Of course, those efforts could only go so far –– and there were regular police raids in such establishments, most of which were glaringly, brutally violent, and resulted in countless innocent arrests. Most of these establishments were relegated to run-down parts of town with quiet, austere facades to keep the police off of their trails. That said, In the ‘50s and the ‘60s when the existence of gay bars skyrocketed, things were hardly easy. 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. And thus came “ The Lavender Scare ” –– Senator Joseph McCarthy’s obscene anti-gay “witch-hunt,” which pressed the larger American population to associate being gay with “deviance” or “anti-American behavior.” So naturally, at this time, gay bars were not just important but essential. Upon returning home, G.I.s began to spearhead whole swaths of underground gay bars and clubs alongside their newfound communities.Īt this time, due to the Kinsey Reports, several gay rights organizations began to emerge –– and naturally, conservatives panicked. 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 1948 detailed homosexuality as entirely normal (and thus, not a disease).
NEW ORLEANS GAY BARS SEX FULL
Once the war was in full swing, the persecution of homosexual behavior began to diminish (slightly).
As a result, a small constituency of nightlife venues, bars, and theatres cropped up in prewar “bohemian districts” to give refuge to self-identifying gay locals (think: New Orleans’ French Quarter, New York’s Greenwich Village, San Francisco’s Barbary Coast). At the time, gay men and women were being openly persecuted –– and the medical community framed same-sex marriage as a diagnosable malady. Let’s rewind to the pre-war 20th century. And over the last century, it would be difficult to overstate the key role they’ve played in LGBTQ+ liberation. However accurate that superlative may be, though, gay bars have long served a much deeper, weightier purpose: They’re a safe space, a gathering grounds, a venue for community organizing. 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. In 2021, a gay bar is hardly a niche venue. The landscape before, during, and after Stonewall.