Gay Retirement Communities Sprout In The Sun Belt

Observers say it is part of a larger pateern of "atomization of America".

1 minute read

June 3, 2004, 9:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


" Largely unnoticed amid the uproar and invective over same-sex marriage, gay developers, activists and entrepreneurs are building an archipelago of gay retirement communities across the Sun Belt.

The projects, mostly unopposed and in at least one instance a beneficiary of federal tax breaks, are striking in their variety and ambition, reflecting what their backers describe as a huge untapped market of aging gay men and lesbians in all income brackets.

The proliferation of gay and lesbian retirement communities fits a pattern of what social observers say is the creeping atomization of America -- people of similar interests, backgrounds, and social and political leanings clustering together, opting out of more diverse living arrangements because they are comfortable mainly with their own."

Thanks to Richard Layman

Monday, May 31, 2004 in The Washington Post

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