It’s not as startling as the Stonewall Rebellion, but a group of Los Angeles-based gays are on a mission to boost queer visibility – and get some sun at the same time…
Via NY Times:
A group calling itself Guerrilla Gay Bar, gay men looking to crash straight hangouts with the intent of turning them predominantly gay for a moment in time, set its sights on Venice Beach one recent Saturday.
…
the real motivation, according to the group’s manifesto, is to overcome boredom with a “ghettoized and sub-ghettoized” gay scene – which in Los Angeles is synonymous with the club and bar circuit in West Hollywood.“There’s a place for gay bars, but we feel gay people have become so segregated that some of them don’t go out into the wider community anymore,” said Matthew Poe, an organizer… “We want to suggest that the world is bigger than West Hollywood.”
Because Venice Beach has never, ever seen a gay.
On the bar front, the gays say they’ve been accepted almost everywhere, except one bar that keeps a high lady-to-gents ratio. Perhaps the Guerrilla Gays need some more lezzies: since its June 2006 inception, the group’s grown to about 200 gay men, but only a handful of their female counterparts.
WWH
They tried this in New York to no avail.
stonerboy711
If I remember correctly, years ago a Chicago rag wanted readers to find/establish a new gay beach. “The Rock” in Lakeview was just big clumps of concrete and not a real beach. At first just a few people showed up at Hollywood Beach (since renamed) and then it snowballed. The straights knew to keep to their side, except for some VERY big Russian woman and a few Mexican families. They didn’t seem to notice or care about all the thongs.
TheFAF
Guerrilla Gay Bar is so 2001. The Cleveland version peaked about March 2002. I’m shocked the LA fags are so behind the times!
underbear1
I moved to a gay ghetto years ago FOR A REASON. I wanted NOTHING to do with HETS, (at least not when I didn’t have to interact with some at work.)On my off hours I didn’t want them in my life. I surrounded myself with a gay doctor, lesbian attorney, gay dentist. I had moved from a small MISERABLE village where my property was destroyed with hate speech graffitti, one hetero man I would say hello to (when I walked to the grocery store,)(who had a lesbian sister) came by one night to tell me not to say anything to him on the street, because the local bullies were threatening him.
We had violent bikers come into this village on weekends, who threw a knife at someone on my porch. Turns out a F*CKIN self loathing closeted post master was the one who OUTED me (in a village everyone had to go to a Post Office to pick up their mail.)
Maybe younger gays find mixing with straights as empowering, for me….not so much.
stevo
It’s the reverse in NYC, where gangs of drunken straight girls “take over” gay bars.
In fact, I heard they had to close XL because too many girls were going there after seeing it on “Sex and the City.”
Paul Raposo
Damn underbear1, it sounds like your life was made miserable by the locals. I always hear that small towns are more “accepting” of gay people, but I have yet to see any proof of that.
Not to make light of the horrible things done to you, but I must say, it sounds like you were really the only gay in the village 8^)
I’m glad things have worked out for the better for you since moving away.
Paul Raposo
“It’s the reverse in NYC, where gangs of drunken straight girls ‘take over’ gay bars.”
To paraphrase the credit card commercial:
Straight people–everywhere you want to be.
I pretty much avoid straight people in social situations, outside of those who share my hobbies. Most of those people have been fine, but I’ve lost a few friends who didn’t like that I’m gay and let me know it–and I let them know something too.
My main problem with straight people is that every group expects you, as a gay man, to “act” a certain way. If you glance at a a man, you’re “throwing” your sexuality in their faces; if you don’t flirt with every man, you’re a closet case; if you support equal marriage, you’re a flaming liberal; if you laugh too loud, you’re a flaming queen. It’s not worth the aggravation.
stevo
ha ha Paul! I concur.
Here’s my favorite: We are judged for being promiscuous, BUT it’s illegal to get married!
Dutchguy
Sorry to say this you guys, but you both need better straight friends! (and a government that will legalize gay marriage!)
underbear1
Just as we create FAMILIES we weren’t born with, (from our friends,) we also create OUR OWN VILLAGES, which are the cast off ghettos of the white flight of the 1960’s.
nycstudman
“I’ve lost a few friends who didn’t like that I’m gay and let me know it–and I let them know something too.” – wow, just curious. Where do you live: Alabama or Kabul??? I mean, that statement is just weird to someone who lives in NYC.
Paul Raposo
“Where do you live: Alabama or Kabul”
That was actually funny, nycstudman.
However, I live in Ontario, Canada. I collect watches, a hobby which tends to attract older, conservative people, some of whom seem to think “teh gays” are taking over the world.
nycstudman
Paul:
It was an honest question (which you took that way: thanks). i’m really surprised in such an enlightened city as Ontario there would still be Yahoos who would give you shit & reject you just for something as minor as where you stick your cock.
Martini-boy
Ontario, Studman, is actually a Canadian province.
Tsk tsk.
Paul Raposo
“Here’s my favorite: We are judged for being promiscuous, BUT it’s illegal to get married!”
Yep, stevo, exactly. The problem, (for them,) is sex outside of marriage is a sin and if we get married, especially in a church, then technically we’re not sinning anymore. Then how are they suppose to ask for money to stop us and scare the congregation into voting for the Republicans? Then their heads explode!
stevo
Hey Dutchguy! Could not agree with you more!!
(BTW, are you straight? Will you by my friend???)
Ash
I don’t know about this. I live with three straight guys and couldn’t be happier with the situation. They just treat me like one of the guys and it’s not an issue. Last semester, before I moved in, they had a gay male roommate, and it was no big deal. Since I’ve come out, though, most of my friends have needed a teensy little bit o’ educatin’, despite the fact that we go to the gayest college in a very gay city. But now that my coming out dust has settled (that’s a pretty gay phrase), and people realize I’m just me, it’s not really a big deal. I probably have an equal number of straight and queer friends. Though I admit straight girls kinda bug me as a rule. Some are fine obviously, but some are stupid and assume just because I’m a lesbian and talking that I am hitting on them. Ugh.
nycstudman
Martini-boy: Ouch, you’re right. For some reason, I misread this as Ottawa. And there are probably some real red-neck areas of Northern Ontario.