Can lol gay bars survive? Should they? - Oak Park

Contents:

•  ILLOIS LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS
• GAY BAR THRIV SUBURB
• CAN LOL GAY BARS SURVIVE? SHOULD THEY?
• THE 5 BEST ILLOIS GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS ILLOIS
•  ILLOIS LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS
• OWNER ADMS SETTG FIRE TO GAY NIGHTCLUB OAK PARK
• GAY AND GROWG FORT PARK

 ILLOIS LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS

Back when owner Mike Zych first started at the Nutbh Cy Lims, he kept a Louisville Slugger unr the bar to chase off punks who threatened his gay, a group of teens showed up yellg slurs and menacg ctomers the parkg lot of the Fort Park tavern. Zych, a Vietnam veteran and South Sir, says he persuad them to move along by smashg the headlights of their statn wagon wh his week the Nutbh celebrat s 30th anniversary--and a history that cis wh sweepg chang the way gays are perceived, both the natn at large and the suburbs where homosexuals long lived closeted liv and had few public plac to socialize.

"Don't fet, back the early years, gay people didn't have no place to go, " said Zych, a no-nonsense saloonkeeper a whe shirt and black vt.

"Dpe the asslts, the Nutbh beme a rare haven the wtern suburbs where an openly gay uple uld sip a beer whout worryg some bully across the bar might pick a fight or lob a verbal stk bomb to their bar has s bawdy si: It sometim hosts "leather nights" and strippers, and s newsletter ntas a photo of the backsi of a man droppg his pants.

GAY BAR THRIV SUBURB

"Wayne Brekh, a Universy of Missouri-Columbia soclogist who has studied suburban gays, said the suatn has changed radilly recent years.

Once was rare to fd gay bars outsi urban centers. Now such tablishments are more monplace, though they tend to be more generic--like the Nutbh--and ls foced on a particular theme or, suburban gays live more openly than they once did as stigmas wane, said Brekh, the thor of "Peacks, Chameleons, Centrs: Gay Suburbia and the Grammar of Social Inty. "Twenty-five years ago, gay bars tend to last ltle more than four years, facg prsure om police and other thori, said Art Johnston, an owner of Sitrack, which opened on North Halsted Street 1982.

Where such bars have succeed, they have tend to be surround by a large gay and lbian clientele, as on North Halsted, which has bee "the Ma Street of gay Chigo, " Johnston said.

CAN LOL GAY BARS SURVIVE? SHOULD THEY?

Perhaps bee of s ee-livg speakeasy roots, the tavern veloped a reputatn as a gay-iendly place s before the Nutbh opened 1976. In 1984, the Tribune stated that had been known as a gay bar sce Nutbh once drew gays om downtown Chigo search of anonymy, Matulnis said. Regular Chuck Plimmer, who grew up Oak Park, says the Nutbh was the first gay bar he ever vised.

THE 5 BEST ILLOIS GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS ILLOIS

"Any time you have a gay bar, you're gog to have that, " Cody said.

Many gays and lbians bee tranged om their fai when they e out. Michael Jimenez says gay bars are an important part of the culture and hop they do not disappear as gays and lbians achieve more and more acceptance.

 ILLOIS LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS

Wh the dt still settlg after the forced closure of Fort Park’s last gay bar, The Hiaway, 7301 W. April, and light of the earlier mise of The Nutbh, Fort Park, and the fiery (as arson) close of Oak Park’s Velvet Rope, bartenr Mike Jimenez isn’t ready to give up the ghost former Fort Park rint now liv Berwyn and he is lookg for a lol rurrectn of the gay bar scene the near wt suburbs.

Until then, there is still the proverbial last gay bar standg and that’s Antron’s Bar and Grill, 6319 W. 2007 Entreprenr magaze put gay bars on s list of bs facg extctn the next 10 years, addg “only the very bt of them will survive, the others won’t. “A big reason many of the lol gay bars are gone is that they did not keep up wh the tim to ntue drawg people , ” says Jimenez, who has bartend at the two former gay bars Fort Park, and Cell Block Chigo.

But, jt openg up a dive and llg a gay bar is not reason enough for people to e.

OWNER ADMS SETTG FIRE TO GAY NIGHTCLUB OAK PARK

There have been a lot of gay bars that have opened and closed the suburbs. ”David Monterosso, 54, a former Hiaway patron, says sce s closg, he and his gay iends have been enjoyg Wednday night Karaoke at Carole’s, 7307 Roosevelt Rd.

Fort Park, and patronizg Poor Phil’s Oak Park for their Friday night get-togethers to watch sports, or relax on the so, he would prefer gog to a gay bar to meet new iends.

“I thk there is a lot of tth to the realy that gay upl and gay people no longer feel that they exclively need to patronize gay bars, but the Hiaway will be somewhat missed, ” says Charlie Yglg, Yglg, a nurse practner says is that he often would gather at the bar to unwd after work wh straight female workers.

GAY AND GROWG FORT PARK

He acknowledg that among most gay people, cludg himself, there is still an ternalized fear and mistst toward others regardg how a gay person may be perceived public, pecially if a uple choos to hold hands, or publicly display affectn.

“I would not be disappoted to see a new gay bar open the Hiaway’s space, ” says Yglg, who recently legally “re-married” his long-time partner June. ”Yet, what Jimenez and Monterosso are hopg is that a new gay bar will emerge beyond the mors that are circulatg now.

“I thk there is a huge need for a gay bar out here, for a sense of muny [bee] thgs bee more open, we are startg to lose a part of our inty [cludg] the remembrance of how we got here.