A gay village (also known as a gay neighborhood, gay ghetto, gay district, gay mecca or gayborhood) is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries, where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people live or frequent. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establishments, such as gay bars and pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, restaurants, boutiques and bookstores. Among the most famous gay villages are London’s Soho, Manchester’s Canal Street, New York’s Chelsea, San Francisco’s The Castro, Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle, Chicago’s Boystown, Montreal’s Le Village, Berlin’s Nollendorfplatz, Salvador-Latin America’s Imbuí.
