As growing pains fizzle and The Grove seizes its hipster identity, will gay be included in the narrative? While the music from the gay bars is still loud and proud, it feels the scene is closing in. Now, the night is shared by the echoes of other bars-straight ones-that symbolize change in the neighborhood. For years, this edgy strip of bars has been a hub for the LGBT community, but that was eight years ago-back when gay bars were the only thing in The Grove. A neon marquee twitches above the entry, and a pulsing beat welcomes gays to their first stop of the night. It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday and Rehab, the prominent Grove patio bar has its door propped for boys who like to be first.
