Gay community - What does it mean to you?

Nothing tbh. There isn't a gay community here at all.

 

Getting shit faced at the gay bar

 

I don't think there's really a sense of community with the gay people in my city. It's more of a situation where one gay person knows another gay person because they're in the same social circle, and those two gay people either hate each other or just plain out have never had a real conversation with each other. There's a 'gay quarter' in Liverpool, but that's just an area where they have rainbows on the street signs: Liverpool unveils UK’s first gay street signs · PinkNews

 

Various things:

a) The local LGBT center and related support groups for various things, from LGBT youth to HIV/AIDS to yoga.

b) Various Meetup groups for LGBT people that do various social things from time to time (There aren't a lot where I live, but they provide a bit of socializing from time to time).

c) The bars - which may be both hookup venues but also venues to socialize or even donate to worthy causes - varies with the bars. A lot depends on the particular bar and what the issues of the day are.

d) Various LGBT rights groups and/or politically active groups. A lot of progress has been made of late, and a lot of the major driving goals have either improved or been achieved. So there is a bit of transition going on right now as the focus shifts to the areas that are still outstanding. This can look like things fading away, and some are, but I like to think the focus will firm up again in a bit and then things will keep moving forward.

e) Other social groups that are similar to Meetup but operate independently. May include Prime Timers, sports teams and leagues etc.

Todd

 

Our school definitely has a gay scene. I live in a somewhat progressive area, and everyone kind of "knows" everyone else, but we aren't all friends. If anything, there's almost and us vs. them attitude, between "straight passing" queer people and the people I'm mainly friends with, the more underground unpopular kids. It's strange.

The other experience I have with LGBT people is at my city's youth group. There's definitely a sense of unity there that goes beyond petty popularity struggles. We're all pretty good friends, and everyone is friendly.

 

There are a few LGBTs in my school but the 'community' isn't there.

 

Well there's a lot of LGBT+ people in my school, but none of them talk to me. :icon_sad: I guess that's as close to the gay community as I'm gonna get at this point.

 

Well, the term 'gay community' to me means a community consisting out of gay people. Simple as that. The people in the community where I am a part of are more focused on partying, hooking up and having fun together than on gay rights. But I come from a country that has plenty of gay rights already (can't think of any right that the gay community doesn't have that should be granted to them) and barely any homophobia. There is definitely a more serious side to the gay community here, though.

 

Nothing.

 

I'm an Aussie (not apparent from my profile) but yeah, there's nothing anywhere remotely near me. Unless you are in a capital city here, you may as well not exist, with the exception of a very few regional areas.

 

When I started using the internet in the last millennium, the gay community (for me) was a circle of websites where I met other gay people and made some friends, both online and real life.
These days I feel like there are several different gay communities. My actual real life friends (who are mostly gay), a network of gay news and social networking sites, and even the crowds that show up at the Pride Parades.

 

What do you mean with 'ruined by commercialization and media'?
I think the integration of LGBT folks into society has definitely something to do with the decreasing sense of a gay community that you experience.

 

As a dinosaur...

I have never really come out, never seen the need and no one has asked me whether I am Gay, Bisexual or whatever. I've lived in many cities and countries around the world where there has been a form of community, but a close-knit one in most cases: few outsiders; difficult to join.

Mostly now I see the lack of community, especially in the Internet age, where everyone can get a bang quickly, almost anonymously, and move on as if nothing had happened. There are a few small circles of friends in my area, and in the nearest major city, but most tend to avoid the 'scene' and keep to themselves.

---------- Post added 28th Feb 2016 at 01:43 PM ----------

The pink pound, dollar or Euro is what it means for me. So many people, especially in the USA, need to fight for a position in any community whereas in Europe things seem to just happen, certainly here in Germany. Integration here has certainly contributed to a loss of community, on the closed LGBT side, but an opening of community on the 'so-what' side where sexuality makes no difference, and the person counts.

 

The internet. This is all I have. I mean, I have a gay male best friend. I know a lesbian as an aquaintance but we barely say two words to each other. My closest queer female friends are together and I've crushed on both of them and it pretty much kills me to be near them when they're together and they're both pretty suspicious of me so I don't see any lesbian alliance going on here. Not old enough to go to clubs. Perhaps at university I will have some community outside of the internet... I would like to go to Brighton pride this year, thats a community event.

 

I'm not sure, everyone says that it's dead, i don't exaclty feel like that, i guess they do have a point( acceotance into society, atleast, western society, has made it start to fade away, i can agree.) but i still think there is one. We are it. Community soesn't mean everyone gets a long or everyone is friends, this isn't carebears. I think it just means that people who have atleast something in common can get together and discuss it, or whatever comes to mind, like this website. Of course, there's no lgbt community in the sense that we're all friends and know each other, but atleast it's something, right?

 

Oh jeez that sounds awful... Thats sort of sad. I tried watching QAF once but the first episode's beginning just annoyed me straight away. I can't beleive you've been turned away from gay venues for not being gay enough that's ridiculous.

 

Omg, yes, how can you even be 'not gay enough'. Conforming to the stereotype of a gay man doesn't make you gay, and not conforming to it doesn't make you straight.