A history of L.A.’s gay bar scene, told matchbooks   - Los Angel Tim

Contents:

• RH, “AN ALL NEW GAY BAR” G TO SHAW, POSTS LIQUOR LICENSE PLARD
• THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI
• WISNS MIDDLE SCHOOL FEATUR 'THIS BOOK IS GAY' LIBRARY, STIRRG ONLE OUTRAGE
• GAY BAR BY JEREMY ATHERTON L – A GOG OUT MEMOIR
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
• A HISTORY OF L.A.’S GAY BAR SCENE, TOLD MATCHBOOKS

RH, “AN ALL NEW GAY BAR” G TO SHAW, POSTS LIQUOR LICENSE PLARD

“After nearly 30 years Midtown, fans of legendary gay bar Backstreet fear the party uld be over” (2004). The cy’s olst gay bar and one of s few 24/7 spots — which opened when gays were mostly closeted and grew to a regnal stutn wh a natnal reputatn as “always open and pourg” — was shuttered July 17, after years of neighbors’ plats and fights wh Cy Hall. And om 1975 to this year, Backstreet was a nstant hub, through changg tim for gays and for the cy at stayed that way even as platform sho yield to parachute pants, as ee love llid wh safe sex, and marijuana gave way to Backstreet opened, Midtown was a sort of Haight-Ashbury hippie haven.

The area was dotted wh past-their-prime ho and was slowly beg transformed by gays and lbians attracted to s affordable real rint D. “As a 16- or 17-year-old, was what you dreamed a gay bar should be — the boys, the sex, the dgs, the sndals, everythg.

But Backstreet remaed, while gay bars like the Texas Drillg Co., 1888, Crazy Ray'z, the Pharr Library, the Gall Lounge, Illns and Scpl all me and went over the AIDS, of urse, took s toll, as employe and regulars succumbed to the disease, most shockgly s early years. ”The baret is ntug next door at the recent years, as the cy’s 24-hour liquor licens dried up, Backstreet beme an early morng statn for everybody, not jt gays and lbians. ”Never n say goodbyeAtlanta has long been one of the untry’s biggt mecs for gay men and lbians.

THE 42 BT GAY BARS AMERI

Backstreet opened jt six years after the birth of the morn gay-rights movement. It’s hard to image today’s gay softball leagu and potluck supper clubs uld have existed whout , let alone gay bars spots like Cobb Henry and Vicki Vara, the club’s brother-sister owners, want to keep fightg to keep Backstreet alive but realize their optns are limed.

A mixed crowd, but fely a gay theme.

Whether your straight, gay, Trans, rich or poor, everyone is weled to this bar.

WISNS MIDDLE SCHOOL FEATUR 'THIS BOOK IS GAY' LIBRARY, STIRRG ONLE OUTRAGE

The word “gay” speaks to our abily to do exactly that. The word “gay” lls to md our special knack for fdg the light the darkns, for buildg the dance floor off to the si of the cel world.

Let’s take a look at some of the bt gay bars Ameri, om the open-air, vil-may-re spac Wt Hollywood to the neighborhood pub downtown St. The olst gay bar North Carola (found 1976) draws every tegory and mographic.

GAY BAR BY JEREMY ATHERTON L – A GOG OUT MEMOIR

The entrance is through an unmarked shed behd a Chipotle, and featur a blend but unexpected gay/not crowd which same-sex grdg is rigur. —Alfonso Fernanz NavasCourtyAt: Cheer Up CharliBack when I was a young gay, I saw the olt, most betiful woman the world at Cheer Up Charli.

—Abigail CovgtonCourtyBrooklyn: The ExleyFull of ntradictns, The Exley is a ltle different than other gay bars. It’s gay Cheers. It feels like everythg a gay bar should be.

LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE

When the bar fally reopened Sprg 2022, an entire borough’s worth of gays celebrated by floodg the new back pat all summer and Gger’s has been crowd wh queers ever sce.

A HISTORY OF L.A.’S GAY BAR SCENE, TOLD MATCHBOOKS

—Diana HubbellBoston: Club CafeHow is Boston’s stalwart gay bar/rtrant/performance space inic?