03-29-2016, 05:56 PM
Before I add any of my own opinions to this, I want to ask -
What are we defining a community as in this discussion?
What are the expectations we have of a community?
Maybe its because I live in a place that has a huge and very visible gay population, which I know is something a lot of you guys don't have where you are from. Or maybe its because I'm just 24 and have very little point of reference of how different the experience of being gay and having a gay community is now vs how it was in the 90s, the 80s, or the 70s.
Id be interested in discussing whether it is a functional or dysfunctional community. If it is one that is actually as inclusive as it likes to label itself. Or if it is one that can successfully advocate for the needs of all the people it labels itself as serving. Or why and how gay communities came to be and whether or not they still serve any purpose in modern society. I think a really interesting conversation can be had about the gay community and intersectionality.
But to argue that a gay community does not exists... I guess i don't understand that perception.
I wouldn't define myself as being an active part of the gay community, but I am friends with many people who are outspoken activists and advocates on behalf of those who fall under the umbrella of LGBTQ when it comes to education, health services, support, and legal protection. But again, the fact that it is so obvious to me might strictly be because of where I live and who I know. In NYC I think you can find people who would consider themselves a part of a broad LGBTQ type community as well as people who view themselves as part of a very specific community within that - like latino men over 50 with AIDs, for example. Im sure that sort of depth and diversity doesn't exist every where.
So again, how are we defining community? How similar do members of a community have to be? What is it that we expect from a gay community? What responsibility does a community have to those who identify as part of it? Is it better to be specific and exclusive or broad and inclusive? Do those of you who feel no such community exists - is it something you wish did? What would an ideal "gay" community look like - or is it something that we don't need?
Is this website not a type of gay community?
What are we defining a community as in this discussion?
What are the expectations we have of a community?
Maybe its because I live in a place that has a huge and very visible gay population, which I know is something a lot of you guys don't have where you are from. Or maybe its because I'm just 24 and have very little point of reference of how different the experience of being gay and having a gay community is now vs how it was in the 90s, the 80s, or the 70s.
Id be interested in discussing whether it is a functional or dysfunctional community. If it is one that is actually as inclusive as it likes to label itself. Or if it is one that can successfully advocate for the needs of all the people it labels itself as serving. Or why and how gay communities came to be and whether or not they still serve any purpose in modern society. I think a really interesting conversation can be had about the gay community and intersectionality.
But to argue that a gay community does not exists... I guess i don't understand that perception.
I wouldn't define myself as being an active part of the gay community, but I am friends with many people who are outspoken activists and advocates on behalf of those who fall under the umbrella of LGBTQ when it comes to education, health services, support, and legal protection. But again, the fact that it is so obvious to me might strictly be because of where I live and who I know. In NYC I think you can find people who would consider themselves a part of a broad LGBTQ type community as well as people who view themselves as part of a very specific community within that - like latino men over 50 with AIDs, for example. Im sure that sort of depth and diversity doesn't exist every where.
So again, how are we defining community? How similar do members of a community have to be? What is it that we expect from a gay community? What responsibility does a community have to those who identify as part of it? Is it better to be specific and exclusive or broad and inclusive? Do those of you who feel no such community exists - is it something you wish did? What would an ideal "gay" community look like - or is it something that we don't need?
Is this website not a type of gay community?
![[-]](https://gayspeak.com/images/duende_v3_local/collapse.png)
