The Long Kiss Goodnight....
I was out to dinner with 5 other gay men the other night. As we stopped at my favorite (and most pretentious!!) corner in the South End (Tremont & Waltham), we said our gay goodbyes, and like all homos everywhere, each of us gave each a hug and a kiss goodnight. We were appalled by the shocked expressions from the Ugg-wearing "trendsetters" staring at us through the windows of the Butcher Shop. You would think we had given each other a big juicy group blowjob by the looks on their suburban/Back Bay/Beacon Hill faces. Don't guys kiss each other goodnight in Attleboro or Marshfield or wherever they're coming from?
I remember a day not long ago when a kiss goodnight between two homos in the South End was de rigeur and shocking to no one. In fact, prior to the Butcher Shop, a great gay little restaurant named "Rave" occupied that spot, and before that, a gay coffee shop called "Mildred's."
Its enough to make me just want to run home and not even consider buying an heirloom tomato at Plum Produce!!
posted by thesouthender at 8:02 PM
13 Comments:
I don't get it. Gentrifying gay men complaining about hetero-gentrification. What is the story?
Great post -- but that makes me sad. You'd think they'd know the neighborhood by reputation and that they'd have been maybe even hoping, just a little, for a public display like you and your friends gave 'em. Hey, on the bright side, at least they have a great anecdote for their friends back in the 'burbs when they tell 'em about their trip to the big city! :o)
P.S. You (well, I) don't have to be gay to miss Mildred's. *sniff*
The story is not gay vs. straight, but rather entitled vs. normal. It just so happens that the new wave of ultra-entitled pricks moving in happen to be straight. 3 years ago, the straights and the gays got along in the neighborhood, socialized together, etc. The new entitled brats have no interest in doing that.
Shelley - you are EXACTLY the type of straight person I was talking about in reference to three years ago. Accepting, non-judgmental, willing to meet new people, value diversity, etc. Not like the fratboys and fratgirls who have moved in recently.
I am straight, but the reason I purchased a condo here in the SE was due to the gays...I love the diversity and I haven't met a singleperson I didn't like PLEASE DON"T ELAVE , it's like the neighborhoods life line. Without you this place will just turn into nothing more than a commercial-like strip mall. If I wanted pretentious and cold I could live in the BAck Bay and Beacon hill.
Gentrification is, unfortunately, part of the sad life cycle of neighborhoods. The South End used to boast large Lebanese, Syrian, Greek, Jewish and African-American residents, and later Latinos, before it became a gayborhood. Also one has to consider that as society becomes more accepting, many gay people feel less of a need to live in a gay neighborhood.
But it is very sad that we no longer have a neighborhood in Boston where two guys can walk around holding hands worry-free. With the gay bookstore now gone, it's hardly a gayborhood at all. Not too long ago, I saw some straight folks snickering as they walked past and commented one of the last vestiges of homoculture: the Movie Place video store, with its window display of beckoning shirtless men on the cover of magazines.
Marcelo: you're comment is certainly valid and completely on point. It also saddens me to see the groupe that were here before the gays dwindling to almost nothing. That's why I try to frequent the Syrian grocer on Shawmut who carries alot of the same items as its much higher priced neighbor Formaggio's.
I'm sad to see the demise in the s. End of those other groups you mentioned. As I am trying to make clear, its not necessarily a gay vs. straight issue - rather an entitled vs. decent struggle. There are plenty of really decent straight people in the S.E. - it just seems to me that the most recent wave is particularly rude, entitled and obnoxious.
I've seen certain straight people ridicule the mags in the window you speak of, and have heard comments about residents of Atelier 450, the ultr-exclusive luxury condo building (which looks like it could be any building in Brookline on Beacon Street) who feel that living across the street from the gay bar "The Eagle" is a detriment to their view, property value, etc.
My response? That's life in the big city. You can't whitewash everything and make it a big suburb. Different groups exist in cities and they make life more interesting.
A similar thing happened in Bay Village, when the Neighborhood Association, which counts among its members many gay residents, wanted to shut down Jacques, the oldest gay bar in Boston, becuase of noise and "unsavory" crowds. I went to the licensing board meeting where the decision was to be made. The Board issued a warning to Jacques for violations, but renewed their license and also warned new residents of Bay Village that they live in a city, and noise and crowds are part of life here.
I'm super late to the party here but I just found this blog. I used to live in the South End (from 2002-2005) and I just want to admit to being a straight white female who would sometimes giggle at some of the magazines in the window of the Movie Place. But I giggle at straight porn too. I mean, C'MON, some of it is just funny! I feel bad though if anyone who might have seen me thought I was being disrespectful or snarky because that was never my intention. I was just enjoying and taking in the sights.
I completely agree with you - I too giggle someimes when I walk by - but there's a HUGE difference between yours and my lighthearted chuckles and the appalled, almost angry reactions that I've witnessed. You can tell the difference because there's no humor involved, so don't feel bad!! Your giggles are a very far cry from shouting "that's disgusting!!"
You sound like the cool, straight but gay-friendly type of person who used to live here before the influx of the entitled, gay unfriendly current populace.
fyi - i too shop at the syrian grocer. they are no cheaper than formaggio. on some items, they are even more expensive!
I love this blog and I couldn't agree with you more about the invasion of the self-centered entitled "Megans" and "Seans" in this neighborhood. My husband and I specifically chose the South End to make our home because of its diversity; it was a real neighborhood with people of integrity.
As for the invasion of the pretentious people, we had our very own Megan and Sean living in the building next door on Milford Street. They lived there for two years; passed us on the street daily, saw us out at local restaurants yet never offered a single hello despite our attempts. Other neighbors on the street remarked how they too had been snubbed when attempting to make conversation preferring to only socialize with their Volvo and Range Rover driving friends who would come to visit taking our precious permit only parking spaces.
When at last the For Sale sign went up on their condo I wasn't surprised. And I wasn't surprised when I ran into "sean" at an industry function and he actually spoke to me. You see, I was his peer at this event but on Milford Street he had to let me know that he was better than me. "Sean" and his wife "Megan" now live on Chestnut Street with their two children "winn" and "Charles".
Good riddance!
I'm glad the south end news did and article on this blog, its been very interesting.
The Mildred's/Rave guys still own here just live elsehere in Boston, loved the place, miss it.
Re: snobbish neighbors.
I kinda decided to just be me: so I'll say hi, replace lightbulbs,be a good neighbor/person not let THEM change me.
My observation is that,although fewer, pretentious gay guys get to me moreso than the heteros.
To the original post, when I have one,I hold hands with my BF, be it on Tremont or the South Bay Home Depot.
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