Sampson and his husband moved to Lynn in 2006, house hunters lured by the affordability of the city. (The group is actively seeking space for a youth drop-in center, and Lynn is on the list of possibilities.) In fact, nearly half the membership of the North Shore Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth is from Lynn, says Coco Alinsug, NAGLY executive director. And there is definitely a diverse gay community in Lynn, reflecting the older side of the spectrum (the Diamond District, an area of historic Victorian homes, is popular with gay couples), and younger. “My introduction to Lynn was through the gay community,” says Kevin Sampson, part of the team behind Go Out Loud, a new collective that organizes events and other opportunities for the region’s LGBT community that are designed to stimulate networking-and the local economy. (Expect to set sail in about two years.)īut also at the forefront of Lynn’s improving rep is a gay group that takes a lot of pride (pun intended) in the city: Go Out Loud. And it’s prepping a daily ferry system between Lynn and Boston to help commuters and boost tourism. It has relocated EDIC power lines by the shore, opening up dozens of acres of land to exciting development opportunities. The city is clearly pushing a renaissance: sinking money into building artist live-work spaces and residential lofts in Lynn’s downtown, a Massachusetts historic district. It’s becoming an increasingly popular pick for LGBT folks seeking a cost-effective alternative to living in the Hub, and those looking to enjoy the city’s revitalized dining, entertainment, and arts scene as a visitor. But as one of the largest cities in Massachusetts, and located just a few miles outside Boston, Lynn has a thriving gay community. That rhyme “Lynn, Lynn, city of sin” is ubiquitous enough to go on coffee cups, and associations with high crime rates and economic malaise have been hard to shake. She’s sort of like Boston’s hardscrabble little sister: only a fraction of the size (about 90,000 people) but with a big reputation. But it deserves that second act.”Īh, Lynn. “There can be a certain condescension that comes across from people outside it.
“I feel like my story is a parallel to Lynn’s,” says Halligan. Halligan sees a certain commonality between his own experience, and that of the city. Now he’s not only a regular on the Cambridge and Boston scenes, but has a Friday night residency at gay club Cirque-a revamped version of gay bar 47 Central in Lynn, Massachusetts. He had few connections in the current local landscape, but networked away.
But dance music remained a passion, so last year he decided to get back into the groove.
Halligan stepped away from spinning for nearly a decade. Just ask the leaders of NAGLY, Go Out Loud, Art After Hours, and other locals-the formerly maligned suburb is turning around, and LGBTs are leading the way It now hosts major talent on both the local - Boston’s Gay Men’s Chorus - and national scale.
After years of disrepair, the 2100-seat Lynn Memorial Auditorium was reopened in 2006 following a full refurbishing.