Contents:
- DRAMA CLUB BLAZED TRAIL FOR GAY MUNY
- THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI
- TOM HOLLAND’S GAY SEX SCENE 'THE CROWD ROOM' DEFEND BY FANS
DRAMA CLUB BLAZED TRAIL FOR GAY MUNY
When the Drama Club opened 10 years ago broke hard ground as the first gay club to advertise publilly and display the rabow flag on a Houma Street. On Saturday night the club opened s doors for the fal time, leavg a world much different than the one entered the thoands who vised the bar, squeezg between s lorful walls to dance away balmy Cajun nights, the closg is a btersweet tone the acceptance of gay culture to the mastream of the Cajun there is a new bar town, on Ma Street, jt over a e away om the seat of parish owner Randy Chtnut, who also celebrated his 70th birthday Saturday, opened the club on a whim after he found out the only gay bar at that time, Kicks, was planng to was the seventh bar that Chtnut owned and managed his reer, and would bee his crown jewel.
“My goal was to have a place where the gay muny uld enjoy themselv, ” Chtnut said. But many say would not have been possible for a gay bar to open on Ma Street if weren't for Chtnut's bar.
“Ten years ago I would've never imaged g to Houma and gog to a gay bar on Ma Street. “South Louisiana has been acceptg of gay bars for some time, but the past they were always off to the si, across the railroad tracks or wherever. You had to know the addrs jt to fd the place, ” Drama Club Bar Manager Ronnie Williams club was the first to attract a signifint number of straight ctomers, who would often stop by jt to experience the novelty of beg a gay bar or to take one of s drag shows.
THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI
Only one gay bar, Kicks, had managed to stay open for longer.
A former bartenr, Jorell Young, was nvicted of the murr and is servg a life prison was no nyg at eher bar that, whout the Drama Club's stggle to brg gay culture out of the closet, would be impossible to open Ma Street Lounge. ”Gay bars were once social lifel small towns, but the Inter has gmented optns for gay people growg up away om big ci.
“When I was growg up, you had to go out to a gay bar to meet people, ” Williams said.
TOM HOLLAND’S GAY SEX SCENE 'THE CROWD ROOM' DEFEND BY FANS
“Now, I meet gay people everywhere I go, le at Wal-Mart, on the street, who I have never seen this bar before.
”Mixg of gay and straight crowds has also bee more mon, and new bars are petg by offerg flashy lights and an creasgly upsle than a half a e away om the Drama Club, the Ma Street Lounge has enjoyed growg crowds on an almost weekly Street Lounge opened on Halloween night. It is fanced by Ray Cheramie, who had prevly owned Back Tracks, a gay-only club that closed the terr of the new lounge is bold and bright. “We are a gay bar, fely, but we don't want to rtrict our image by labelg ourselv.