History of Edmonton’s Gay Bars, Part 1: The Begng | Edmonton Cy as Mm Project ECAMP

Contents:

• HISTORY OF EDMONTON’S GAY BARS, PART 1: THE BEGNG
• LIST OF EDMONTON’S GAY BARS
• GAY DATG EDMONTON
• THE BEST EDMONTON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS EDMONTON
• EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS EDMONTON
• HISTORY OF EDMONTON’S GAY BARS, PART 2: A FLASHBACK TO FLASHBACK
• MOVG TO LGBT EDMONTON, ALBERTA? HOW TO FD YOUR PERFECT GAY NEIGHBORHOOD!
• CY OF EDMONTON GAY AND LBIAN ARCHIV

HISTORY OF EDMONTON’S GAY BARS, PART 1: THE BEGNG

When the landlord found out that gay people were g his buildg, he promptly put locks on the doors and nied further entry. Ias nnected to social pury activism that emerged the 1890s began impactg how society was expected to thk, and as the Send World War began, so did the persecutn of gay men.

It was beg difficult to meet other gay men, and Edmonton-based law enforcement were creasgly chargg dividuals wh crim such as gross cency, buggery, and posssn of obscene lerature. Bill C-150 opened the doors to the gay and lbian muny Edmonton, fally allowg for the opportuny to meet others a “public” place. Many tabl were filled wh gay men shortly after openg each day.

LIST OF EDMONTON’S GAY BARS

In the evengs, the back sectn of the Mayfair Hotel tavern was a haven for members of the gay and lbian muny, often meetg to swill back untls draft glass, sloshg beer over the terry cloth table vers that were required by the Alberta Liquor Control Board (ALCB) which then dripped down onto the beer-soaked rpet (another requirement of the ALCB. The on clost to the back were for the “gays, ” and this ctom was rpected by hotel staff and ctomers alike. There was a ph to create safe spac for gays only, where ls termglg wh other populatns lsened the chance of abe.

In the fall of 1969, when homosexuals were no longer thrown jail for their sexualy, a small group of people cid to open a place dited to gay and lbian folk. In the later part of 1969, they opened the very first gay bar Edmonton.

This historic se was schled for moln Augt 2020, which wip away the begng of Gay Bar History Edmonton.

GAY DATG EDMONTON

This also meant that to be a member or a gut, one had to be gay or lbian.

THE BEST EDMONTON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS EDMONTON

The dour-lookg person monorg the entry would grill any prospective guts wh qutns about their purpose for g, their sexualy, and more- to get “proof” they were gay or lbian.

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS EDMONTON

It was a meang procs to first-timers already nervo about g to a gay tablishment, but served to protect the clientele those early years.

Dpe the bt efforts to ensure the safety of those g to Club 70, asslts om “gay bashers” happened many tim through the years, and police were often lled when fights took place outsi. She had bee Mother Jean to many gay guys om her daily viss to the Kg Eddy Tavern, and her excln om Club 70 beme too much. List of Edmonton’s Gay Bars.

HISTORY OF EDMONTON’S GAY BARS, PART 2: A FLASHBACK TO FLASHBACK

Read the 5-part seri, The History of Edmonton’s Gay Bars. First Gay Bar (Club 70) – September 1969. It’s difficult to terme when exactly this strip of downtown beme known as a place for gay men to meet, but by 1969 the short strip of road already had a reputatn, dited by a unique document that was makg the rounds Canada – a gui to beg gay Canada, created and piled by Roedy Green, lear of the Vanuver chapter of Gay Alliance Towards Equaly.

The Naive Homosexual was an unofficial handbook to assist gay men stgglg wh qutns about beg gay. Gay travellers stayg at the Hotel Macdonald, the Chate Labe, Edmonton Hoe or even the adjacent Greenbriar, found that the opportuny to discretely sample the lols was simplified by the proximy to an active cisg area right across the street. In the 70s, the reputatn of this strip grew, beg not only a place for cisg for and sellg sex, but also a gatherg place after the only gay bar town – Club 70 – closed for the night.

In the late 1980s, 104 Street was where the straight men cised, and The Hill was where the gay men cised, but – all thgs beg relative – all kds of cisg occurred all the alleys between those lotns. By 1978, Edmonton had 3 gay bars and many gay anizatns. That was also the year that the Pisc Spa opened, addg another all-night optn for the socializg gay male.

MOVG TO LGBT EDMONTON, ALBERTA? HOW TO FD YOUR PERFECT GAY NEIGHBORHOOD!

Gay Alliance Toward Equaly (GATE) was askg gay men not to hang out at The Hill anymore, or at least utned vigilance, bee cinc of antigay vlence were on the rise.

CY OF EDMONTON GAY AND LBIAN ARCHIV

There are reports of van-loads of gay-bashers arrivg on the scene, pourg out of vehicl, armed wh chas or baseball bats, sendg cisers stterg to the dark alleys, away om the danger. There are also reports of the queers fightg back, chasg homophob away.

It was kd of like a ngregatn spot for all gay people. That may have held off the gaybashers for a spell, but the vlence wasn’t over. In 1981, the cy had been regaled wh nonstop negative media verage of the gay muny bee of the hysteria surroundg the Pisc bathhoe raid.