popular that ever corporation from American Apparel to Starbucks wants to open shop in our little area, which is driving up rent and driving out the local smaller business. Also more condos are opening on the stripe as well.
The Toronto Gay Village of today and yesterday, won’t be the in a few years as the whole area is changing. I think a village is important to some degree, especial for those who are just coming out. However, at times I do think its usefulness is a bit played as you tend to see more of the stereotypical gay guys, which helps play into stereotypes more then anything then the many variety of people that our community comes in.
It’s one of those issues where… how do you keep what you have but not lose it as you move forward to be a better tomorrow. I don’t think anyone can really answer that.