After reading Rev. Irene Monroe’s op-ed, “Whither Gay Provincetown,” I was shocked, and a bit saddened at the lack of perspective. I would like to offer a different viewpoint, as someone who lives in Ptown and works for equality all over the country.
The LGBTQ community has long sought places of our own, for refuge. I stand by my theory that places like San Francisco, Key West, and Provincetown have been our go-to destinations because we went as far as we could to get away from the hatred and homophobia cascading from the core of the country. When we ran out of land, we stripped down and stayed at the prettiest beaches we could find. These beaches provided the healing properties we desperately needed after being banished by friends and families, and a place for the LGBTQ community to feel safe. Once people feel safe, they can flourish, and flourish we did. The three locations I mentioned are similar in many ways, but Ptown is a little bit different, and here is why.
While California was battling Prop. 8 and Florida was busy being Florida, Massachusetts queers were already getting married. Massachusetts queers have been getting married for a decade. The marriage movement in this country started in Massachusetts, specifically, Ptown. How is that not gay enough?