with Stephen Meyler

#PrideControversy

#GayGentrifi cation

PRIDE & PROTEST

Pride Month saw different sorts of protests at parades around the world. Americans reacted to the latest utterances of their president, while here in Europe there was a bit of everything. Dublin had a lone demonstrator with a religious placard, while in Poland and Hungary, intimidating black-clad extremists tried to shut the parades down. In Istanbul, the brave souls who took part in the Pride march were beaten up by those same black-clad types.

A group of extremists also tried to block the glittery juggernaut of London Pride. These were lesbians protesting against trans-women. They failed of course, as nothing, it seems, can stop this monster corporate-funded celebration of, er, diversity? Social media took care of those London wannabe fun-stoppers, though. As soon as it got around that there were some lesbians who disagreed with the consensus about trans-women, nasty bitchy personal attacks by cis gay men were the order of the day.

Whether you agree with the protestors – and many lesbians did not – surely the irony of attacking LGBTQIA+ people for protesting at Pride wasn’t lost on the participants in the main, fun part of the parade? Earlier in the year, London Pride’s issue was about exclusion/inclusion of people of colour – many felt it was too much of a white, middle-class, male event. Their protest was to organise a separate Pride, which seems like a pity: if black, working class gays had protested like those anti-trans-women did, would cis gay men have taken to personalised attacks as quickly?

Perhaps we should just accept that Pride is no longer about protest and just keep on adding more glitter and more corporate cash to the event until everyone agrees?

PAY FOR GAY

The story about the gays driving up the rents in the bits of Dublin they want to live in is surely some sort of joke. It suggests that because eight per cent (that’s less than one in ten, kids) of households in Stoneybatter or Christchurch were same-sex households – the highest percentage in the State – that landlords could charge an extra €150 a month for their properties in these pride-filled areas.

Ronan Lyons is the economist who did the research for daft.ie of comparing data from the census to the rents the property site advertised. He drew the conclusion that we were seeing a Dublin version of the gay gentrification process that happened in central parts of San Francisco or New York. And we all know how that ended, don’t we?

Surely the irony of attacking LGBT+ people for protesting at Pride wasn’t lost on the participants in the main, fun part of the parade?

Is it true though? Apart from the less than one in ten gay households, what other factors might explain the high rents in these ‘gay’ neighbourhoods? Maybe the same factors that explain the high rents in the parts of Dublin with far fewer gay households – Ranelagh, Dundrum, Drumcondra – for example. The high rent bits are relatively central, have lots of the sort of housing renters want, are near the DART or LUAS, are perceived as middle-class or hipstery, or are near big, highpaying employers with lots of mobile international employees.

It’s a bit of a generalisation, but maybe gay households tend to be smaller (fewer kids) and more urban (because all the fun stuff is in the city and it feels safer than the outer suburbs). Another generalisation, but it would be just great if someone like an economist for a property website was paid to look into it, are gay households more likely to stay in the rental segment of the property market for longer?

They are less likely to want the perceived stability of a mortgaged family home to raise kids. There is also the legacy of discrimination – despite the enduring myth of the pink pound, many gays are still in less well paid, less stable jobs than their straight classmates. There’s also the societal expectations of gay relationships: do they make the commitment of entering into something as long-term as a mortgage (and at rip-off Irish interest rates!) just that bit harder?

This is all speculation of course, as have no evidence to prove any of it; just like the speculation that less than one in ten households have somehow resulted in a rental premium in the bits of Dublin they choose to live in, feel safe living in or can afford to live in. Don’t let any proof of cause and effect get in the way of a good story though!