Here’s one of those “The times are changing” or “Wow, I never thought I’d see that” stories: as reported by The Associated Press, many predominantly gay neighborhoods around the country are being gentrified or otherwise being inundated with non-gays and their long-time residents fear that their community’s identity will soon pass into history:

In just about any other place, the sight of a man and woman pushing a stroller would be welcomed as a sign of stability and safety. In San Francisco’s heavily gay Castro District, some people can’t help but think: There goes the neighborhood. Gay leaders in the Castro and other gay neighborhoods around the country fear their enclaves are losing their distinct identities.

These areas are slowly being altered by an influx of heterosexual couples, the forces of gentrification, and growing confidence among gays that they can live pretty much wherever they want nowadays and do not need the security of being in a “gay ghetto.” . . .

Don Reuter, a New York writer researching a book on the rise and fall of gay neighborhoods in the U.S., said he has observed a trend in cities as far-flung as New Orleans, Philadelphia and Seattle: Gay neighborhoods are becoming “Disneyfied” places, with chain stores and other businesses with little or no overt appeal to gays. . . .

Besides the brigades of baby strollers in the Castro, the signs of change include the security gates installed last year by a hotel to discourage “cruising,” and the recent closing of a store that sold erotic leather gear. National chains like Pottery Barn and Diesel now occupy prominent Castro locations.

This is actually an issue that virtually all racial, ethnic, religious, and/or cultural minority has faced in one form or another -- when it is better to integrate into mainstream American society instead of continuing to congregate in your own enclave? Assimilation or seclusion?

On the one hand, the fact that so many gays feel comfortable integrating into predominantly non-gay areas is certain a positive sign of greater social acceptance of homosexuality. On the other hand, the identity of a minority group is often based on historical symbols, which frequently take the form of “private” neighborhoods or areas in which they are surrounded by others who share similar characteristics and experiences. If those neighborhoods lose their distinctive identity, the minority group loses a piece of their history.

I would certainly feel very sad if one day, the various Chinatowns, Little Tokyos, Koreatowns, and/or Little Saigons around the country ceased to exist. But similar to what happened with the demise of the Negro Leagues after the great Jackie Robinson and other pioneering Black players integrated the sport of baseball, at least I could have the comfort of knowing that it was because their residents felt fully comfortable being an integral part of American society.