Alex Here-

Greetings from Londontown!

Here I am in one of the world’s greatest cities, and while the shopping is fabulous and the food divine, I have two major complaints about this glorious city: why the hell has my gaydar completely shut down and where is the bloody gayborhood!!!!??

Back in America, it is very easy to spot a fellow gay. Firstly, homo-fabulous brands like Diesel, Armani, G-Star, or Energie are major indicators of which team a man plays for. Combine that with a fancy bag, shoes, or obnoxious sunglasses and you’ve probably got yourself an American Homo. If that isn’t enough just listen to his voice and you will know for sure. Conversely.. if you see a man dressed sloppy and usually wearing some form of levis, chances are he’s straight (or a D-list gay which is almost the same thing anyways). All of these indicators fly out the door once you arrive in England.

Flying over the Atlantic is like flying to another universe. London is a San Francisco turned upside down. Gorgeous men fill the crowded streets, all of which are sporting well fitted jeans and finely made coats. Men that you would normally think are absolutely gay are holding hands, or worse, kissing females right before your eyes.. it’s quite a depressing site. Their mannerisms make things even harder to decipher. Male buddies poking each other on the train, men flamboyantly moving their hands while talking yet have rings on their fingers and wives at their sides. Even when you do get a smile from a cute guy across the train he quickly stares at the attractive woman sitting near you and smiles...I have completely given up on my gaydar here and firmly believe that all Brits are a little gay, some just more than others.

Soho has to be one of my favorite parts of London. Every restaurant looks amazing, the pubs are packed, and the clubs are bumping. However, I came to Soho thinking this was the gay heart of London.. like British Gays, British gayborhoods are quite deceiving. Walking down Old Compton Street I barely get the feeling I am in a gay neighborhood at all.. in fact I see more straight couples than gay. Gay bars here don’t post rainbows outside their doors nor do many of them hang flags. These bars and clubs look like every other bar and club and are scattered throughout the area. Though I knew that the Brits were more open about homosexuality, seeing the main gay drag so well integrated both surprised me, yet made me feel proud at the same time.




While London is fantastic.. I am excited to return back to SF where my gaydar works and my gayborhood is firmly established.