The book Gay Seattle goes into detail about this group. The first radio interview with openly gay men was broadcast on KRAB radio by members of that group. Mineo Katagiri to talk with religious leaders in the city. In 1965 group of openly gay men were contacted by Rev. In 1966, the Seattle police chief suggested restrictions on gay bars such as withholding their liquor licenses. As a result of the political upheaval regarding Seattle gay bars, the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board sent fourteen gay establishments letters threatening to bar them from military personnel. Seattle city officials believed that the city was not doing enough to enforce laws discriminating against homosexuality and feared that eventually it would be as openly acceptable as in cities such as San Francisco. Owners of such establishments would frequently bribe law enforcement to ensure their survival as well as prevent harassment of their mostly gay clientele and escape legal consequences themselves. Stories of Exile and Belonging, may be likened to the African-Americans who used churches to organize during the civil rights movement.ĭuring the 1950s, when anti-sodomy laws were still in effect in the United States, gay bars, clubs and bathhouses became scrutinized. In the 1950s and 1960s, Seattle's dance clubs served as important points for the gay community to meet and strategize, which according to Gary Atkins, author of Gay Seattle. Performances would change, with ever-more flamboyant costuming, more energetic and choreographed dancing and even laser shows." In the 1970s vaudeville had changed and Seattle began the trend of courts, public drag clubs "with 'emperors' and 'empresses' where "lip –synching would remove the need for singing talent and open the way to any man who could dance, quip, or even just costume. In the 1960s and 1970s new gay Seattle hotspots such as the Mocambo, the Golden Horseshoe and the Golden Crown opened. It was a hotspot in the post war period with service-persons, but in the 1960s the military made most gay establishments in Seattle off-limits. Regular vaudeville and drag shows were held there with singers dressed in drag. The Garden of Allah was the most popular homosexual Seattle cabaret in the 1940s and 1950s. The Greyhound bus depot, Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, and the restrooms in the University Plaza Hotel and at the University of Washington were also known as meeting spots for gay men. Both were open to both gay and straight clientele during the 1930s. The Spinning Wheel on Union Street and 2nd Avenue, was a cabaret featuring female impersonators. The Double Header above The Casino, opened in 1934, was possibly the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the United States until it closed at the end of December 2015.
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The Casino, opened in 1930 on the corner of Washington Street and 2nd Avenue, was known as "the only place on the West Coast that was open and free for gay people", and where same-sex dancing was allowed. Pioneer Square, also known as "Skid Road" or "Fairyville," with its bars, clubs, and cabarets probably was the center of early public gay life in Seattle. In the 1920s and 1930s, early establishments open to homosexuals were concentrated in areas of ill repute. The Washington Sodomy Law was adopted in 1893, and in the same year, a King County court sentenced Charles Wesley to seven years at hard labor for "intent to know" Eddie Kalberg, "a male person".
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The Capitol Hill neighborhood in particular is considered by many the "center of gay life" in Seattle, with gay-friendly businesses and nightlife, and a resource center. Seattle's LGBT community is the second largest in the United States after San Francisco with 12.9% of the city identifying as LGBT. In 1967 University of Washington's Professor Nick Heer founded the Dorian Society, the first group in Seattle to support gay rights. In the 1960s, Seattle came to be seen as providing an accepting environment, and an increasing number of gay and lesbians were drawn to the city. On 19 November 1958, an injunction instructed the city police not to question customers of gay bars unless there was a "good cause" in connection with an actual investigation. The Double Header, opened in 1934, may have been the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the United States until it closed in December 2015. In the 1920s and 1930s there were several establishments in Seattle which were open to homosexuals. Recorded history of the LGBT community in Seattle begins with the Washington Sodomy Law of 1893.
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