Stonewall, the Lehigh Valley’s last gay club, unr ntract to be sold, puttg future doubt – The Morng Call

Contents:

• FATE OF STONEWALL LEHIGH VALLEY, A BELOVED GAY BAR, UP AIR AFTER LIKELY BUILDG SALE
• VALLEY’S LGBTQ FD UNIQUE WAYS TO FILL VOID LEFT BY CLOSURE OF STONEWALL, OTHER GAY BARS
•  PENNSYLVANIA LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS
• ‘STONEWALL MEMORI PROJECT’ PRERVG LANDMARK GAY BAR’S LEGACY
• EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS ALLENTOWN
• VOGUE LOUNGE OPENG SOON AT STONEWALL SE. LEHIGH VALLEY WILL ONCE AGA HAVE A GAY BAR.

FATE OF STONEWALL LEHIGH VALLEY, A BELOVED GAY BAR, UP AIR AFTER LIKELY BUILDG SALE

The Allentown property hog the Stonewall, a longtime Lehigh Valley gay nightclub that closed last week, has been sold, and appears the new ownership group has plans to ntue servg the area’s LGBTQ muny. Deja Vu owner To Guzman on Friday eveng posted on Facebook that the property will ntue to be a gay nightclub, a post that has been liked 400 tim, shared nearly 200 tim and mented on more than 100 tim.

VALLEY’S LGBTQ FD UNIQUE WAYS TO FILL VOID LEFT BY CLOSURE OF STONEWALL, OTHER GAY BARS

“Don taba stonewall ahora será más morna y mucho mejor para la unidad gay, ” Guzman wrote on Facebook. That translat to, “Where Stonewall was now will be more morn and much better for the gay muny. When news broke early May that the Stonewall was unr ntract to be sold, many feared the Lehigh Valley uld lose s last gay nightclub.

 PENNSYLVANIA LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS

Stonewall was the third gay nightclub to shut down the last five years, followg the closure of Candida’s Bar Allentown 2017 and Bethlehem’s Diamonz Nightclub 2016. Adrian Shanker, founr and executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Communy Center Allentown, said he and many others were sad to see the Stonewall close but are now optimistic that appears likely there will be a ntued gay bar prence the cy. But, he said, the Lehigh Valley had three gay bars for several years, so Guzman’s plans don’t preclu other entreprenrs om jumpg and providg more nightlife optns for the LGBTQ muny.

“LGBTQ people should have safe plac to enjoy nightlife, and the role that the gay bars have historilly played is to be that safe, fun, cultural place.

‘STONEWALL MEMORI PROJECT’ PRERVG LANDMARK GAY BAR’S LEGACY

But first, let’s pour a ltle out for the Catho Ray, which was an anchor the gay bar scene for more than 35 years. While the Catho Ray had a reputatn for mostly beg a gay men’s bar, the owners of 26 are brandg as a more clive bar meant to attract gay women, trans folks and the greater queer muny. And wasn’t until she vised the legendary gay nightspot wh a iend that Smh felt at ease beg herself public.

This week Richard Smh, one of the club’s owners, nfirmed that the buildg and liquor license are unr ntract to be sold, leavg the future of the Lehigh Valley’s last gay bar unclear. If clos, the Stonewall would follow the path of two other recently shuttered LGBT-foced tablishments the Lehigh Valley and hundreds of other gay bars and clubs across the untry.

Natnwi, more than a third of gay bars closed between 2007 and 2019, said Greggor Mattson, associate profsor of soclogy at Oberl College and Conservatory Oh, who piled a database of LGBT clubs and bars. While the Lehigh Valley’s work of LGBT anizatns is robt, the Stonewall’s closure would leave the broar regn whout an tablishment to fill the important need gay bars and clubs play muni around the world, say LGBT advot and muny lears.

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS ALLENTOWN

Mattson, who has studied the role and cle of gay bars small Amerin ci, said a uple of trends have ntributed to the dwdlg number of LGBT bars across the untry. The rise of geolotg smartphone apps, such as Grdr, has to some gree supplanted the role of gay bars as plac for queer people to meet each other, Mattson said.

VOGUE LOUNGE OPENG SOON AT STONEWALL SE. LEHIGH VALLEY WILL ONCE AGA HAVE A GAY BAR.

The Paycheck Protectn Program, for example, vered wag for employe siled by the panmic, but many of the people who work gay bars, cludg performers, are nsired ntractors who were not eligible. Likewise, fundg for performance spac was available only to bs that issued tickets, Mattson said, and while many gay bars and clubs host performers, they llect a ver charge but don’t sell tickets. “Gay bars are almost always mom-and-mom and pop-and-pop shops, ” he said.

Stephen Libby, edor of The Gay Journal, said gay bars played a val support role for LGBT youth before social media ma possible for people to nnect onle and high school gay allianc were monplace.

“I thk what a lot of people say and echo on Facebook is their memori of a gay bar beg their first place of acceptance, ” he said. Gay and lbian people have what’s lled “passg privilege, ” bee they appear the same as anyone else, she said.