Newark: The Closeted Community

On NYTimes.com this morning I read an article written by Andrew Jacobs entitled "In a Progressive State, a City Where Gay Life Hangs By a Thread" which talked about the anti-gay sentiment that exists in Newark. According to the article, though many homosexual and transgender people live in the city of Newark, they are often scared to walk down the street and there is no place in the community that they can use as a safe haven. New Jersey is one of three states in the country which legally recognizes same sex civil unions and many believe that same sex marriage is on the way. Also they article says that many gay couples and their children have been able to successfully become a part of the suburban areas throughout the state. However, one of New Jersey's roughest cities is slowly becoming known for the open hostility towards homosexuality that exists there. Churches openly criticize homosexuality, and although mayor Cory A. Booker has attempted to make some strides in a more open and accepting society for gays in Newark, those tries have more or less not been successful. The article does note that Booker was the first public official to hoist a rainbow flag over city hall to recognize Gay Pride Month, but this action was met with much criticism from those people who live in Newark. Also, many of the police in that area have strong feelings against homosexuality and use a person's sexual preference in helping to determine how they will handle a particular crime against that person. The article ends by discussing one group on the outskirts of downtown Newark called Project Wow, which was originally created in order to inform the homosexual community about AIDS and HIV but has become the only place where homosexuals are able to come together as a group and many frequent the building where Project Wow is located in order to get shelter from the relentless anti-gay society in Newark.

After reading this article, I can't really imagine a place in New Jersey where homosexuality is frowned upon and treated the way that it is in Newark. Growing up in suburban Bergan County, I knew a small number of children throughout high school who were homosexuals and everyone was extremely accepting of them. They werent know as "the gay kids" but they were our friends and classmates and leaders of clubs and some of the smartest children in the school. However, Newark is very different than the area I grew up in, despite the fact that it is only 15 minutes away. I really hope that Mayor Booker is able to make some changes, however, since Newark is such a rough community with so much violence, I highly doubt that those changes will be possible in the near future. Until then, I hope Project Wow is able to keep its doors open to the homosexual community in need of its shelter and its support.