Atlantic City, New Jersey has a long association with the LGBT community, particular in the areas of nightlife and drag performance. [1]
"From its earliest days" in the 19th century, "Atlantic City’s climate of relative sexual freedom attracted gay white tourists to town." [2] Former Ziegfeld girl Louise Mack opened the Entertainers Club in the 1920s, which has been described as the oldest gay bar on the East Coast. [3] Drag shows were something of a craze in the city during the early 1930s. Some consider the massive influx of military recruits to the city during the war at the Atlantic City Training Center to have jumpstarted the gay nightlife in the city.
Young servicemen and women, newly freed from the constraints of narrow-minded small towns and seeking same-sex companionship, were eager to explore places like the Entertainers Club. New York Avenue establishments with drag shows became popular. Gay and lesbian-friendly guesthouses opened in the city.
In 1942, as the military occupied many of the city's hotels, it became something of a militarized resort." A crackdown on vice activities ensued, with particular focus on female impersonators. This led to a ban on "female impersonators" in local entertainment venues during that period. The Atlantic City police chief declared, "Female impersonators as entertainers are no longer allowed to appear in local entertainment venues." [4]
At midcentury, police regularly arrested cross-dressers and drag queens. [5] Numerous Atlantic City nightlife venues were fined or otherwise persecuted for hosting guests who "appeared" to be homosexual and "female impersonators" by the state alcohol enforcement authority at mid-century. [6]
Atlantic City's New York Avenue and what is now Schultz-Hill Boulevard was once known as a bustling mid-century and late 20th-century gay neighborhood and nightlife district. [7] [8] Gay venues like the Saratoga Club (now the site of Cardinal at 201 S. New York Ave), the Chez (now the site of Anchor Rock Club), the Rendezvous, the underground club Pukalani and the Chester Inn contributed to the culture and nightlife of the area, and a variety of breakfast spots, cafés and restaurants were frequented by the gay community. [9] [10] [11] [12] [3] [13]
The area peaked with over ten gay establishments in the 1970s, between the legalization of serving "apparent homosexuals" in New Jersey drinking establishments by the New Jersey Supreme Court in the One Eleven Wines case (brought by, among others, the owners of AC gay bar Val's) and the beginning of the casino era in 1978. [14]
White middle-class tourism to the city had drastically declined between 1950 and 1970, allowing the gay community to flourish without harassment over tourism concerns. [15]
By the mid-to-early 1980s, however, the presence of the casinos, which tended to disincentivize a walkable city environment, had caused the teardown of many of the old establishments on New York Avenue, and many of the staff and performers on the gay scene moved to the casinos. [16] The AIDS epidemic additionally decimated the community in the 1980s and early 1990s, and independent bars, clubs and rooming houses could not compete with the comped freebies at the casinos.
Schultz-Hill Boulevard was formerly known as Snake Alley or Westminster Alley but was renamed in 2023 to honor former nightclub owner John Schultz and Gary Hill, the couple who established the Schultz-Hill Foundation for South Jersey performing and visual arts and other community services. [17] [18]
The beach in front of the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City has been known as a "gay beach" for decades, some say chosen due to the phallic shape of the peak at the top of the hotel against the skyline. [19] [20] In 2022, Park Place Beach in front of the Claridge was officially rededicated with a painted entry as Rainbow Beach. [21] [22] [23]
A gay village, also known as a gayborhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establishments, such as gay bars and pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, restaurants, boutiques, and bookstores.
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communities.
Next Magazine is a weekly gay lifestyle magazine that was published in New York City from July 1993 to September 2016. It addressed topics of fashion, life, entertainment, sex, and LGBT culture news, and was distributed freely in gay bars and other locations throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island, and New Jersey.
The Birmingham Gay Village is an LGBT district or "gaybourhood" next to the Chinese Quarter in Birmingham city centre, centred along Hurst Street, which hosts many LGBT-friendly businesses. The village is visited by thousands of people every week and has a thriving night life featuring clubs, sports bars, cocktail bars, cabaret bars and shops, with most featuring live entertainment including music, dancing and drag queens.
CC Slaughters is a gay bar and nightclub located in Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Portland bar is located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, and the Puerto Vallarta bar is located in Zona Romántica.
LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.
Seattle has a notably large LGBT community, and the city of Seattle has protected gay and lesbian workers since the passage of the Fair Employment Practice Ordinance in 1973. Seattle's LGBT culture has been celebrated at Seattle Pride which began in 1977 as Gay Pride Week. Gay cabaret traveled in a circuit including Seattle and San Francisco since the 1930s. Seattle had gay-friendly clubs and bars since the 1930s including The Casino in Underground Seattle at Pioneer Square which allowed same-sex dancing since 1930, and upstairs from it, The Double Header, in continuous operation since 1933 or 1934 until 2015, was thought to be the oldest gay bar in the United States.
The Double Header was a gay bar located at 407 2nd Avenue S in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington. The LGBT establishment opened in 1934 and closed in December 2015. It was thought to be the oldest gay bar in the United States.
Miss'd America is an annual drag pageant held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. It was founded in the early 1990s as a spoof of the Miss America pageant. It ran through 2005, took a five-year hiatus, and resumed operation in 2010. Contestants compete in four categories: swimsuit, evening gown, interview and talent, with the winner receiving $5,000. Part of the proceeds from each edition of the pageant are donated to local LGBT charities and initiatives. The event is produced by Rich Helfant, directed by Mark Dahl, and hosted by Carson Kressley. The current reigning Miss'd America is Freeda Kulo, who was crowned on September 9, 2023.
The Casino was a gay and lesbian dance club, café, pool hall, and card room located in Pioneer Square in Seattle. It was opened by Joseph Bellotti in 1930 in the basement of the building where The Double Header was located. It was known as one of the places most welcoming of gays on the West Coast.
Therapy was a two-story gay bar and nightclub in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It hosted frequent drag shows, some of which featured performers who later rose to prominence on RuPaul's Drag Race. The venue was a favorite Monday-night stop for Broadway actors, who sometimes participated in the club's shows. Like other New York City nightlife establishments, Therapy was ordered to close temporarily in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In July of that year, the venue's owner announced that it was unlikely to reopen, citing financial troubles. Therapy's atmosphere, drink selection, food and entertainment have generally received positive remarks from critics.
Industry Bar, or simply Industry, is a gay bar and nightclub in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Owned by Bob Pontarelli, it is a sister establishment to Barracuda, a gay bar, and Elmo, a restaurant. Industry opened in 2010 and caters primarily to a crowd of young gay men and tourists. Its musical selection is mostly pop, and its live entertainment consists of a number of weekly drag shows, many of which are hosted by internationally recognized drag queens. New York City nightlife journalists frequently note Industry as one of the top gay venues in Manhattan.
Barracuda Lounge, or simply Barracuda, is a gay bar in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1995, the bar is known for its nightly drag shows. It is a sister establishment to Industry, a nightclub, and Elmo, a restaurant. Barracuda is home to "Star Search", the longest-running bar show in New York City, which began in the early 1990s and may have served as an inspiration for RuPaul's Drag Race. In the 1990s and 2000s, Barracuda was a popular celebrity hangout, and it was frequently the site of promotional events for new music and Broadway plays. While closed for much of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the venue underwent a major renovation. It reopened in June 2021. Critics generally praise Barracuda for its intimate, relaxed and entertainment-focused atmosphere, which was unusual at the time of its creation, and some credit this with revolutionizing the concept of gay bars.
The Cock is a gay dive bar in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is noted for its exhibitionist atmosphere and popularity as a cruising destination. Opened in 1998, the venue has been described by them. magazine as "a rarified taste of old New York and the cruisy gay scene that existed [there] in the '80s and '90s". In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it experienced frequent police raids under Mayor Rudy Giuliani's anti-nightlife crackdowns. The Cock has relocated twice, and its 2015 move along Second Avenue was met with opposition by nearby residents and Manhattan Community Board 3. Two other attempted moves, in 2014 and 2021, were blocked by the community board. Critics characterize the bar as "filthy", "seductive", and "alluring", noting that it is an unusual find in the United States and bears resemblance to European red-light district establishments.
Paradise is a gay nightclub in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It is known for its fundraisers and drag shows, most notable of which is the annual Miss Paradise pageant. The club is integrated with the Empress Hotel; both are owned by record producer Shep Pettibone. Paradise's 1999 opening is credited as one factor that improved Asbury Park's struggling economy and drew the LGBT community back to the city after a period of local unrest. The venue is a popular Jersey Shore destination in the summer, and it has received praise for its welcoming atmosphere. After several months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Paradise reopened its outdoor pool and bar area in summer 2020.
Local Lounge was a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2010 to 2021.
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The Orange Loop is a neighborhood near the beach in downtown Atlantic City with a focus on live music establishments such as indie rock venue Anchor Rock Club and Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall.
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