Sunday Tea Danc, a Proud Gay Tradn worth Revivg | theOUTont

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 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.

GAY HISTORY: THE VERY GAY AND INTERTG HISTORY OF THE ALMOST LOST TRADN OF THE SUNDAY TEA DANCE

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.

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.

THE HISTORY OF GAY TEA DANC

*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.

TEA DANC (GAY EVENT)

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.

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”.

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.

THE VERY GAY HISTORY OF THE ALMOST LOST TRADN OF THE SUNDAY TEA DANCE

A newly-energized gay muny around Christopher Street embraced the social dancg craze started on Fire Island.

TEA DANC (GAY EVENT)

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. Through the 70s, gay men champned the uniform of the workg class — t-shirts and nim — as fashn athetic. Gays the post-Stonewall era were nscly rebellg agast the effete stereotyp associated wh the manicured, sweater-wearg, tea-drkg gays of the Fire Island set.

Gay men still had afternoon/early eveng danc — ually on Sundays, orr to make the most of one’s weekend while still beg able to get up for Monday morng’s downtown gays rejected the term tea dance as beg too effete and opted for the supposedly butcher t-dance, and promoted “t-shirts and nim” as the stume of choice.

By the mid 70s, the “Christopher Street Clone” look (short cropped hair, mtache, plaid shirt over a tight whe t-shirt, fad nim jeans that showed off your ass) had ma the trans-ntental trip om New York Cy to Los Angel (gays Hollywood) and, of urse, to San Francis (follow the Yellow Brick Road and leads to Castro). It brought wh the tea dance phenomenon, which is slowly dyg out and is nothg of s former self and may plac is all but 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. Here’s to the Sunday afternoon Tea Dance phenomenon, a gay tradn which is slowly disappearg.