Spotlight on Boston

Boston is ground zero for gay rights in the United States thanks to the Massachusetts legalization of gay marriage in May 2004; the GLBT community here is politically and socially active, and continues to grow. The epicenter of activity remains the picturesque South End, which enjoys the reputation of the country's oldest Victorian brick rowhouse district; pretty and distinctly quaint, it houses growing numbers of gays and young families. As real estate prices rose through the early 2000s, however, an increasing segment of the community has moved just south of the city to the burgeoning district of Dorchester. To the north of the Charles River, which wends its way from Boston Harbor westward, lies Cambridge, housing the state's two most famed universities, Harvard and MIT, along with the lesbian-ppopular residential streets of Somerville.

Most of the bars and clubs still cluster around the city's popular Theatre District just east of the South End (Popular nights include Dedo on Tuesdays, Club Cafe on Fridays, Buzz and Fritz on Saturdays and Chaps on Sundays), while the mixed area surrounding Fenway Park and the entertainment-laden Landsdowne Street include popular nights as well (Embassy on Thursdays, Machine/Ramrod on Fridays, Pink on Saturdays, and Avalon on Sundays). Other venues include Paradise in Cambridge (the puritan Boston equivalent of a strip club), Toast in Somerville, levi/leather bar The Alley in downtown, and renowned drag bar Jacques on the fringe of Chinatown. Boston's only after-hours venue is Rise, a two-floor, non-alcoholic membership club that is popular on Saturday nights.

There are currently no parties on the circuit hosted in Boston, but the annual Pride Week is highly attended by individuals from all over New England. The city enjoys two print publications - Bay Windows and in newsweekly (an HX Magazine publication). Online, EDGE Boston (EDGEboston.com) enjoys a large regional readership and hosts regular nightlife parties in town. 

A few hours from Boston by ferry, plane or car lies Provincetown, MA, a popular gay resort on the tip of Cape Cod. In the summer, most GLBT Bostonians frequent this welcoming little fishing village to enjoy one of the country's top ten beaches, and a range of exciting restaurants and nightlife. More information on Provincetown can be found online at EDGEprovincetown.com or at the local business guild's website, Ptown.org.

PRINT

Boston Phoenix: www.phx.com

Bay Windows: www.BayWindows.com

Boston Spirit: www.BostonSpiritMagazine.com

Pink Pages: www.pinkweb.com

Rainbow Times: www.therainbowtimesmass.com

Golden Rainbow Times: www.goldenrainbowtimesnewspaper.com

INTERNET

www.EdgeBoston.com

gayboston.blogspot.com

www.LGBTMassVacation.com

EVENTS

Boston Pride: www.BostonPride.org

BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS

www.gbbc.org

www.centralmassbusinesscouncil.com

ORGANIZATIONS

AIDS Action Committee: www.aac.org

Boston Gay Men's Chorus: www.bgmc.org

Boston Alliance of GLBT Youth: www.bagly.org

For the full-color PDF, please go to:
http://www.pinkbananamedia.com/pdf/gmg2008-boston.pdf