Here's to the Sunday afternoon Tea Dance phenomenon, a gay tradn which is slowly gay men unr the age of 30 today are totally cluels of almost lost tradn of the Sunday Tea Dance. (A tradn that really mt be brought back.) So here’s a ltle history primer on the tradn of the “Sunday…
Contents:
- SUNDAY TEA DANC, A PROUD GAY TRADN WORTH REVIVG
- GAY HISTORY: THE VERY GAY AND INTERTG HISTORY OF THE ALMOST LOST TRADN OF THE SUNDAY TEA DANCE
- THE HISTORY OF GAY TEA DANC
- TEA DANC (GAY EVENT)
- THE VERY GAY HISTORY OF THE ALMOST LOST TRADN OF THE SUNDAY TEA DANCE
- TEA DANC (GAY EVENT)
SUNDAY TEA DANC, A PROUD GAY TRADN WORTH REVIVG
To gay lennials the ia of gog to a bar while light out is unheard of; fact, gog to a gay bar to meet new people and socialize is almost unheard of.
But to generatns of gay men ’s what we did, what we looked forward to, where we created Communy. Sadly tea danc, once an tegral part of the Gay Communy, have all but died out. Our iends at recently posted a terrific article by Will Kohler*, “The Very Gay History of the Almost Lost Tradn of the Sunday Tea Dance.
GAY HISTORY: THE VERY GAY AND INTERTG HISTORY OF THE ALMOST LOST TRADN OF THE SUNDAY TEA DANCE
“Gay people, of urse, were still largely unrground the 50s, but was the discreet speakeasi that social (nonpartnered) dancg was evolvg. In the event of a raid, gay men and lbian women would quickly change partners to mixed-upl.
THE HISTORY OF GAY TEA DANC
By the late 60s, gay men had tablished the Fire Island Cherry Grove and also the more subdued and “closeted” P (off of Long Island, New York) as a summer rort of sorts.
TEA DANC (GAY EVENT)
It was illegal at that time for bars to ‘knowgly sell alhol to homosexuals’ and bis many of the venu there were not licensed as ‘night clubs’ or to sell alhol.
*Will Kohler is a noted LGBT historian, wrer, blogger and owner of A longtime gay activist, Will fought on the ont l of the AIDS epimic wh ACT-UP and ntu fightg today for LGBT acceptance and full equaly. However the growg gay populatn of the P were not allowed to dance together by law. The Tea Dance has been wrten up var forms here is one:The History of Tea Dance by Will Very Gay History of the Almost Lost Tradn of the Sunday Tea DanceMany gay men unr the age of 30 are totally cluels of almost lost tradn of the Sunday Tea Dance.
Eventually, this led to everyone sort of dancg on their the late 60s, gay men had tablished the Fire Island Cherry Grove and also the more subdued and “closeted” P (off of Long Island, New York) as a summer rort of sorts.
THE VERY GAY HISTORY OF THE ALMOST LOST TRADN OF THE SUNDAY TEA DANCE
Sce there were no lbians around to change partners wh, gay men veloped the “dancg apart” style that clubgoers everywhere now take for 28, 1969…the Stonewall Rts mark the fiery birth of the so-lled “morn gay rights movement”.
TEA DANC (GAY EVENT)
Followg (and part perhaps spired by) the ath of gay in Judy Garland, (as the urban legend go) patrons of the Greenwich Village waterg hole The Stonewall Inn fought back agast another a very long le of vlent police raids, eventually barridg the police si the bar and settg off three nights of rtg.
The “snapped stiletto heel heard around the world”as some ll is memorated today wh Gay Pri celebratns held around the end of, the tea dance moved om the Fire Island P to Greenwich Village. A newly-energized gay muny around Christopher Street embraced the social dancg craze started on Fire Island. While the Fire Island gays tend to be rich upper-class preppi, the downtown gays of Christopher Street and the Village were workg-class and they tend to party at night.