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The AIDS epidemic would claim the lives of many in the San Antonio community, which inspired many local HIV/AIDS activists to take a stand. That same year, The New York Times published a piece about a “rare cancer” seen in 41 homosexuals. The Country was sold in 1981, and Veltman then bought the Bonham Exchange building across from The Alamo, where gay and straight club-goers continue to make memories to this day. “I think we all had our own little Stonewalls,” the late Gene Elder, co-owner and manager of the Country, says in Mahoney’s film. Throughout the 1970s, harassment of patrons at the Country was all too common. Progress and acceptance continued to be mixed with discrimination. The next year, about 50 people participated in a march that culminated on the steps of City Hall. “It was downtown, and 35 people attended,” says Gohlke. Three years later, the first Gay Pride March was held in the city. “Some say it’s the birthplace of San Antonio’s gay civil rights movement.” “The San Antonio Country night club was beloved by many people,” says Noi Mahoney, creator of the 2019 documentary Hap Veltman’s San Antonio Country. To satisfy that demand, restaurateur and real estate developer Arthur “Hap” Veltman opened the San Antonio Country night club on St. More queer individuals began to chafe against having to gather together in underground spots. Nearer the city center, under-the-radar pubs like the Acme Bar, Top Hat and the Rabbit Habit quietly thrived amid San Antonio’s inherently conservative military, Hispanic and Catholic influences.Īfter the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York thrust gay rights out into the open, a new thirst for liberation began to change the local gay psyche. For gay men, the popular rural venue of the time was Paul’s Grove, also referred to as “The Country,” near Helotes. In the early 1960s, Kline’s on the Far Northwest Side was a place where lesbians could gather and socialize. In the 1950s, folks fled to cozy establishments on the outskirts of town, largely to avoid potential raids and ongoing city and military police harassment. Still, LGBTQ+ life was far from out in the open. In the 1940s and into the ’50s, hot spots like The Life Saver Grill, Keyhole Club, the Unknown Cafe and El Jardin offered queer clientele fun-filled nights of music, mingling and the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed environment. Although gay visibility in the Alamo City can be traced to the early 1900s, it was in the 1930s that drag performances gained cultural attention during what was known as “The Pansy Craze.” Local clubs like The Nite Spot, Gay Paree and Riverside Gardens would regularly feature nationally known female impersonators. To be sure, though, LGBTQ+ people have always been right here with us, helping make San Antonio the city it is today. Often, the LGBTQ+ community has had to be discreet and secretive out of legitimate fears of discrimination, or even physical violence. Then, in 2018, a privately funded rainbow crosswalk was painted on Evergreen and Main Avenue in support of inclusiveness and civil rights, essentially “claim(ing) that turf,” says Melissa Gohlke, assistant archivist at UTSA Libraries Special Collections.īut over the long sweep of history, acceptance, let alone celebration, has usually been the exception rather than the norm. Supreme Court ruled in favor of legalizing marriage equality, nearly 100 same-sex couples were issued marriage licenses at the Bexar County Courthouse within hours of the landmark ruling. A year later, the Pride Center of San Antonio opened its doors and is still in operation today.
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This issue struck a chord with many LGBTQ+ people, as large groups of citizens spoke out in support. For those coming of age in San Antonio over the past decade or so, it would be easy to assume that LGBTQ+ equality has always been a priority: That is, the queer community has always been valued and offered a seat at our collective municipal table.įor example, in 2013 the San Antonio City Council voted 8-3 in favor of passing the Non-Discrimination Ordinance, which listed sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status as protected classes. Recent history has a way of blinding us to the past.