Whether you're currently in a relationship or have been in a relationship, what is gay dating like where you live?
I'll start (this might be a rant btw). I live in Miami, Florida. Gay dating is almost non-existent. Let me explain and cover all the bases. First, locals and non-locals consider Miami Beach (which is it's own city separate from the City of Miami) to be a "gayborhood". It's really not. When I think of a gay neighborhood, I think of places like Chelsea, Hells Kitchen, the Castro, even Wilton Manors in Fort Lauderdale. Miami Beach caters to tourist dollars only, this includes gay tourist dollars. The few LGBT bars there open past 10pm meaning no after work happy-hour because why care about locals when you can cater to tourist dollars right? We also have a few large LGBT events like the White Party in November and Sizzle and Sweat Heat (for lesbians) in the Spring. But again, these are tourist events! There are local organizations like Pridelines and the Miami-Dade Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce both which foster social change, which is tough in a city that I feel does not really have a gay community and a strong LGBT presence because of my next point.
Second, the demographic make up the city promotes this discreet, "don't ask, don't tell" attitude towards gays and lesbians. Miami is very, very Latino. The Latino community is predominantly Cuban followed by large groups of other ethnicities from Latin America. The attitude towards homosexuality in Latin America is very discreet. Yes, there are gayborhoods in large metros like Sao Paulo and Santiago de Chile, etc. but the overall attitude is discretion. Miami has this mix of the dominant Cuban/Latino culture that is somewhat tolerant via discretion but also pretty machismo, old Southern culture, plus an influence of Florida state southern politics, and other Caribbean cultures (Jamaican, Haitian, etc.) that tend to be extremely homophobic. So all of those things conspire to make Miami far less LGBT-friendly than areas that have none of those influences in any strong representation.
In sum, are there any other places where my dating options might be better? If you've ever lived in Miami or South Florida, did I summarize the gay scene accurately? I'm tired of coming across grown adult men who are bi-curious and "straight bros" who want to mess around on the side away from their girlfriends. I live in a large metropolis, is it so much to ask for an openly gay, single man? I thought I could though it out because I love the sun, hot weather and the beach but the dating scene is very difficult. Is it better where you guys are at?
I'll start (this might be a rant btw). I live in Miami, Florida. Gay dating is almost non-existent. Let me explain and cover all the bases. First, locals and non-locals consider Miami Beach (which is it's own city separate from the City of Miami) to be a "gayborhood". It's really not. When I think of a gay neighborhood, I think of places like Chelsea, Hells Kitchen, the Castro, even Wilton Manors in Fort Lauderdale. Miami Beach caters to tourist dollars only, this includes gay tourist dollars. The few LGBT bars there open past 10pm meaning no after work happy-hour because why care about locals when you can cater to tourist dollars right? We also have a few large LGBT events like the White Party in November and Sizzle and Sweat Heat (for lesbians) in the Spring. But again, these are tourist events! There are local organizations like Pridelines and the Miami-Dade Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce both which foster social change, which is tough in a city that I feel does not really have a gay community and a strong LGBT presence because of my next point.
Second, the demographic make up the city promotes this discreet, "don't ask, don't tell" attitude towards gays and lesbians. Miami is very, very Latino. The Latino community is predominantly Cuban followed by large groups of other ethnicities from Latin America. The attitude towards homosexuality in Latin America is very discreet. Yes, there are gayborhoods in large metros like Sao Paulo and Santiago de Chile, etc. but the overall attitude is discretion. Miami has this mix of the dominant Cuban/Latino culture that is somewhat tolerant via discretion but also pretty machismo, old Southern culture, plus an influence of Florida state southern politics, and other Caribbean cultures (Jamaican, Haitian, etc.) that tend to be extremely homophobic. So all of those things conspire to make Miami far less LGBT-friendly than areas that have none of those influences in any strong representation.
In sum, are there any other places where my dating options might be better? If you've ever lived in Miami or South Florida, did I summarize the gay scene accurately? I'm tired of coming across grown adult men who are bi-curious and "straight bros" who want to mess around on the side away from their girlfriends. I live in a large metropolis, is it so much to ask for an openly gay, single man? I thought I could though it out because I love the sun, hot weather and the beach but the dating scene is very difficult. Is it better where you guys are at?
