The Gentrification of Park Slope

By: Hayley Turner 

The Article ‘And She Told Two Friends’ Lesbians creating Urban Social Space by Tamar Rothenberg from the book Mapping Desire: Geographies of Sexualities discusses how the gentrification of Park Slope Brooklyn has created a lesbian social culture. An interesting point the Rothenberg makes is in defining the difference between gay men and lesbian women and their need for places of social acceptance. Rothenberg states, “’women have always been given somewhat more latitude to explore relationships of depth with one another than have men’ (Lauria and Knopp 1985:158). Therefore, gay males may feel more of a need for their own territory, a safe haven, than might lesbians” (1995: 167). This is one way to examine the lack of lesbian communities but another theory is that women make less money to spend and thus would have less money to spend on lesbian enterprises.

The understanding of this theory helps to understand the newly formed “lesbian neighborhoods” found a cross the United States and in particular Park Slope Brooklyn and how lesbians are helping in the gentrification of these neighborhoods. Rotherberg explains that lesbians are moving into neighborhoods with low rent due to their lack of deposable income. In the process of moving to these neighborhoods they are cleaning up and making the neighborhood better. While making the neighborhood better they also tend to move around a lot and thus allow for rent increases, that eventually push them further from the epicenter of the neighborhood.

It is interesting how it appears that lesbians are creating their own spaces but then are unable to live in them and enjoy them. However it is important to note that lesbians are creating ‘safe spaces’ so as they move from the epicenter of towns they are able to create a large area where they are able to live free of ‘homophobic prejudice’.

From interviews Rothenberg is able to conclude that Park Slope’s lack of lesbian shops make Park Slope an area of lesbian congregation with many lesbian communities within the neighborhood. It is believed that lesbian shops would unify the different communities.