Black Gay Clubs, Bars and Lounges of the PAST??? (Los Angeles: how much, homes)

[majoun]

Culver City had two predominately black gay bars in the 1980s, the Mandrake on La Cienega (now a straight bar with a predominately white clientele) and another one on Jefferson whose name I do not remember.

There were gay bars on the old Central Avenue. glbtq >> social sciences >> Los Angeles

[RudyOD]

Originally Posted by jw2

I am neither black or gay and do not identify with either. But I will offer a couple of possibilities

1. The black population in California is waning.
2. It could be that the blacks and whites do not feel they need a separate club, they are just fine hanging with each other.

The fact that there are no private businesses that suit your purpose and that hurts your stomach is preposterous. If you want segregation, try somewhere else.

...and Asians and Hispanics, which are more in numbers than blacks in California. Even Latinos and Asians, as far as I know, don't have their own separate gay clubs/bars. What we do have is 'Latino' and 'Asian' nights at various gay establishments where they will play music popular with those populations (salsa/cumbia/spanish pop for Latinos, Kpop/Jpop/Cpop for the Asians). I think the scene in California/L.A. just evolved differently than the New York one.

[leonnorman1814]

Originally Posted by majoun

Culver City had two predominately black gay bars in the 1980s, the Mandrake on La Cienega (now a straight bar with a predominately white clientele) and another one on Jefferson whose name I do not remember.

There were gay bars on the old Central Avenue. glbtq >> social sciences >> Los Angeles

Great Post majoun, I have found information on The Mandrake, I didn't know much about Culver city but it gives me another place to look and that article is EXCELLENT!

I really appreciate the help. I am glad I posted the question as I am getting a lot of good information.

Thanks!

[majoun]

Originally Posted by RudyOD

...and Asians and Hispanics, which are more in numbers than blacks in California. Even Latinos and Asians, as far as I know, don't have their own separate gay clubs/bars. What we do have is 'Latino' and 'Asian' nights at various gay establishments where they will play music popular with those populations (salsa/cumbia/spanish pop for Latinos, Kpop/Jpop/Cpop for the Asians). I think the scene in California/L.A. just evolved differently than the New York one.

There are several Latino gay bars in L.A. (and San Francisco). There used to be a lot more.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by majoun

There are several Latino gay bars in L.A. (and San Francisco). There used to be a lot more.

Bars in general have far less use these days with the ' net, apps, gay and straight mixing at bars, an aging population, the huge risk of getting a DUI (or std for that matter), and more and more gay people getting married.

It's good that someone is willing to chronical the story of gay people, finally.

In OC, I'm not even sure we have bars anymore. I hear there are some but I haven't been. There is supposed to be one inLaguna Beach, pretty close to me, but I'd only go if friends wanted to meet me there. The Boom is closed here and they put up a plaque. Can you believe that?

[bpeeps]

The amount of ignorance, borderline racism, and misunderstanding of why there would be a safe place for gay black minorities here is staggering. It's definitely true that clubs are more mixed race today. It still remains that there are a lot of gay latino clubs in California in general. (But that's not really a surprise given demographics). There are also a sprinkle of Asian gay barss in the SGV and the OC. The majority of gay bars/clubs, however, cater to white, cis-gendered men. Hell, even lesbians get the shaft in Los Angeles in terms of having establishments for them.

While there are not many gay clubs for black people, there are many events held at private homes to circumvent the issue. Sex parties, trivia nights, house parties, etc. Baldwin Hills and Wilshire corridor are rife with them. And this is because there's a good chunk of racism within the gay community. Black gay clubs existed so that they would have a safe place to have fun and be who they are without any kind of discrimination. This is mainly propagated by white men who openly admit they'd never date a black, Asian, or insert whatever race here.

Someone is going to be quick to say if a white guy is only into white guys, it's just their preference. But when your entire preference is based around grouping a race together and actively deciding not to date/interact with them because of their features and the way they look... that's racism. All black people do not look the same. All asians don't look the same. So why do so many white men feel the need to say "no blacks, asians, fems" on their profiles?

Racism can be subtle and ingrained and when it's showcased it isn't necessarily always the extreme most people have come to define it as. But since most people think racism is calling someone the N-word or beating them up, my comments will be lost on most. Especially those that have already posted in this thread.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by leonnorman1814

Great Post majoun, I have found information on The Mandrake, I didn't know much about Culver city but it gives me another place to look and that article is EXCELLENT!

I really appreciate the help. I am glad I posted the question as I am getting a lot of good information.

Thanks!

The name of the place on Jefferson was the Cover Girl.

They apparently had problems with violence and underage drinking. Racism and homophobia may or may not have played a role in their closing.

Culver City : Cocktail Bar Loses Permit - Los Angeles Times

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by bpeeps

The majority of gay bars/clubs, however, cater to white, cis-gendered men.

I hate the break it to you, but LA-area bar owners target whomever they think they can make the most money from. They must still think gay white men (and I guess Hispanics now too) are a solid target for paying high cover charges and buying expensive drinks. Bars all about economics.

Originally Posted by bpeeps

Hell, even lesbians get the shaft in Los Angeles in terms of having establishments for them.

That was not the best choice of words.

In any case, women are also too smart to spend all that money on alcohol when a perfectly good tube of white caulk for the tub can be purchased from Home Depot instead.

Originally Posted by bpeeps

Black gay clubs existed so that they would have a safe place to have fun and be who they are without any kind of discrimination.

Thank God Catch 1 existed! It was the best for music and dancing.

Originally Posted by bpeeps

This is mainly propagated by white men who openly admit they'd never date a black, Asian, or insert whatever race here.

Many of us are very well aware of dirty laundry in the community and are not willing to air it out here for the entertainment of others.

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by bpeeps

The amount of ignorance, borderline racism, and misunderstanding of why there would be a safe place for gay black minorities here is staggering. It's definitely true that clubs are more mixed race today. It still remains that there are a lot of gay latino clubs in California in general. (But that's not really a surprise given demographics). There are also a sprinkle of Asian gay barss in the SGV and the OC. The majority of gay bars/clubs, however, cater to white, cis-gendered men. Hell, even lesbians get the shaft in Los Angeles in terms of having establishments for them.

While there are not many gay clubs for black people, there are many events held at private homes to circumvent the issue. Sex parties, trivia nights, house parties, etc. Baldwin Hills and Wilshire corridor are rife with them. And this is because there's a good chunk of racism within the gay community. Black gay clubs existed so that they would have a safe place to have fun and be who they are without any kind of discrimination. This is mainly propagated by white men who openly admit they'd never date a black, Asian, or insert whatever race here.

Someone is going to be quick to say if a white guy is only into white guys, it's just their preference. But when your entire preference is based around grouping a race together and actively deciding not to date/interact with them because of their features and the way they look... that's racism. All black people do not look the same. All asians don't look the same. So why do so many white men feel the need to say "no blacks, asians, fems" on their profiles?

Racism can be subtle and ingrained and when it's showcased it isn't necessarily always the extreme most people have come to define it as. But since most people think racism is calling someone the N-word or beating them up, my comments will be lost on most. Especially those that have already posted in this thread.

While your post has some fair points about racism in the gay community, I don't think the gay bars in West Hollywood, and even less so in Silver Lake and the Valley, cater to white gay men. Go out any night of the week in West Hollywood and you'll see a majority minority crowd. I would say black gay men represent a disproportionate portion of the nightlife.

[Yaelle]

When I was in college in the very late 70s early 80s I proofread at a law firm in Century City, and I worked with all the "word processors" (people! Not machines! Lol) in that department. The head of word processing was a gay white man and he hired mostly gay men, some of us women/girls. About three of the 6 guys were black.

While I do not know the names of places they hung out, they hung out basically in the same places as gay whites. I believe it was all on or close to Santa Monica boulevard, and west Hollywood, which were then not "established" yet as formal gay areas but were, if you know what I mean. I went to a couple of the places that were not "bars" or clubs but coffee or bistro style places that had a large % of gay customers.

There would be huge events in the community like Halloween back then, and my black gay coworkers would be there too and they would all dish over the night the next day. I didn't get the feeling there was segregation there --- and I did get the feeling there was some "trolling" for each other (black guys into white guys and vice versa).

Maybe there are some west Hollywood city historians who would have some good info for you about the gay history there as well as racial.