Straight people at gay clubs
There was a surprising problem with both of the gay clubs we went to in Austin this weekend: a complete overabundance of straight people. There was way too much man-on-woman action here and here, and nearly half the clientel was female. It seems rather unfair. There is just a small handfull of places in town where gay people can potentially be in the majority; the straight people just flood those bars and cause them to be no longer gay.
posted by Chris Althouse Cohen at 9:00 PM
8 Comments:
This is a situation that pops up in your smaller cities, of which I guess Austin is still one in some regards. But while I can understand the gay resentment of encroachers, I think it's a good thing for both sides to learn to accept each other, and mingling is one way to do it. Ann and I occasionally danced at the New Bar at the Washington Hotel in Madison in the mid-80s. It was a lot of fun, we sometimes went in a hetero group and danced with both sexes. The hotel burned down, alas -- an accident.
But when you're trying to enjoy yourself at your own place, why do other people get to convert that into a learning place? Gay people don't exist for the purpose of teaching other people about gay people. But I think we went to the New Bar because it was a good dance club not to "learn to accept" gay people.
^Yeah, that's the problem, though. In a city like Austin, straight people go because of the overall shortage of good dance clubs. One of the main points for gay people in going to a gay club is that they can approach a stranger and not have to worry about whether or not that person is also gay. That's taken away if too many straight people go.
wickedpinto: It might be that many straight people who go to gay bars believe that they're doing some sort of a social service. But while you're bestowing your heterosexual male body upon the gay community as an act of liberal faith, you should expect your ass to be grabbed as a result.
Back when I drank, I did it for the affect and to hell with the clientele and nature of the bars. It was some stiff belts of top-shelf bourbon that mattered, not some social/hustling affair. The decor and music may factor in a bit with this issue but then what the hell do I know? I've started off in top-notch joints and ended up in dives where the dead bodies were pulled to the side of the dance floor and the blood left to dry where it was spilled, and visa-versa.
goesh: Mmm, people dying on the dance floor. Reminds me of my raver days. Don't make me nostalgic, now.
I always prefer the gay bars that are more mixed. But I don't think the phenomenon you're describing happens to the same extent in big cities. If straight people are really overwhelming ALL of the gay bars, or at least all of the good ones, yeah - I can imagine that can be annoying.
How would you feel if I wrote a post talking about going out to a club last night, and then complaining that there was too many gays there?
How would you feel if we picked a couple of night clubs, declared them to be "straight" and announced that gays weren't welcome there?
Now to be clear, I have no problem with the existence of "gay bars" or gay people seeking to socialize with other gay people. I just wonder if you realize how hypocritical your comments are, and how offended you would be if the shoe was on the other foot?
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