Alexey Kotlyarov

Making Queer Space in Moscow and San Francisco Alexey Kotlyarov

Born out of the interconnection and interrelation of notions of space, gender and sexuality, this work explores the gay club as an institution. Objects of my comparative analysis are gay clubs located in Moscow and San Francisco. Localities of queer sociality are dependent on historical background, cultural heritage and social discourse. Therefore, my work reveals that queer space in a particular geographical location is bound to be different from its counterparts elsewhere in the world. This work shows that while queer space of Moscow is tense, queer space of San Francisco is more relaxed. The club in Moscow offers overwhelming commodities, while the club in San Francisco is not as plentiful. With a number of differences between the spatial arrangements of the clubs, and the number and variety of products they offer, this work is set to investigate the role of the club for gay population in both locations.