Midtown Atlanta bathhoe Flex remas a stronghold of gay liberatn 40 years on – Geia Voice – Gay & LGBT Atlanta News

Contents:

• THE 5 BEST ATLANTA GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS ATLANTA
• MIDTOWN ATLANTA BATHHOE FLEX REMAS A STRONGHOLD OF GAY LIBERATN 40 YEARS ON
• THE UNSPOKEN PAST: ATLANTA LBIAN AND GAY HISTORY
• PRERVG ATLANTA’S GAY HISTORY
• THE RISE OF ATLANTA’S BLACK GAY PRI
• ATLANTA HAS BEE MAG FOR BLACK GAYS
• 50 YEARS AGO, ATLANTA’S GAY RIGHTS PH TOOK TO STREET FOR FIRST TIME

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

But 2017, the operators of Flex feel fortable enough to remd all passers-by that, amid the nstctn that ntu to re-make Midtown, there remas a bathhoe open and operatg on 4th Street, where gay men meet to have easy, anonymo sex. ” Bathho have long been an open, dirty ltle secret for gay men, rarely talked about outsi of close circl of iends, and the bane of those who yearn for a more rpectable, ls promiscuo, public image of homosexualy. (File photo) Post-Stonewall boon Public bathho origally operated major ci to promote hygiene among poorer populatns, but as door plumbg beme universal, the venu transned to cisg ho for gay men.

MIDTOWN ATLANTA BATHHOE FLEX REMAS A STRONGHOLD OF GAY LIBERATN 40 YEARS ON

” Dpe the era of liberatn many gay men felt a part of, gay sex remaed illegal Geia, and the social (and sexual) outlets for gay men were mostly limed to bars and their backrooms. ” The gay muny was divid about whether a bathhoe should ntue to exist the middle of a sexually-driven plague, Robison relled. While they’re often nsired a vtige of a seedier era of gay life, Robison thks Flex and other bathho might be on the brk of a renaissance.

THE UNSPOKEN PAST: ATLANTA LBIAN AND GAY HISTORY

The Unspoken Past: Atlanta Lbian and Gay History, 1940–1970, a 2005 exhibn at the Atlanta History Center, clud a simple poem wrten by soldier Thom W. Throughout much of s morn history, Atlanta has acted as a mag for gays and lbians, attractg them for personal, profsnal, and polil reasons. The center began llectg the early 1990s wh the help of the Atlanta Lbian and Gay History Thg, Inc., a nonprof group dited to the prervatn of the cy's queer history.

PRERVG ATLANTA’S GAY HISTORY

" Jt om readg the latt issue of Gay Atlanta, a rear would have known that the club was loted on Peachtree Street downtown Atlanta—the cy's entertament center. For straight dienc, the clubs were a fun and unnventnal way to spend a night out on the town; for gay men and lbians, they beme important social spac. Our goal is to have the rmatn piled and available when we wele Amerin Historil Associatn members and members of the Commtee on Lbian and Gay History to a receptn at the Auburn Avenue Rearch Library on Ain Amerin Culture and History on January 6, 2007, om 5:30–7:30 p.

THE RISE OF ATLANTA’S BLACK GAY PRI

Today Atlanta has a large and vibrant gay and lbian populatn, wh signifint polil, social, relig, and fancial anizatns and alignments. One pecially helpful tool planng your vis is the Atlanta Conventn & Visors Bure's LGBT web se,, a eful gui for special events, muny groups, gay neighborhoods, acmodatns, and more.

In 2005, he was curator for The Unspoken Past: Atlanta Lbian and Gay History, 1940–1970, an exhib fund by the Geia Humani Council. Back the 1980s and 1990s, when was legally a crime for gay people to have nsensual sex their own hom, let alone get married to each other, Atlanta was still nsired the one cy the ep South where was somewhat safe to be were still dangers.

ATLANTA HAS BEE MAG FOR BLACK GAYS

It will memorate Send Sunday, the movement for Black gay men started the ndomum of Mrice Frankl who lived not far om the buildg where the men held their first meetgs is long gone.

Yet, the importance of Send Sunday has not been lost on those who were there the early days, or on those who me of age when gay marriage was legal and HIV was treatable.

50 YEARS AGO, ATLANTA’S GAY RIGHTS PH TOOK TO STREET FOR FIRST TIME

“As LGBTQ spac are disappearg om the urban landspe, has really ncerned the muny, ” said Charlie Pae, who chairs Historic Atlanta’s LGBTQ advisory recently received a $5, 000 fellowship om the Geia Tst for Historic Prervatn to help Historic Atlanta document the cy’s remag gay landmarks and velop a plan to prerve them.