The decline of the gay ghetto

Not having been away since June last year, we decided to escape over Christmas and get a bit of sun in the Canaries.  We've done this before on a couple of occasions from France, and know the ropes, so we rented a small apartment and off we went.  As you can see from the picture above, with the not particularly attractive view from our rabbit hutch, the skies were generally kind to us, even if the evenings were chilly.

The dunes of Maspalomas

We go to Playa del Ingles, in Gran Canaria, which is a bit like a Spanish Blackpool - I don't know Benidorm, but imagine it's similar.  The one difference from Benidorm is that Playa is a bit of a gay centre, with a lot of bars and places catering mainly for what is called "the gay community".  It's all pretty relaxed, but if you're of a gay persuasion it's traditionally been good fun, with places catering for all tastes, from the raunchy to the more (but not very) sophisticated.

This time round, though, I thought I detected the beginning of a trend.  One or two of the places we'd gone to in the past were fuller than I recalled of distinctly elderly gents, and the atmosphere seemed less welcome and relaxed - even, dare I say it, a bit dull.  When we strolled around the enormous shopping centre called Yumbo (as in Yumbo the Elephant - geddit?) it was obvious that a lot of gay couples were going elsewhere, mixing with the general community.  

What we were witnessing was the gradual collapse of the gay ghetto that we grew up with, in a time when  society was less tolerant.  When being gay was stigmatised, the minority clung together and found solidarity in pubs and clubs frequented exclusively by their own kind.  Now that an increasing number of countries in Europe afford same-sex couples the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts, the need for solidarity is reduced.  Just as internet cafés have largely disappeared as a result of advanced technology, with fancy phones, tablets and Wi-fi, so the exclusively gay venues are faced with a decline in demand.  It's a positive change - but at the same time some of the more extravagant flamboyance and eccentricity of the gay scene, that provided colour and amusement, are likely to disappear, as we assimilate the ways of the majority.  The gay scene in Mykonos has been swept into oblivion; it looks as if it may be on the way out in Playa del Ingles as well. 

Antony Mair