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hahaha somehow that oxford st article ended up on news.com.au and got comments!
http://www.news.com.au/comments/0,23600,20601251-1242,00.html
actually they raise some good points. the frustration of not being able to discuss everything in 1,000 words!
Actually, I just generally felt the tone was a bit negative. I still think Oxford St is an important symbol. It has changed for sure, but its not as dead as to warrant words like "exodus"! I think your point on the internet was fantastic and I hope you elaborate more on that in the future.
"Homophobic violence still exists, but overall, society is recognising and accepting gays." - With this statement, I agree and disagree. Yes, you're right. But homophobic violence stays at the same rates since the ninties. And really, how often can you walk down the streets of Parramatta or Cambelltown holding hands with your partner? Heck, how many times can you walk down George St with your partner? I still think Oxford St - perhaps King St as well - have important significance for people. You probably argue that in your article, and I've probably misread it because it's late and I've been working on my thesis since 10am, but yeah generally - gay space like Oxford St might by in decline but it remains an important rite of passage for lots of people coming out. I think what happens though is after they go there, they realise it's really gay and the internalised homophobia partly kicks in (and other things, such as dislike of drug use, body image, overconsumption of sex etc) turn people off. John Egan's study (2004) finds that many still view Oxford St as a rite of passage, but several are bitterly disappointed by discovering a their expectation of a community is non-existant.
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'exodus' -- unfortunately, not my headline! the original (and SSO version) had 'Subsiding Style Mile,' but the Oz editor musn't have liked it.
Violence -- unfortunately I did only spend one sentence on it, and I should have discussed it more but didn't for space reasons.. definately can't walk down the streets of Campbelltown (!!) holding hands with someone of the same gender... I don't think it will disappear as gay space or gay space will ever become bigger somewhere else (but who knows), but in terms of the general atmosphere/community activity/types of nightlife/etc it does seem to have died down a fair bit... but then what you say is absolutely true, it will still probably be the place where gays feel most (in a relative sense) comfortable about expressing their sexuality in public
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