Seattle had one of the olst gay bars the untry, so why did no one notice when closed? | KNKX Public Rad

Contents:

• SEATTLE HAD ONE OF THE OLST GAY BARS THE UNTRY, SO WHY DID NO ONE NOTICE WHEN CLOSED?
• WHERE TO FD THE GHOSTS OF SEATTLE'S FIRST GAYBORHOOD
• QUEEN CY COM OUT: EXPLORG SEATTLE'S LBIAN AND GAY HISTORY, BY THE NORTHWT LBIAN & GAY HISTORY MM PROJECT
• A SEND ACT FOR THE DOUBLE HEAR, THE PNEER SQUARE GAY BAR THAT LNCHED A THOAND STORI
• SEATTLE GAY BARS

SEATTLE HAD ONE OF THE OLST GAY BARS THE UNTRY, SO WHY DID NO ONE NOTICE WHEN CLOSED?

This is signifint, bee the Double Hear was one of the olst, if not the olst, gay bar Lanier is the -thor of the book “Bucket List Bars: Historic Saloons, Pubs and Div of Ameri. Seattle's first gay-owned gay bar, was equented by men and women and featured female impersonators and vville entertament. This isn’t a subtle place: Imag of nu gay people are plastered on the walls, papier-mâchéd male parts hang om the ceilgs, vtage smut plays off VHS tap, and there’s a suggtive hole the bathroom.

They’re the same owners of Thumper’s (RIP), a former “piano bar for gay daddi tweed ats, ” and that vibe has spirually rried over to Unn. This chill and flirty bar featur a full kchen wh burgers, tas, and even baked brie, which is not somethg I ually expect to see at a gay bar. Unr s prev ownership, The Cuff tered to a mostly gay male crowd, but recent chang have seen all typ of LGBTQ+ people hangg out at the venue.

The gay bar was followed by other gay-foced bars, like Swallow (which has sce closed) and Unirn 2 (which has yet to open), and Whe Center’s Pri celebratn (which jt celebrated s fifth year).

WHERE TO FD THE GHOSTS OF SEATTLE'S FIRST GAYBORHOOD

Bars, Cabarets, Clubs, and DancefloorsIn the 1920s and 1930s, early tablishments open to homosexuals were ncentrated areas of ill repute. Pneer Square, also known as "Skid Road" or "Fairyville, " wh s bars, clubs, and barets probably was the center of early public gay life Seattle. The Caso, opened 1930 on the rner of Washgton Street and 2nd Avenue, was known as "the only place on the Wt Coast that was open and ee for gay people", and where same-sex dancg was allowed.

QUEEN CY COM OUT: EXPLORG SEATTLE'S LBIAN AND GAY HISTORY, BY THE NORTHWT LBIAN & GAY HISTORY MM PROJECT

The Double Hear above The Caso, opened 1934, possibly the olst ntuoly operatg gay bar the Uned Stat, and The Spng Wheel on Unn Street and 2nd Avenue, a baret featurg female impersonators, were open to both gay and straight clientele durg the 1930s. The Greyhound b pot, Volunteer Park on Capol Hill, and the rtrooms the Universy Plaza Hotel and at the Universy of Washgton were also known as meetg spots for gay men.

A SEND ACT FOR THE DOUBLE HEAR, THE PNEER SQUARE GAY BAR THAT LNCHED A THOAND STORI

In the 1950s and 1960s, Seattle's dance clubs served as important pots for the gay muny to meet and strategize, which acrdg to Gary Atks, thor of Gay Seattle. Owners of such tablishments would equently bribe law enforcement to ensure their survival as well as prevent harassment of their mostly gay clientele and pe legal nsequenc themselv.

Seattle cy officials believed that the cy was not dog enough to enforce laws discrimatg agast homosexualy and feared that eventually would be as openly acceptable as ci such as San Francis. As a rult of the polil upheaval regardg Seattle gay bars, the Armed Forc Disciplary Control Board sent fourteen gay tablishments letters threateng to bar them om ary personnel.

In 1966, the Seattle police chief suggted rtrictns on gay bars such as whholdg their liquor more about this topic: History Of The LGBT Communy In Seattle, Past. Christopher FrizzelleWh Pri season upon and bs utly re-openg, now might be a nice time to spend some time Seattle’s tradnal gayborhood: The mudflats below the Deadle. Long before Capol Hill beme the home of rabow crosswalks, and before Renton Hill was briefly Seattle’s gay statn the 1970s, Pneer Square (as the mudflats are now known) was where all the seedy, secret, same-sex actn happened.

SEATTLE GAY BARS

Seattle went through wav of moral eedom and moral panic, but for most of the cy’s post-lonizer history, gay life was centered around Send Avenue and S. Next door was the upstairs gay bar The Double Hear — which state liquor spectors, who had to approve all bar nam, were too nse to realize was a sexual phemism.

Shelly Bman was a drifter stayg wh some gay iends when she attend a Bastille Day para Pneer Square; a flty non blew a solid wad of nfetti to the crowd, htg her and requirg the amputatn of her leg. It was Seattle’s first real dis, and had a giant sign out ont readg “Shelly’s Leg is a GAY BAR provid for Seattle’s gay muny and their guts. It’s a ttament to queer peopl’ sheer force of will and tense need to nnect that they were able to endure the homophobia and rptn the police force to the extent that they had to orr to keep the doors open.