On the one hand, it might sound like gay life in Boston is hitting a rough patch, our bars slumping over with age and apathy; on the other hand, it's as much a promising prognosis as a damning diagnostic — there's something comforting (empowering even!) in knowing that you and yours can take over just about any space in town and turn it the fuck out. Rather than corralling ourselves into the bars, out of sight, out of necessity, this new dynamic is all about taking on the world at large, coming out all over again, letting them know and letting it show. It's a glimpse of a world that's edging ever closer, one where queer ain't as queer as it once was; and if this next step toward normalcy feels hard to be particularly proud of, at least we'll never have to hear "It's Raining Men" again.
Michael Brodeur can be reached atmbrodeur@phx.com and followed on Twitter as MBrodeur.
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