In Gay Berl, Robert Beachy scrib the rise of a gay subculture the 1920s and '30s, how ntributed to our unrstandg of gay inty and how was eradited by the Nazis.
Contents:
- HOW GAY CULTURE BLOSSOMED DURG THE ROARG TWENTI
- BETWEEN WORLD WARS, GAY CULTURE FLOURISHED IN BERL
- HOW GAY BARS HAVE BEEN A BUILDG BLOCK OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNY
- THE PANSY CRAZE: WHEN GAY NIGHTLIFE LOS ANGEL REALLY KICKED OFF
- PANSY CRAZE: THE WILD 1930S DRAG PARTI THAT KICKSTARTED GAY NIGHTLIFE
- YOU COULD BE A GAY BAR RIGHT NOW AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT
- HOW THE MOB HELPED ESTABLISH NYC’S GAY BAR SCENE
HOW GAY CULTURE BLOSSOMED DURG THE ROARG TWENTI
Durg Prohibn, gay nightlife and culture reached new heights—at least temporarily. * gay bars 1920s *
The Begngs of a New Gay World“In the late 19th century, there was an creasgly visible prence of genr-non-nformg men who were engaged sexual relatnships wh other men major Amerin ci, ” says Chad Heap, a profsor of Amerin Studi at Gee Washgton Universy and the thor of Slummg: Sexual and Racial Enunters Amerin Nightlife, 1885-1940. By the 1920s, gay men had tablished a prence Harlem and the bohemian mec of Greenwich Village (as well as the seedier environs of Tim Square), and the cy’s first lbian enclav had appeared Harlem and the Village. Each gay enclave, wrote Gee Chncey his book Gay New York: Genr, Urban Culture, and the Makg of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940, had a different class and ethnic character, cultural style and public reputatn.
BETWEEN WORLD WARS, GAY CULTURE FLOURISHED IN BERL
A new book tells the te stori behd Cabaret, and what was possibly the most thrillg gay party scene the world has ever known. Read an excerpt here. * gay bars 1920s *
”At the same time, lbian and gay characters were beg featured a slew of popular “pulp” novels, songs and on Broadway stag (cludg the ntroversial 1926 play The Captive) and Hollywood—at least prr to 1934, when the motn picture dtry began enforcg censorship guil, known as the Hays Co. ” By the post-World War II era, a larger cultural shift toward earlier marriage and suburban livg, the advent of TV and the anti-homosexualy csas champned by Joseph McCarthy would help ph the flowerg of gay culture reprented by the Pansy Craze firmly to the natn’s rear-view mirror.
HOW GAY BARS HAVE BEEN A BUILDG BLOCK OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNY
* gay bars 1920s *
Durg the “Pansy Craze” om the 1920s until 1933, people the lbian, gay, bi, trans and queer (LGBTQ) muny were performg on stag ci around the world, and New York Cy’s Greenwich Village, Tim Square and Harlem held some of the most world-renowned drag performanc of the time.
“They didn’t see a nflict between not beg openly gay at work and sort of only beg gay durg their leisure time, ” says Heap, addg that a person’s class was likely ditive of how you might participate gay and lbian culture at the time. “The were moments when workg class gay men and women uld more eely explore their sexualy, sir, and terts cross drsg, but probably no doctor or lawyer is gog to drs up drag at the events, out of risk of beg exposed. ” In the mid ‘30s, productn s were put to effect that rtricted and prevented performanc of openly gay characters film or theater, and the followg s, thoands of LGBTQ people were arrted post WWII for equentg their own clubs.
THE PANSY CRAZE: WHEN GAY NIGHTLIFE LOS ANGEL REALLY KICKED OFF
The history of the spac shows how gay nightlife has always served as val space for muny buildg and pg societal persecutn * gay bars 1920s *
Bars and ClubsNY Magaze rerds that the first “gay bar” New York Cy opened the, same-sex attractn beme a distct inty and nceptualizatns of "straight" and "gay" began to form throughout the 20th century, muni of like-md people also began to form. This meant that tablishments that did serve people known or spected of belongg to the LGBT+ muny were closed down, which rulted a lot of gay bars and LGBT+-iendly tablishments were n by illegal anizatns and liable to shakedowns by the police. Unfortunately, for a lot of reasons - certaly datg apps, but also the 2008 recsn, risg rents, a wir atmosphere of acceptance that renrs LGBT+ bars and clubs val but not a necsy - gay bars and clubs are begng to disappear om the landspe.
This Stonewall Factsheet, produced by NYC LGBT Historic S Project, Makg Gay History, New York Public Library, GLSEN, Natnal Parks Conservatn Associatn, and the Stonewall 50 Consortium, provis some answers to FAQs, and provis an excellent list of rourc for you to learn about the history of what is objectively the most famo gay bar LGBT+ history.
PANSY CRAZE: THE WILD 1930S DRAG PARTI THAT KICKSTARTED GAY NIGHTLIFE
It was New Years Eve, 1929. Three hundred men tuxedos were celebratg the openg of Hollywood’s first gay nightclub. It was lled Jimmy’s Backyard and sat a… * gay bars 1920s *
Juli’ Bar Manhattan may claim to be one of the olst gay bars the Village (though did not always operate as a gay bar), but is probably more famo for beg the se of the ‘sip ’ prott of 1966 that challenged the legaly of nyg service to LGBT+ patrons bars New York state. Whisnant:As early as the turn of the century, Berl's gay scene was attractg such notoriety that equently was mentned tourist lerature, liftg up the cy's gay scene as proof of the evils of urban life and the dangers of morny; them, Berl beme the untry's Sodom and Gomorrah put together, a sure sign of the land's the stag of Berl, the Tiller Girls showed off their legs, dancg a Rockett-style performance that amazed and tillated spectators.
YOU COULD BE A GAY BAR RIGHT NOW AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT
Early drag queens like Jean Mal helped bohemian gay culture thrive – before mob vlence, Nazism and Hollywood homophobia drove back unrground<br><br> * gay bars 1920s *
By far the most famo was the Eldorado a nightclub whose ftive atmosphere attracted not only homosexuals but also artists, thors, celebri, and tourists wantg to admire a piece of "nt" Berl or tch a glimpse of someone Lbian Club SceneLbians uld also be found some of the bars that were voted mostly to gay men [and were] often seen the larger clubs of the 1920s, such as the Topp and the Eldorado.
HOW THE MOB HELPED ESTABLISH NYC’S GAY BAR SCENE
A lbian bar om the 1920s. A “fairy n” om the 1890s. An Ecstasy-fueled dis om the 1990s. Celebratg the hidn plac Manhattan where gay night life once flourished. * gay bars 1920s *
The atmosphere was generally refed; the lightg was soft and sentimental mic played the of the most famo was Chez Ma Belle Sor on Marburger Strasse, rated Greek-style and furnished wh private booths, where upl uld take refuge behd the gay bars, many of the lbian bars were segregated somewhat by class. They would s down to eat at tabl led wh flowers; the director, drsed a "gay velvet jacket, " would greet the guts and give a short dner, the tabl would be put away, and the orchtra would beg playg waltz and other lively dancg mic while the upl would dance through the night. More specifilly, 's about gay Berl, the gay subculture that flourished Berl the era between World War I and the rise of the Nazis, when there were nightclubs and barets that tered to a gay clientele, gay-themed theater and films and gay-oriented publitns that were sold at ksks.
They advertised all sorts of events, different kds of venu and they also attracted advertisers who were really appealg to a gay and lbian nstuency, and that's also really startlg, I We asked you to suggt a performer, a sger, that we uld listen to to give some sense of the mic people were listeng to then at perhaps some of the gay clubs.