7
Feb

“Gay Community”

   Posted by: Jeffrey   in GLBT

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Ernie at Little.Yellow.Different. wrote about his experiences, or seemingly lack thereof, of one particular "community" within the "gay community." I replied to his post and started to think about the terminology and its connotations we use in the term "gay community." I wonder if people who use it in fact mean different things at different times? For example, when I think of the "gay community," the only communal, or rather common, element I can think about is being gay. Period. Nothing about fashion or finance or education or zip-code or preferences or bars. Does simply being gay make one a part of the "gay community?" That somehow seems to be too surface-level, but perhaps I am over analyzing this. I think the term "community" has meanings beyond only attraction to one' own sex, but I wonder . . .

What does being part of the "gay community" mean?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 7th, 2007 at 10:41 am and is filed under GLBT. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

2 comments so far

Ernie
 1 

Hey Jeffrey. As someone who has gone to his share of LGBT Pride parades, I think most people try to get instant community because of we’re supposed to share the same justice inequalities and have the same difficult growing up process. And I’m sure some of us probably had some shitty childhoods, but that necessarily does not a community make.

February 8th, 2007 at 2:33 am
Jeffrey
 2 

Ernie, good points. You mentioned the perception of a shared sense of “justice inequalities” along with “the same difficult growing up process.” While there may be similarities, I do not think they are the same, especially given socioeconomic issues, geographical dispersion, levels of education, etc. I agree with your conclusion “that necessarily does not a community make.”

This makes me wonder again, is this “community” something that is manufactured for its own sake? To feel a sense of belonging to something (like misery loves company)? Perhaps it is so that there is a perception that if two people (etc.) suffered in a similar way then there is some shared experience?

Is anybody else asking this question, that about “What does the ‘gay community’ mean?”

February 8th, 2007 at 11:12 am

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