I truly believe that we will always need places for LGBTQ+ people to gather without fear of discrimination. I also believe that we need neighborhoods where gay individuals and couples feel welcome. I’ve lived in communities where it is safer and seems (at the time) easier to stay closeted. But the result is a life of looking over your shoulder, worrying that the wrong person will find out. I know that as a society we are slowly getting away from that, but there are corners of our country where attitudes are stuck in the 1950s. Living in a positive, gay friendly neighborhood in Phoenix is exactly where I want and need to be at this point in my life.
