Gay Old Time: The rise and fall of Laguna Beach’s gay clubs – Orange County Register

Contents:

• GAY BARS LAGUNA BEACH
• GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS LAGUNA BEACH
• REMEMBERG A LEGACY OF GAY BARS
• GAY NIGHTLIFE LAGUNA BEACH

GAY BARS LAGUNA BEACH

Thankfully the world has evolved and although gay bars will always be need, wanted and loved, ’s now not unnscnable for everyone, no matter of who they love, to party, drk and enjoy the night together, unr the same roof. There was a time when Laguna Beach had s staple gay bars, which were a much need prence durg their reign of the beach cy, and s very possible that the future, more will make their way back to Laguna Beach, but until then, the cy is filled wh optns galore. In 1926, a liquor store and a hardware store opened on the rner of Pearl Street and Pacific Coast Highway, and 1946 beme s current namake The Seahorse, which was actually Laguna Beach’s first gay bar.

For many years, operated as a secret waterg hole for the lol gay muny until was eventually turned back to retail as Laguna Auto Parts…and now ’s back to s origal roots.

It was bgo night at Ma Street Bar & Cabaret, Laguna Beach’s last gay club. Gay bars around the natn have been disappearg, a trend attributed to greater social acceptance of gays, changg enomic forc and evolvg technology.

GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS LAGUNA BEACH

Laguna Beach, particular, has had many obuari wrten for s once-thrivg gay scene.

REMEMBERG A LEGACY OF GAY BARS

Skyrocketg real tate pric have kept young gays out of the cy and led a number of tablished gay rints to sh out and move to other ci, such as Palm Sprgs.

Now Cooley has to see whether the improvements will pay off – whether gays still want a place to ll their own. Whether a ty gay bar Laguna Beach n still thrive.

GAY NIGHTLIFE LAGUNA BEACH

Laguna Beach was once spoken of the same breath as Wt Hollywood, Fire Island and Provcetown, if a miature versn of those more famo gay enclav. The Wt Street Beach was – and still is – renowned among gay vatners. Wh walkg distance of the spot was a one-block district that boasted a handful of gay bars and rtrants – Ltle Shrimp (which later beme Woody’s); Coast Inn, which hoed the legendary Boom Boom Room; and Ma Street Bar & Cabaret, which also went by Bounce.

Bob Gentry, who served on the Cy Council om 1982 to 1994, was one of the first openly gay mayors the untry. Gay clubs, Laguna and elsewhere, were both pick-up jots and havens.

“They were the first mon public spac for the gay muny, ” said Lus Hilrbrand, a UCI profsor of film and media studi who has wrten about the gay rights movement. “They were unrstood as social stutns, and much of the foundatnal gay rights activism was about claimg and fendg gay bars. Gentry relled holdg meetgs on mpaigns and anti-gay iativ some of Laguna Beach’s bars.