Here’s a look back at what qnotes was able to uncover about Charlotte’s LGBTQ bar history. Tens of thousands of gay, lesbian and transgender individuals around the country who came out at a young age in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties have their own unique experiences - each defined by their own personal life journey, location and time period. Such is the case for much of Charlotte’s LGBTQ history prior to the 1980s. It often goes undocumented for fear of unintentionally providing oppressors with information that could lead to unwanted trouble for those suffering under irrational scrutiny and harassment. The history of oppressed people is always fragmentary. Lights flashed, clouds from dry ice created faux smoke that filled the room and the happiness of perceived freedom was palpable. When we’re out there dancin’ on that floor, darlin’
I watched as mostly young gay men and a handful of lesbian couples, mixed in with a smattering of drag queens, danced without care to a popular song by openly gay and cross-dressing disco artist Sylvester.
