Author Jeremy Atherton L wr of the history of gay bars, as their existence is threatened by the populary of datg apps and risg property sts, and reflects on their prence his life.
Contents:
- 'GAY BAR' TRACKS THE WAVE OF A WHOLE CULTURE — AND ONE LIFE
- GAY BARS AREN’T DISAPPEARG; THEY’RE CHANGG
'GAY BAR' TRACKS THE WAVE OF A WHOLE CULTURE — AND ONE LIFE
"So much of our life is the bars, and that's where so much gay history took place, " Karl told The Advote. 7Karl got the ia for the book while remiscg wh iends about the gay bars Chigo.
For years, la Croix wrote a lumn the gay papers lled Chigo Whispers, which later beme a book of the same name, where he'd terview people about bars om as far back as the Prohibn era of the 1920s and '30s. There was no gay Catholic group, none of that stuff. "Near the end of the book is a sectn lled "Shared Spac, " listg addrs that were home to several gay bars and clubs over the Meat Market, cir 1989-1994.
GAY BARS AREN’T DISAPPEARG; THEY’RE CHANGG
5"Illois was the first state to crimalize homosexualy, 1961, " la Croix said. "All the obv homosexuals the Midwt livg small towns, drag queens and thgs, they all thought, This isgreat, so they all moved to Chigo.
That rptn actually gave gay people a space Chigo. 45This plited relatnship between the ps and the gay muny led to some arne l for bar patrons. It's not about alhol at all -- 's about gay life.
"One thg we've been asked before is how young people don't go to gay bars as much anymore, " Karl said. "They jt go to any bar they want to bee they feel fortable dog that, which is what we fought for all those years -- that gay people uld go anywhere and be accepted anywhere.