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LGBT history
Jun. 30th, 2019 01:11 amI found a site HoustonWeHaveHistory.org which is a redirect to HoustonLGBTHistory.org, but to a series of history banners that have been produced. I learned a bunch of things...
During the HIV/AIDS crisis, ambulances would not respond to calls in Montrose, the gayborhood of Houston.
There's a section about the various gay bars, particularly from the mid-1900s. A lot of the information came from various, generally now defunct local gay publications, particularly a few articles in 1980.
One had a manager named Miss Effie. She was clearly quite the character, given to sitting at a table in the corner and with a pistol concealed in the folds of her skirt. If the queens got out of hand she'd fire it into the air and they'd settle down. "Nobody doubted that she'd aim the next time."
Of one called Hazel's, by someone who owned a few through the years (like "Roaring Sixties") they'd keep watch for police approaching and a red light by the door would be set to flashing if so. Everyone would either change partners or sit down so it looked like a heterosexual club when police walked in.
Roaring Sixties opened in June of 1967 and was raided twice before the year was out. A lot of these arrests were for Houston's anti-cross-dressing law which was more strict than the better known "three articles" one. Police interpreted it that women wearing fly-front pants (US meaning, trousers to many of y'all) were in violation, a fact that lead to the nickname "zipper-criminals." Men wearing makeup was another violation.
During the HIV/AIDS crisis, ambulances would not respond to calls in Montrose, the gayborhood of Houston.
There's a section about the various gay bars, particularly from the mid-1900s. A lot of the information came from various, generally now defunct local gay publications, particularly a few articles in 1980.
One had a manager named Miss Effie. She was clearly quite the character, given to sitting at a table in the corner and with a pistol concealed in the folds of her skirt. If the queens got out of hand she'd fire it into the air and they'd settle down. "Nobody doubted that she'd aim the next time."
Of one called Hazel's, by someone who owned a few through the years (like "Roaring Sixties") they'd keep watch for police approaching and a red light by the door would be set to flashing if so. Everyone would either change partners or sit down so it looked like a heterosexual club when police walked in.
Roaring Sixties opened in June of 1967 and was raided twice before the year was out. A lot of these arrests were for Houston's anti-cross-dressing law which was more strict than the better known "three articles" one. Police interpreted it that women wearing fly-front pants (US meaning, trousers to many of y'all) were in violation, a fact that lead to the nickname "zipper-criminals." Men wearing makeup was another violation.
