Dec 02, 2007Quickie Link: A City Where Gay Life Hangs by a Thread
By vanrozenheim
(USA) - To live in Newark often means grappling with unrelenting poverty, the anesthetizing lure of drugs, murderous gangs, a lack of decent jobs. But for Gay men, Lesbians and Transgender people, there are additional obstacles that are seldom acknowledged: Gay bashings, H.I.V., open hostility from many religious leaders and sometimes callous treatment by the police. The city has no Gay community center, no Gay pride parade, no established Gay organizations; there are no bars devoted exclusively to Gay or Lesbian clientele. “Newark is like one big closet,” said Ron Saleh, a consultant to the John Edwards presidential campaign, who moved here two years ago. “And there’s nothing going on for Gay people. It’s like a desert.”
