But, mark my word…the hatred is STILL out there, guys doing the wrong thing in the wrong place STILL take beatdowns, and now, we have no social fabric with which to present a counterpoise to it anymore. Their passing proves a number of things, not the least being that HIV-1 more than decimated the gay male culture and fellowship that it provided, as well as the fact that gays are now “integrated” into society to the point to where such self-protection isn’t considered necessary anymore. These bars and tubs and boutiques were where we sought and found refuge from a punishing world at large. There’s no sense of community anymore it’s all about online hookups on bareback porn peddling web sites with guys with personalities lesser than that of an amoeba, and that’s it…no political action, no esprit du corps…nothing.
Guys these days have NO IDEA what it was like…we had our own neighborhoods, and, being a truly hated minority, we kept pretty much to ourselves, eschewing all str8 establishments for gay-owned ones, where we could band together for our own protection…Christopher St. I came out into the LA gay scene at its apex, the disco era circa ’74 until things went to crap in ’82. To me, the worse thing about getting older with poorer health is that I can’t enjoy those wonderful places anymore. Great places to be around like minded people…that oneness feeling is amazing… Great places to meet and make friends and hook up… Outdoor balcony to relax and get away from all the loud music and cigarette smoke…. Great restaurants to eat really well prepared food… Great dance floors to dance the night away… It may not be realized by all how important these ” business men and woman ” and their wonderful establishments are for all of us in the LGBT community. It must be mentioned that the ” BAR OWNERS ” are the real ” UNSUNG HEROES ” of the Gay community. Is this a symptom of a lack of community and continuity in L.A.’s gay community? Did the HIV epidemic wipe out our watering holes along with our brothers? Or is it just the normal churn & instability of the bar industry?Įven though I live in Baltimore Maryland, I enjoy reading all the nostalgia here about the bar scene in LA and other places around the US. And only one remains a gay bar to this day. We checked Google Street View, and the results are, well, a little depressing. Check out those outfits! The term “groovy guys!” And reference to a mysterious drink called “the manhole,” the taste of which we can only imagine.Īfter a friend sent these along, we started wondering if any of the bars survived the intervening forty years. But today, they’re a fascinating glimpse into the life of the Los Angeles homosexual of the early ’70s.
For a handful of local Los Angeles gay bars, it’s just business as usual as they place advertisements in what few publications comprise LGBT media.īack then, these ads were no big deal. The year was 1971: Apollo 14 lands on the moon, the country is still mired in Vietnam, and Donna Summer is just starting her career.