"New York City now has so many gayborhoods, it’s hard to keep track!"

Travel reporter Julia Steinecke writes:

"You pick the subculture you want to be part of when you go out,” explains Chris Frederick of NYC Pride. According to him, the “skinny, grungy” crowd goes to the East Village. The young professional “pretty boys” live and party in Hell’s Kitchen. If you’re 30 or over, Chelsea is the place.

Others tell me about Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan’s north end; Brooklyn’s Park Slope for lesbians and Fort Greene for black gay men; Jackson Heights in Queens for Latino gays.

In all these areas, small neighbourhood bars have replaced most of the big fabulous nightclubs of the past.

It’s a sign that LGBT New Yorkers have come a long way toward integrating into the larger society. While other American gays fight for anti-discrimination laws and domestic-partner recognition, New Yorkers, who already have some of those protections, go after full marriage and acceptance in the military.

Even the Museum of Sex skilfully integrates a considerable amount of information on multiple genders and orientations. The current exhibit on animal sexuality blows away the idea that any expression could be unnatural. READ MORE