Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons^™

The Queer Tourist In 'Straight'(?) Space: Sexual Citizenship In Provincetown, Sandra Faiman-Silva

Anthropology Faculty Publications

Provincetown, Massachusetts USA, a rural out-of-the-way coastal village at the tip of Cape Cod with a yearround population of approximately 3,500, has 'taken off' since the late 1980s as a popular GLBTQ tourist destination. Long tolerant of sexual minorities, Provincetown transitioned from a Portuguese-dominated fishing village to a popular 'queer' gay resort mecca, as the fishing industry deteriorated drastically over the twentieth century. Today Provincetowners rely mainly on tourists—both straight and gay—who enjoy the seaside charm, rustic ambiance, and a healthy dose of non-heternormative performance content, in this richly diverse tourist milieu. As Provincetown's popularity as a GLBTQ tourist destination …