There’s a bright pink sign that hangs on the front door of Pony, a gay bar on Capitol Hill:

“Attention: This is a gay bar. A very gay bar. If you aren't queer (or a respectful ally), get lost. This isn't a zoo and we're not your pets.”

Pony manager Marcus Wilson made that sign in response to Capitol Hill’s changing demographics – from gay to increasingly straight.

“Capitol Hill has become what Pioneer Square was a few years ago. It has become so overwhelmingly popular with young straight 20-somethings,” he said. “They have this ‘attack, dominate’ mentality, and they don't even necessarily know what this place is. It's just yet another stop on this drunken bar crawl.”

The numbers support his claim. Capitol Hill is known as the center of Seattle gay culture, but according to the U.S. Census, the number of same-sex couples in Capitol Hill's Broadway district has decreased to 1.6 percent from 5 percent in 2000.