<p>Gay dating, of course. But I’ll be damned if I know what around here could be termed a gay bar. We don’t really have many bars per se, at all. LGBT-concentrated, yes, but largely by couples, and families with two gay parents. </p>
<p>The large concentration of just out of college people is almost all tech types. Not prone to going to bars, per se.</p>
<p>Of course, I am not gay, and am 54, and my son didn’t come out until he was at Princeton, so I suppose you could be right. To me Palo Alto and Menlo Park feel like upper middle class suburbs full of families - whether a family of 2 moms, 2 dads, single parent, whatever. They do not feel in any way like they have a “scene.” Except the cruising with frozen yogurt in hand, of course.</p>
<p>I can definitely see where you’re coming from. The whole area is very divided–I’m sure you know that gentrified areas exist in close proximity to… less gentrified areas (e.g. PA vs. EPA). But I can vouch for the “duality”–there are lots of gay bars, but they’re definitely not obvious if you’re not looking for them. ;)</p>
<p>Basically, while LGBT tends to be very “out” in the Bay Area (relative to other parts of the world), the communities they form are still very isolated from the rest–not physically, but rather the communities are just very separated. I’d say that’s because the LGBT “lifestyle” is still not mainstream, however accepted it may be in the area.</p>
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<p>I’m not sure how many families there are of that type, but the sheer number of results on gay dating sites (i.e. gay singles) is just insane. Here’s my perception of the stereotypical “gay” you’d find in the Bay Area: young, out, party-going, often hipster/scene (think black-rimmed glasses). Of course there’s lots of variation, but that’s the most common “type” I’ve met/seen. Definitely wouldn’t be a desirable area if you aren’t a party-going or very social kind of gay.</p>