GAY COMMUNITY 1970S | Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Wtern Rerve Universy

Contents:

• GAY CLEVELAND THROUGH THE S: THE CLUBS, QUEENS AND MIC THAT BROUGHT GAY CULTURE TO THE MASTREAM
• CLEVELAND’S GAY LOUNGE BAR & PAT
• GAY NIGHTLIFE CLEVELAND
• GAY BARS IN CLEVELAND
• GAY COMMUNITY 1970S
• CLEVELAND'S GAY BARS EVOLVE AGE OF GREATER TOLERANCE
• THE BEST CLEVELAND GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS CLEVELAND
• CLEVELAND GAY BARS

GAY CLEVELAND THROUGH THE S: THE CLUBS, QUEENS AND MIC THAT BROUGHT GAY CULTURE TO THE MASTREAM

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GAY BARS IN CLEVEAND have been existence sce at least the 1940s and have served as important s for the cy’s LGBTQ muny to socialize, anize, and distribute rmatn and rourc. GRAUER, a bar lled Ltle Ted’s, which was suated unr a rtrant of the same name near the CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY, as well as a bar lled Mac & Jerry’s, which was not exclively gay but was a popular spot for the cy’s dtrial workers. Ale’s Bar at East 115th Street and Euclid Avenue was one such spot, where stunts om the nearby CASE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY and WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY would gather alongsi members of Cleveland’s gay muny.

CLEVELAND’S GAY LOUNGE BAR & PAT

The Kg’s Room CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, suated at Taylor and Cedar, had an almost exclively gay patronage, as did the Shaker Club SHAKER SQUARE. The CADILLAC LOUNGE closed late 1970, but other bars owned by Gloria Lenihan like the Pickwood Lounge on Clifton Avenue remaed popular spots for Cleveland’s gay and lbian muny. Durg this time, the area around Clifton Boulevard was already a signifint part of the gay bar scene that clud other venu the Nantucket Lounge, across om the Pickwood.

As the gay liberatn took hold Cleveland the 1970s, members of the gay muny created new gatherg spac that served as alternativ to the gay bars. In 1977, the openg of the offic of LESBIAN/GAY COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND provid a space for members of the gay muny to socialize, anize polilly, and share rourc and rmatn. Gay bars mataed their prence Cleveland, and they were signifint for gay publitns like HIGH GEAR which ed them as pots of distributn, but they were no longer the only plac which to socialize openly and safely.

GAY NIGHTLIFE CLEVELAND

Although Cleveland’s gay bars have been valuable spac for members of the gay muny to gather, their patrons have not always been treated an equable manner. The Midwt Regnal Discrimatn Rponse System, a project of Black and Whe Men Together, formed orr to report stanc of racial discrimatn wh the gay and lbian muny and discrimatn agast the muny.

GAY BARS IN CLEVELAND

In 1985, the anizatn mobilized agast the Rz, a bar Cleveland that accepted members of the gay muny on Sundays, which had been the subject of plats of discrimatn agast Black men and women attemptg to enter. The clu Vibe Bar & Pat on Lora Avenue around Wt 117th Street, Twist on Clifton Boulevard, Cocktails and The Hawk on Detro Avenue, Sha Cleveland’s OLD BROOKLYN neighborhood, and the Leather Stalln, which holds the rerd as Cleveland’s olst operatg gay bar.

Like other stutns, gay bars have had discrimatory polici which at tim have served as pots of mobilizatn for gay activists who sought to change them. Yeah, the bar has moved to the 21st century wh a wi range of beers and cktails, but still feels like Classic Cleveland to Petkovic, The Pla DealerLeather Stalln Saloon2205 St Clair Ave NE, Cleveland, 216-589-8588; The longt-nng Cleveland gay club ed to let only leather boys and bikers when opened 1970. It's not so Tom of Fland anymore, as the LSS has bee a chatty neighborhood stop – not to mentn one of the few gay clubs still kickg Petkovic / The Pla DealerDer Brmeister13046 Lora Ave., Cleveland, 216-671-6220; Check out that sprawlg mural on the wall of Nschwanste Castle, the Bavarian Disneyland where Kg Ludwig lost his md while listeng to Wagner.

GAY COMMUNITY 1970S

Individual gays the enclav were often volved their rpective neighborhood associatns and ntributed mightily and athetilly to neighborhood projects. Wh most beg the closet, lol gay people equented bars and diss to meet iends, make hook ups (nsentg partners lled “tricks”) and bask an environment wh others who were like them.

Gay bars Cleveland appealed to specific terts and ranged om diss to cise bars, leather bars, piano bars, Ain-Amerin bars and lbian bars. While some bars ed this tactic to keep straight people om enterg, also rulted some clubs banng women (cludg lbians) and gay Ain-Amerins. For example 1975, members of the Cleveland Gay Polil Unn picketed the 620 Club on Frankfort Avenue, a male-only cise bar, for not admtg women.

The area around the Richard Wagner statue on the upper level of Edgewater Park was a popular daily gatherg place for gay sunbathers, often more popular than the beach self. HEALTH ISSUES While Cleveland gays the 1970s did not have to al wh the later horrors of HIV and AIDS, there were still signifint health ncerns. Input om both the Cleveland Divisn of Health and the Cleveland Free Clic helped te lol gays about the symptoms of venereal diseas, where to get nfintial help, what to do to prevent such illns, cludg ndom e, and what to look for potential sex partners.

CLEVELAND'S GAY BARS EVOLVE AGE OF GREATER TOLERANCE

Gay Pri March, Celebratns, and Paras The first Gay Pri March Cleveland occurred July 1972 and was sponsored by the Gay Activists Alliance. The para origated at the Change, a gay bar at the rner of Prospect and East 14th Street, and journeyed to Public Square along Euclid Avenue. While there were var protts and other actns taken by advot om 1972 to 1976, the third Gay Pri March/Celebratn didn’t occur until July 1976 when wh mimal publicy Dan Richmond, newly appoted worship ordator of the Cleveland Metropolan Communy Church, held a march om Gypsy’s Rtrant at 2418 through downtown Cleveland to Wt 6th Street.

The first occurred on June 25, 1977 and was ultimately sponsored by the Cleveland Gay Polil Unn and the Gay Cc (GCPU) of the Youth Agast War and Facism (YAWF). CGPU and the gay uc of YAWF stepped up to see the March through, even though the 225 people who attend had to march on cy siwalks down Euclid Avenue.

Polil Organizatns and Activi Unlike other US stat and ci, the polil environment toward gays and lbians Oh and Cleveland was not overtly hostile the 1970s. The four primary gay polil groups the Cleveland area the 1970s were the Cleveland Chapter of the Gay Activists Alliance, the Cleveland Gay Polil Unn, the Kent Gay Liberatn Front, and the Gay Cc of Youth Agast War and Fascism. Cleveland Chapter of the Gay Activists Alliance The Cleveland Chapter of the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) was the earlit, tablished gay polil anizatn Cleveland.

THE BEST CLEVELAND GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS CLEVELAND

Chaired by Anne-Weld-Harrgton, the group met at CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY and anized the first ever Cleveland Gay Pri March 1972.

Cleveland Gay Polil Unn The Gay Liberatn stunt group at Cleveland State Universy was revived 1974 by tablishment of the GEAR stunt uc.

CLEVELAND GAY BARS

When this group spun off to bee a service anizatn that clud High Gear, the Gay Hotle, and early piec of the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland, the Gay Feratn, which later beme the Cleveland Gay Polil Unn (CGPU), was formed. Early on, GEAR anizers knew that orr to tablish a Gay Communy Center they would first need to bee an rporated non-prof anizatn Oh and then, secure feral tax-exempt stat om the IRS. Sce there were strict l about not engagg polil activy, GEAR sisted on a separate polil anizatn, hence the creatn of the Cleveland Gay Feratn, which transformed self to CGPU.