Beloved Bill's Gay Neti Is Gone, Bill's Food & Drk Opens In Its Place - Gothamist

Contents:

• NEW OWNERSHIP MEANS CHANG FOR GAY 90S NIGHTCLUB
• STRIP-CLUBS OWNER HAFIZ ADDS GAY 90S TO HIS LIST
• BELOVED BILL'S GAY NETI IS GONE, BILL'S FOOD & DRK OPENS IN ITS PLACE
• THE GAY 90S
• 'THAT '90S SHOW' VIEWERS TORN OVER GAY REPRENTATN NETFLIX SPOFF
• GAY 90S
• THE GAY ’90S MIL

NEW OWNERSHIP MEANS CHANG FOR GAY 90S NIGHTCLUB

The staple Tw Ci GLBT statn will unrgo renovatns begng renovatns and a change ownership are the works for the Gay 90s nightclub – a staple the Tw Ci gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr muny and popular statn for Universy stunts – bee an unintified buyer recently entered the fal stag of purchasg the club. Robert Parker, general manager of the Gay 90s, said the buyer approached the owner of the bar, Michael Bloom, about three months ago wh an tert to acquire the club.

Sara Tulchsky celebrated her 21st birthday Sunday at the Gay 90s. “It don’t matter if you’re straight, you’re gay, you’re anythg.

The Gay 90s has unrgone a number of chang unr the current owner Bloom, Parker said. Acrdg to s new owner, the Gay 90s will stay gay.

STRIP-CLUBS OWNER HAFIZ ADDS GAY 90S TO HIS LIST

On Friday, Peter Hafiz, owner of the strip clubs Deja Vu and Dreamgirls, said he is buyg the Gay 90s and s buildg at the rner of Hennep Avenue and 4th Street He'll take over May 1 pendg cy approval later this month.

While the Gay 90s has borne s name for more than half a century, wasn't until the mid-1970s that beme a gay bar and eventually a statn for drag shows and dance nights, which over the years have also attracted a large straight clientele. A longtime manager at the club, Robert Parker, said he was uncerta about the Gay 90s' future when he first heard about s sale.

BELOVED BILL'S GAY NETI IS GONE, BILL'S FOOD & DRK OPENS IN ITS PLACE

"But once all started to fall to place, I saw that [Hafiz's] visn was to have a bigger and granr Gay 90s.

THE GAY 90S

After hearg that the Gay 90s' longtime owner, Michael Bloom, was ready to retire, Hafiz stepped , feelg that the club would be a good addn to his clter of downtown nightspots. "We're gog to do an extensive remolg and brg up to date as an upsle venue for the gay muny, " he said. Bill’s Gay Neti, the beloved former speakeasy that opened 1924 and enjoyed a long, celebrated life as a rtrant and piano bar, closed March wh much sadns all around.

"The former Bill’s Gay Neti piano n be found the bar downstairs while origal moldgs appear the ma dg room, " says -owner Sean Largotta.

'THAT '90S SHOW' VIEWERS TORN OVER GAY REPRENTATN NETFLIX SPOFF

The natn’s first gay and lbian talk rad show, The Gay 90s, aired om downtown Cleveland, Oh and started off wh a bang.

GAY 90S

Dpe the potential danger, The Gay 90s aired as schled on March 26, 1993, and beme the untry’s first mercial live, “ll ” rad program by, for, and about the gay and lbian muny. Given Cleveland’s history of settlg disput wh explosiv, upled wh the homophobic atmosphere surroundg lbians and gay men at the time, the threat was taken serly.

THE GAY ’90S MIL

Thankfully, no bomb explod at Tower Cy that night or any of the followg nights durg The Gay 90s six-year n. It was, stead, the rad show self that blew down barriers, shattered myths and uned Cleveland’s gay, straight and “ between” muni a remarkably peaceful way. Lookg back, ’s not surprisg that the natn’s first gay and lbian talk show was hosted by Cleveland native Buck Harris, a man at ease beg the “first” a number of public rol.