Immersing into the LGBT Community: A Personal Journey

I set out to immerse myself in the lives and culture of the LGBT community. I spent a great deal of time talking with not only LGBT identified individuals, but with organizations dedicated to aiding this cultural group. The follow are my observations from the last 5 weeks spent getting to know my friends and neighbors.
The Bar Scene
My night at a local gay bar. The location of the bar is best described as sketchy. Outside the bar I found vomit, broken glass and trash littered along the fence that surrounded the property. The bar was illuminated with traditional florescent red lights advertising the bar and its specials. People standing outside the entrance in smoke circles, talking about their day sharing cigarettes and joints. This is not

If I were to try to find a common ground for this crowd outside of their alternative orientation, it would appear the majority are middle-high income. I grew up in a low-income family so that part of this culture is also a bit different for me to identify with. From my conversations and observations, those within this group feel compelled to dress themselves with expensive brand name clothing, designer shoes, and flashy jewelry. A great deal of time is spent on appearance -make-up, hair, nails etc. (I can’t say, with any certainty, whether it is a SES issue or a LGBT

I have always struggled around people who are drinking. Perhaps, it is my own past making me feel uncomfortable. There were a few people that did make me feel uncomfortable, and I found myself avoiding them. (They were the type of people who like to get real close to your face when they talk to you.) I simply found someone else to talk with. However, it wasn’t always easy. I was even rescued at one point by a young man who saw I was struggling with an angry fellow who felt I had violated his “safe place” with my questions. My rescuer jumped up, grabbed me by the arm and walked me over to his table. We talked for about an hour. When it was time for me to leave, he insisted on giving me his phone number, “just in case” he