Category: WK12: Queer Placemaking

Within the chapter 3 of Safe Space by Christina Handhardt there was a primary discussion about how gentrification negatively impacted a town. Throughout her writing there is discussion of the tension as “In a short time, gay residents in gentrifying areas began to report violence, and the scene became increasingly polarized between new gay residents and long term neighborhood members” (129). This connects to the idea of taking space and the intentionality in doing so. The issue stems from the fact that gentrification is rooted from displacement of communities of color and therefore even if there is a remodeling of the town primarily white people are benefiting. While LGBTQ people are able to make space for those of intersectional identity that are people of color it creates an awkward position as their identity group is being displaced. It is important to consider intersectional identities and the harm gentrification has as there are no resources for the families displaced and instead capitalization is prioritized. 

The second reading That’s My Space by Roque Ramirez discusses the organization of gay Latinos that navigate spaces in California. One of the important discussions within the reading is how representation in numbers matters as well as the ethnic intersectional with sexuality for latinx people. Within the article it discusses the lack of representation and initial organizing and the work that needed to be done. For example in Diane’s experience “While supporting the UFW’s grape boycotts in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, she was surprised to discover that not all Latinos shared her political view” (238). It is important to understand while one may be of a shared identity group there can be different perspectives. Another note is that in the Latinx community there is a history of homophobia and sexism within the community that many people are combating today.

Both of these readings discuss the importance of understanding people with different identities, navigating different spaces and having tough conversations. To have conversations is to get a deeper understanding of perspectives and it is important to call out problematic agendas that are homophobic, classist, or racist as only advocating for one community is unacceptable.

This week’s materials centered on queer placemaking, gentrification, and community building particularly in San Francisco.  

Safe Space by Christina Hanhardt tells the story of the creation of gay neighborhoods in Latino communities like the Mission District of San Francisco. These newcomers, often white, middle-class, and feeling threatened by the “youth” in these communities, lead to increased policing and police violence in these areas. At the same time, many gays and lesbians – especially people of color – were themselves victims of police violence. To counteract these two tendencies, organizations like LAPV and DARE began to tackle these larger struggles without calling for more policing. Safe Space also discusses how gay neighborhoods were parts of larger trends of gentrification into these areas, displacing the communities living there. At the same time, Hanhardt emphasizes that popular narratives that “cast gay interests as white (and white interests as gay), and people of color as straight.” were very harmful and that “those who crossed these divides were more often than not maligned or ignored.” 

That’s My Place by Roque Ramirez focuses on the formation of the Gay Latino Alliance (GALA) in San Francisco. The gay community that emerged there was largely the result of a large national and international migration of queer people seeking safe spaces and acceptance. Many queer spaces were white-centric and at times openly hostile to people of color — in obvious ways like requiring multiple forms of ID to enter bars and in more subtle ways like valuing white lovers more highly. GALA sought to carve out space within the local gay community for Latinos and Latinas. GALA was one of very few “cosexual” organizations, although lesbian Latinas were very underrepresented. GALA was able to forge relationships of solidarity with other political organizations. Their tendency to support “Latino or Raza issues” enraged white gay men like Tim Speck who criticized this ethnic consciousness (while fetishizing and exoticizing Latinos simultaneously).  

These readings complemented one another very nicely. I was most struck by their messages on intersectionality. Safe Spaces notes that Stonewall was made possible by the civil rights movement. That’s My Place notes that one of GALA’s weaknesses was its failure to support the women in i

This week as we engaged Queer Placemaking and considered the nexus between race, space, and queerness, we read part of Christina Hardt’s Safe Space, Horacio Roque Ramirez’ “That’s my place,” and watched part of the documentary Flag Wars. Hardt’s Safe Space is a novel that explores the history of gay neighborhood formations, specifically teasing out the nuances of “safety” and the contributions of these community formations to the process of gentrification. Roque Ramirez’ article similarly explores these community formations; however; they specifically focus more on the intersection of being queer and Latinx in San Francisco in the late 70s/early 80s, as queer organizers navigate both their racial identity and sexuality. In Flag Wars, we see how Black Americans perceive queer couples moving into the neighborhood, and how they perceive themselves in this process of revitalization.  In thinking about the readings there are a few keywords and concepts that stood out to me; safe spaces, the relationship between queerness, Latinidad, and machismo, and gentrification. I think safe spaces, even within a plethora of contexts that they may exist in, pose the interesting juxtaposition of who is being kept safe and who is the danger. I think it is very interesting that in the development of many of these “gayborhoods,” whiteness has pervaded the sense of who belongs and because of that many queers of color have turned to forming their own spaces. I think back to one of my favorite shows, Pose, in which ballroom culture is highlighted specifically as a tool used by POC queers to form sustainable networks and chosen families. I think this helps further an understanding of safe spaces more so as “place” for typically white gay men, and “space” for queers of color. I also think this has to do with what Roque Ramirez talks about in their article, on how Latine queers navigate both the constructs of Latinidad and queerness, not necessarily fitting or being confined to one. For POC queers, I believe it has been the duplicity of navigating the tensions that come with their racial and sexual identities that have contributed to their own self-understanding and the ways they form community and “safe spaces.”

In Safe Space, Hanhardt provides an overview of San Francisco and New York City as case studies of contradictions between ethnic groups and gay communities—San Francisco experienced tensions between the Mission District and the Castro, while New York City saw conflicts among different ethnic groups. Hanhardt grounds the discussion in the impact of Reagan’s presidency and how his policies affected these areas, providing examples of organizations that stood up to address these contradictions. Hanhardt’s essay highlights how racial divisions surfaced in queer spaces and how different racial and ethnic groups have competed for resources and space.

In That’s My Place!, Horacio Roque Ramirez introduces GALA in San Francisco as a case study—a pioneering organization that sought to challenge both the white-dominated gay community and Latino spaces. Although the founders imagined a space where gender, racial, and sexual identities could coexist, conflicts soon arose as the white gay community moved into and further gentrified the Mission District, where GALA’s members socialized. Additionally, tensions emerged between lesbian members and the broader gay community within GALA, as many lesbians did not feel welcomed. Although GALA was founded with the intention of uniting intersecting identities, it eventually dissolved due to both external pressures from the white gay community and internal tensions, including those with lesbian members.

Across the two readings, themes of the white gay community moving into and gentrifying neighborhoods are silimar and both authors have revealed the challenges of building a community that supports both one’s sexual and ethnic identities. The question remains: since previous efforts have struggled to build communities that meet both needs, how can we move forward in supporting people’s ethnic and sexual identities simultaneously? Where can we learn from these failures, and how can we truly build inclusive spaces that support diverse communities? And where can we locate these community?

The novel Safe Space: Gay Neighborhood History and the Politics of Violence by Christina Handhardt explores the concept of “safe spaces” for LGBTQ communities, examining how these spaces have been created in urban settings and the gentrification often associated with “gay white men.” Handhardt argues that true safety for LGBTQ individuals should not be confined to specific neighborhoods but rather ensured through legal protections that safeguard them wherever they go. The book also delves into LGBTQ activism, highlighting grassroots movements, legislative progress, and the limitations imposed by U.S. policies, as well as internal challenges within the movement.

Similarly, Horacio N. Roque Ramírez’s paper That’s My Place focuses on the intersectionality of Latinx LGBTQ activists, shedding light on their efforts to carve out space within the broader LGBTQ movement. Ramírez illustrates how these activists face rejection both from the machismo embedded in Latinidad and from discrimination within the LGBTQ community itself. I had a conversation with my friend about the Stonewall Riot and how one of the leading persons in this movement started a program to help homeless youth in the area and they did not receive support from the LGBTQ community. Oftentimes, POC LGBTQ activists are at the forefront of these movements but don’t receive support from the community they are trying to advance for other parts of their activism that intersect with their identity.

The film Flag Wars expands on themes of gentrification, particularly how the influx of “white gay men” into predominantly communities of color displaces long-standing Black residents. The film illustrates how white newcomers often leveraged legal processes to report and penalize Black homeowners who were unable to afford fines, ultimately forcing them out. However, one notable gap in the film’s perspective is the absence of Black LGBTQ voices, which would have given insight into how individuals with intersecting identities navigate social justice efforts.

I found both readings interesting, as they connected with discussions from a Law and Literature course I took, where we analyzed cases of LGBTQ individuals who deliberately challenged legal systems—often by getting arrested—to set precedents in court. A recurring theme across these cases, as well as historical protests like the Stonewall Riots and even activism on our campus, is the role of police brutality as a central source of community resentment and resistance.

In “That’s My Place!”: Negotiating Racial, Sexual, and Gender Politics in San Francisco’s Gay Latino Alliance, by Horacio N. Roque Ramírez we learn how queer latino’s organized both politically and socially during the 1970’s to 1980’s particularly though the Gay Latino Alliance (GALA). GALA was one of the first organizations created by lesbians and gay’s created by both Latino Lesbians and Gay men. GALA organized various community events such as dances, parades, fundraisers, and more. Through their fundraisers they supported latino issues, women’s racism, and many other issues. They ended up dissolving in 1980’s due to the changing political landscape and constant internal conflicts but their influence on the latino and gay community remained. In the book Safe Space: Gay Neighborhood History and the Politics of Violence by Christina B. Hanhardt the relationship between LGBT activism, state violence, and urban development is examined. The main argument from this book was that as LGBT movement’s gained traction by embracing policies, individualism, and property rights. This led to people of color not being included and them experiencing the violence which the LGBT movement was claiming and trying so hard to stop. The two pieces complement each other pretty well as they approach the same question from different angles. Both of them agree that race, gender, and class are very important in LGBT policies. One difference though is that Hanhardt is critiquing the path which Roque Ramírez is celebrating in it’s earlier form. These texts challenge and help me understand everything better as it shows that Queer / LGBT activism was never done a single way their were always various tensions between the grassroots organizations and various institutions. Both of these also encourage various thoughts about progress in LGBT history and how everything that was lost during those movements has become mainstream media with politics.