SoBro Forecast: Intermittent Gays Followed By A Thirty Percent Chance Of Fierce Gentrification In Coming Years

Gay City News profiles the Bronx neighborhood becoming known as “SoBro”:

Recently hyped across the New York City press as the new real estate investment hotspot, the South Bronx section now dubbed SoBro has already turned into solid gay territory. The Bruckner Bar & Grill on Bruckner Boulevard, a new gay-managed spot, has begun to attract a growing local, mixed clientele of artists and students, who use it day and night as their kitchen, living room, and lounge.

Trai La Trash, the popular drag-queen artist performing at swank Chelsea venues such as XL and Splash, has just moved into her new 1,700 square foot loft only steps away from the Bruckner Bar. Her decision last October to move from her convenient locale on Christopher Street is something about which she has no regrets.

“I knew no one in the Bronx,” she said. “But that didn’t matter to me, because the only criteria I have for an area is if it’s a great place for a Christmas tree and whether I can get up in drag, go out to my car, and not get murdered.”

SoBro met both criteria.

And it’s not just gays but also Europeans playing gay music:

While chatting with Gay City News at the Bruckner Bar, Trash made new friends, among them young, gay visual artist Matthew Burcaw who recently moved into a loft in her building.

“I saw a lot of rainbow flags around, so I thought I’d move here,” Burcaw jokingly commented. He said he “suspected” there were at least “three or four” gay people living in the building.

“That’s not counting the European guy who plays some very loud, gay music,” he added.