Geni Optns Book on Growg Up Gay and Disabled 1980s London - Variety

Contents:

• TOM HOLLAND’S GAY SEX SCENE THE CROWD ROOM DEFEND BY FANS
• THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI
• THE DOS & DON'TS OF GAY CLUBBG
• WENT TO A GAY NIGHTCLUB, ALONE!
• MY VIS TO THE GAY SEX CLUB
• LAKERS AMONG TEAMS LKED TO RUDY GAY
• THE BT GAY CLUBS AMERI
• GAY SAN FRANCIS
• HOW TO BEE POPULAR AT A GAY BAR

TOM HOLLAND’S GAY SEX SCENE THE CROWD ROOM DEFEND BY FANS

Fans of Brish actor Tom Holland have e to his fense after some social media ers were seemgly upset that the latt episo of his Apple TV+ seri The Crowd Room featured gay the scene, Holland’s character go to a club wh heavy black eyeler and all black. ”A lot of other ers, however, seemed very nfed over the backlash, pecially sce Spir-Man actors Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield have also played gay person wrote, “Watchg agile cishet men have breakdowns over the reason Tom Holland is trendg is sweet we to me.

”“The fact that a sgle scene on an Apple Pl show featurg Tom Holland has brought out so much homophobia om the stupist people is... Have you ever been to a gay club, why and what was your experience and who were you wh?

THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI

The word “gay” speaks to our abily to do exactly that. The word “gay” lls to md our special knack for fdg the light the darkns, for buildg the dance floor off to the si of the cel world. Let’s take a look at some of the bt gay bars Ameri, om the open-air, vil-may-re spac Wt Hollywood to the neighborhood pub downtown St.

The olst gay bar North Carola (found 1976) draws every tegory and mographic.

The entrance is through an unmarked shed behd a Chipotle, and featur a blend but unexpected gay/not crowd which same-sex grdg is rigur.

THE DOS & DON'TS OF GAY CLUBBG

—Alfonso Fernanz NavasCourtyAt: Cheer Up CharliBack when I was a young gay, I saw the olt, most betiful woman the world at Cheer Up Charli. —Abigail CovgtonCourtyBrooklyn: The ExleyFull of ntradictns, The Exley is a ltle different than other gay bars. It’s gay Cheers.

It feels like everythg a gay bar should be. When the bar fally reopened Sprg 2022, an entire borough’s worth of gays celebrated by floodg the new back pat all summer and Gger’s has been crowd wh queers ever sce. —Diana HubbellBoston: Club CafeHow is Boston’s stalwart gay bar/rtrant/performance space inic?

WENT TO A GAY NIGHTCLUB, ALONE!

It began s life as a beer-and-we offshoot of the Metropolan Health Club, a gym that opened 1983 to serve the gay ctomers who’d been bullied out of other lol clubs at the height of AIDS hysteria.

It gave the boys a place to gather the ‘80s, the first outpost that helped tablish the South End as the Boston gayborhood.

MY VIS TO THE GAY SEX CLUB

It brought the gay and straight muni together the ‘90s wh clever baret programmg. But perhaps most signifintly, gave the gay muny of Boston somethg sperately need: visibily.

While other gay bars of the time were basements or board up, Club Cafe faced by Columb Avenue wh floor to ceilg wdows. Big Chicks serv a diverse crowd— ’s young, ’s old, ’s one of the only plac you’ll see gay men and lbians together!

—Dave HolmCourtyChigo: Carol’s Pub Not every gay bar is explicly a gay bar. They jt have major gay vib and lots of queer upl makg out the bathroom. The legendary hoeband, Diamondback, has a 25, 000-song repertoire and a boot llectn that uld make a gay wboy cry.

LAKERS AMONG TEAMS LKED TO RUDY GAY

While you won’t fd any Pri flags at Farraguts, you will undoubtedly hear Cele Dn and Melissa Etheri blarg om the bar’s dty, old jebox and, hontly, isn’t that jt as gay? CourtyDallas: Round-Up SaloonEqual parts wboy boots and dis ball, Round Up Saloon opened 42 years ago Dallas as a gay untry wtern dance hall. Thanks to Perez-Gallardo and their team, gay people who love the outdoors (most lbians) now have a iendly place to unwd after a hike.

Billed as Wt Virgia's olst gay bar, the venue regularly brgs some of the biggt queer performg artists the game right now. Live out your Brokeback Mounta fantasi at this verno club, where wboy stum are not nsired drag, and le dancg is not an explic exprsn of homophobia. The lol gay dart league meets here, people gather to watch sports (!

THE BT GAY CLUBS AMERI

A gay gatherg spot sce 1939, and gay bar sce 1963, and the Bar Complex sce the 80s, s unassumg exterr beli a triple-threat treat of lounge, performance space, and a mirrored dance club reportedly moled after Stud 54. ) The glorly lively bar and rtrant scene is enhanced by a black box theater downstairs, where farcil plays, lbian standup, and gay dance troup reign.

Honey’s is sentially a sexy, gay speakeasy wh a DJ booth where queers of all strip n dance their hearts out until 2 am. TwistWhat you want om a gay club, if you ask , is optns.

GAY SAN FRANCIS

Jt a uple of blocks om the beach, Twist brgs the whole breadth of the Miami gay world together to dance and flirt and keep movg. CourtyIndianapolis: English IvyEnglish Ivy advertis self as an “LGBTQ+-enthed” “gay-therg place” and that is not an overstatement. If you want to get away om the typil scene at fellow gay bars Olly’s and Gregs Our Place, English Ivy is an ial place to meet iends: mature enough for a proper Ladi Lunch (or bnch or dner.

But this is Nashville we’re talkg about so the gays who perform at Lipstick Lounge aren’t your average karaoke queens. They are stars the makg and their rendn of Cele Dn’s “It’s All Comg Back to Me Now” will shatter your pt glass and break your ltle, gay heart.

It’s not a gay bar the tradnal sense, but a place where traed pianists play selectns om Broadway shows and all of the drama teachers and mil theater majors of the tri-state area nverge to sg along. Now that we mentn , perhaps Marie’s Crisis is a gay bar the most tradnal sense. Oddly Enough: bee not every gay n stay up until 3 AM.

HOW TO BEE POPULAR AT A GAY BAR

Juli’ is Greenwich Village’s olst bar and New York’s olst gay bar, havg attracted gay clientele sce the 1950s.

It was the se of an early gay-liberatn “sip ” 1966, years before Stonewall, and has been a low-key haven ever sce, wh a diverse clientele, a small menu, classic cktails, and an extensive (and packed) 4:00-7:00 happy hour. While the place don't clare self a queer bar, gays and grays populate the plh booths.