NYC Gay Ghettos Heading to Extinction

As a real estate attorney based in New York, I have represented hundreds of first time buyers. I have  warned folks that real estate is a market and it won’t always go up.  Don’t listed to me just look at what the former head of the Federal Reserve stated ” real estate has a long way to go before bottoming out. http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSL2146624120070921

I  have told clients that   real estate brokers and mortgage lenders are inherntly pure ” salespersons”.  As such they have a huge monetary stake in ” making the deal”, and that deal may not be in the best interest of a purchaser.  Of course there are nice realtors but there job is to “sell, sell and sell they are not ecomomic advisers, nor are they certified finanical planners. 

In Manhattan for the last 10 years buying anything resulted in unbridled appreciation ” theres gold in that manhattan” , and as  everyone was making money  no one complained. That may soon change. ( An un paralled down turn in the financial market not seen since the 1970’s, over mortgaging, tremendous mainteance costs, job layoffs, banking financial lending distress, will erode over priced manhattan real estate).

Increasing  as the rest of the country hurts Manhattan has been imune to the down turn.  Why?,  Largely because the dollar’s poor valuation has enabled euro spectators to capture a piece of the big apple and as such we have vast absentee owners who take up precious space and force full time residents  especially the young gay community out of New York.  Truth be told alot of Chelsea Boys who were prudent enough to purchase real estate in the last ten years have ” cashed in” on the robust market and are spending down and moving uptown to areas such as Harlem New York, which was historically an African American Community. See;http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-03-13/nyc-life/a-fierce-harlem-reconnaissance/ 

This is causing  the Village and Chelsea traditional New York  gay mecca’s to lose some of it’s bohemic  artistic vibes , guppies are becoming extinct. http://www.thevillager.com/villager_111/goodbyegayghetto.html

Places that we could hang in a non club enviornment  like the “BIG CUP” in Chelsea are long gone as it is more economically benefical for a landlord to have a chain drug or a starbucks in it’s place. ( albeit starbucks is now hurting) see;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/31/2320363.htm?section=justin

And its not just New York’s gay meccas Washington D.C. is also home to qay flight.  In D.C. our community is leaving the Dupon Circle area. See; http://washington.bizjournals.com/rss_promo/ To me, on my travel trips I alway’s looked forward to visiting the gay enclaves, I felt safe there and looked forward to meeting, talking, dining and the party’s that make various american cities so fun. The loss of the gay ghetto’s will certainly impact on gay trave.

 Several  additional factors will make home ownership for our community increasingly difficult.  Many young gay men and women  relocated to metropolitan cities like New York for both increased gay friendly city and the employment opportunity.As we know many gay folk are influential  and employed in the arts, music, theater, public service,food indusry,entertainment, fashion and similar creative industires.  Like it or not Wall Street is the economic engine that drives and propels New York. Many of the anciallary business  especially arts, dining ,theater and entertainment thrive as unintended beneficiaries of Wall Street, and now the future is bleak. See;http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/unemployment-rate-increases-as-financial-jobs-decline/ 

In summary, overpriced real estate, rising unemployment, financial and banking distress, and a looming recession will make it very difficult on the gay community to live in New York City especially Manhattan. And that is sad. And it’s not just New York see:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/us/30gay.html

D

Gay Euro Hatred Taints 2008 Gay Pride Events

I am a news junkie. And this summer over and over again I read of gay pride riots throughout Eastern Europe. And when I read such troubling news I am reminded that to live in New York and America as a gay American is a distinct honor and privilege. Yes America, has it’s zits but it is a beautiful beautiful face despite such cosmetic flaws.

This summer as many cities in America openly celebrate Gay Pride and as our community and generation see great momentum in the constitutionality of gay marriage we need only look at the openly hostile international global gay hatred. As we hear the words ” new global community” it is clear that many country’s especially the old ” cold war” regimes, the hatred of gay men and women is omnipresent.

It is also a clear and present danger to openly gay men and women, for as some ecomonic doors to many persons in those old soviet bloc have opened, the door of equality is being slamed in the face of gay people. Lets review some of this summers carnage at gay pride events; e

1. From the Washington Post see ; ” 120 persons arrested in Russia Moscow’s First Gay Pride Celebration. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/27/AR2006052701002_pf.html

2. Bulgaria’s first gay pride 60 arrested See ;http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/06/28/about_60_arrested_at_bulgarias_first_gay_parade/

3. This July, Hungary Riots mar Hungarian gay pride see ” http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/l05494186-hungary-gays-riot/

I must give credit to those brave sisters of the soul who in the spirit of democracy exercise their fundamental rights to be who they are and fight for liberty. In my opinion there is a significant amount of Eastern euro-intolerance to the gay community.

What if you knew the men above, how could you run and hide when they are bleeding on the ground? Can you imagine the courage they have and the daily pressure they face at work, in their communities, and the impact it has on their lives.

How can we embrace all things ” euro” when such hatred is present in these nations. It seem to me that having a gay pride parade in certain nations is as bad as those crazed European soccer ’s games which are frequently marred by imminent injury, mayhem and harm to innocent persons.

I wonder if the local Police and Governments are pro-active in infiltrating and dismantling these hate groups. Is it possible that forms of fascism and repressive communism are openly active in these new world order nations. Should we openly accept them in NATO and similar progressive world organizations if they can’t even stop riots and anarchy at local parades?

And perhaps its about time we board some Bruise Cruises, instead of Party Cruises and stand with our Eastern European brothers and sisters of the soul.

DON

Gay “Design Star” Cop Suspended for Porno Movie

  The Hollywood Police Department put Michael Verdugo, 34, known as a contestant on HGTV’s “Design Star,” on administrative leave with pay Wednesday when authorities discovered he might have played a starring role in a 1996 porn film.” Source: http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=133673

The issue here may be more complicated than  broad allegations of ” Homosteria” and Homphobia” in the Hollywood Police Department as they may or may not have contributed to his suspension.  One factor that my be causing him problems is in the application process to become a police officer.

Police Officer applicants must undergo an extensive background check, including past criminal record, driving record, employment record, drug testing, psychological  and references. An applicant who omits material background information will not be hired, as the applicant must “swear under oath under penalties of perjury “as to the truthfulness of his background. 

As such any police officer who knowingly lies on his application was hired fraudulently and under false pretenses as they were not honest.  We in the Police are frequently bashed by our critics for ” testi- lying ” under oath”.  It is essential to our society that police officers be honest.  Last year I chased two gun toting thugs, they shot a round in my direction, but all I could see was there asses and elbows as they ran from me. As such I could not identify them, this was the truth other factors enabled us to arrest them but I could not identify them.

So here, any officer not just a gay officer could be terminated, as the character trait of “truthfulness” is required of police applicants.  You should know most police agency’s will hire someone who has some blemishes in their record, minor arrests, tickets, and de -minimis character flaws. Police are not perfect just a reflection of society as a whole.

Now, if the Hollywood Police have retained other Officers who failed to disclose information in the applicant process this officer’s future may be decided on whether his failure to disclose his porno movie appearance is a material intentional omission to mislead the agency that hired him.  

How may homophobic bias come into play , if the agency does not want him and will fire him alleging fraud in the application process.  Legally, they can do this , however lets say another applicant in the past  a straight 8 officer also failed to disclose problems in his past. ( ie. lets say a ticket for sex in a car in a lovers lane location.)  If the police department reveiwed the matter and determined his /her overall performance  record was satisfactory, and decided to retain him. Now Officer Verdugo could state ( if he is fired) that the Hollywood Police acted arbitrarily and capricously in his termination as they kept stright officer who lied in the applicatioin process involving moral conduct, but terminated him because his moral conduct was ” deviate sexual gay behavior” .

Reality, Verdugo, is both gay and latino and I gather some reality star, I don’t know if he is a good cop one who works hard to get bad guys, backs up his fellow officers and is responsive to the community we serve. If he is a scammer, and just took this as a ” job” and was a poor police officer they might fire him.  I don’t know this guy  I hope he is a good cop and in my opinion appearing in a paid porno movie should not disqualify you from serving the public.

D.