Dance Hall Days

I read [“Stonewall Remembered,” issue 28.03] with great interest, especially since I frequented the Stonewall in the late ‘60s. (No, I was not there the night/s of the riots.) But even though I had been there many times, I was turned away one early evening via that infamous “peephole” primarily, I think to this day, because I was in a suit and tie—I had just come from work on 5th Avenue.

Anyway, there was another bar named, as far as I can remember, the Blue Bunny, which was off of Times Square. I distinctly recall that in about 1967 or so when you went into that establishment you had to go to the rear of the bar, behind a curtain, if you wanted to dance with another man. And the “light” came on when the vice squad came in so you knew to stop dancing.  

The mafia basically owned almost all the gay bars in NYC until maybe the late ‘70s. When the discos closed at 6 or 7 a.m., many of us would go to the Anvil to have a “nitecap.” 

Plus, in the latter ‘60s in New Jersey, there was a bar called Danny’s which was located very close to the long ago demolished Palisades amusement park as well as a bar called the Alley Alley not far away. The upper floor of Alley Alley was devoted to our lesbian friends and the lower to gay men. Oh, as well as a place called Victor’s just across the “line” (geographically) in NY from NJ. They all allowed dancing.  Although at that time it was tunes from a jukebox for the establishments mentioned in this paragraph.

I could go on and on and on, but I just wanted to add some information from a 65 year old who experienced all of that and more.

Dan Morin
West Hollywood

Shake It Up

I was amazed to read [“Becoming Butch” and “Produce Your Life,” issue 28.04] by Vincent Arcuri and Michael Hauser calling for a new frontier in political correctness. In Arcuri's column, he objects to a local high school electing a gay male as the "prom queen" instead of the "prom king," and in Hauser's column, he complains about straight women calling their best gay friend "my gay husband" and use of the term "the gays" in general. My question is this: When did the current generation of gay commentators get such a giant collective stick up their butts? Geez, get a sense of humor, guys! These people aren't the enemy; they're trying to be supportive! But instead of resorting to sober analysis or embarrassing, heartfelt proclamations, they're just trying to join the big gay party, in which we delight in bending the rules ourselves, flouting convention and refusing to conform to gender stereotypes.

By complaining about those who are actually empathetic to our cause, we play into an even worse gay stereotype: that of the brittle, bitchy professional victim. What's intolerant about a woman calling her best friend "my gay husband?" Do you really think she is disparaging the institution of marriage or wouldn't respect her friend's actual gay marriage if it existed? And what's wrong with a young man shaking up peoples' ideas about gender identity by running for a traditionally female prize and winning it? Do you really think the people that voted for him insulted his manhood, or were they embracing his uniqueness? Besides, what's wrong with wanting to be a queen instead of a king? The real intolerance here is the columnist's suggestion that adopting a traditional female role is in some way denigrating to a man, which is both homophobic and sexist. There are many ways to be gay and to be gay friendly. By being prickly and demanding propriety in the ways gays are allowed to behave or straights are allowed to refer to us, these columnists are damaging the cause of tolerance more than they are promoting it.

Matthew Hutchison
via Internet

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