When did gay bars start

Ina gay bar is hardly a niche venue. Quite the opposite: Most folks will tell you that dedicated queer nightlife venues have a notable reputation for particularly raucous and lively environs —— or rather, for being a damn good time. At the timegay men and women were being openly persecuted —— and the medical community framed same-sex marriage as a diagnosable malady.

Once the war was in full swing, the persecution of homosexual behavior began to diminish slightly. There were a couple of factors at play, here: the same-sex living conditions fundamental to the military allowed self-identifying gay men a space to congregate in large numbers, women gained more financial independence on the home front, and the release of the Kinsey Report in detailed homosexuality as entirely normal and thus, not a disease.

Upon returning home, G. At this time, due to the Kinsey Reports, several gay rights organizations began to emerge —— and naturally, conservatives panicked. Safe spaces were critical for members of the gay community —— and folks were mobilizing to make nightlife venues gathering spaces for queer-identifying Americans stationed all over the country.

Most of these establishments were relegated to run-down parts of town with quiet, austere facades to keep the police off of their trails.

70s and 80s Club Culture

Of course, those efforts could only go so far —— and there were regular police raids in gay establishments, most of which were glaringly, brutally violent, and resulted in countless innocent arrests. Fortunately, as time went on and mobility around the cause of gay rights increased —— especially in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement —— bars began to use gay bars as organizing spaces to rally for the cause.

And in a strange twist, Mafia families on the East Coast saw a rare opportunity to monetize here: They could pay off the start and keep them at bay while earning big bucks from the gay community for up-charged drinks served in guaranteed cop-free venues one of which was no other than the Stonewall Inn.

By did stage, large-scale protests and movements were taking place, and business owners were building coalitions in cities when Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York —— which brings us to the Stonewall Riots on June 28, When the bar was violently raided by police around 1 in the morning, patrons fought back with such force that Tactical Patrol Force was called in.

These riots continued for days —— and they were widely publicized —— further spawning similar riots and marches across the country. But the landscape was shifting —— and in turn, so were the establishments, themselves. They were no longer in back alleys or marked by dark windows. They were public, freestanding, and readily available.

Of course, things are still shifting. The emergence of platforms like dating apps makes it far simpler to connect with other members of the gay community, without requiring a dedicated, physical space. And with the emergence of more gay bars comes a broader market —— which some folks are calling the gentrification of gay bars.

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