Gay bars fresno
Looking at LGBTQ+ history in Central California
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The 1969 "Stonewall Riots" are seen as the start of the current LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Stonewall Inn customers in New York Metropolis stood up against police raids sparking activism and understanding. But the shove for equality began long before that.
"In the 60s, all this in Fresno was mostly agriculture," said El Daña. "Being raised out on the farm, I thought I was the only one that was gay....I felt gentle of alone."
El Daña is one of Central Valley's first male impersonators, enhanced known today as "drag kings." She'd lip-sync to Tom Jones, Ritchie Valens, Glen Campbell at gay bars in the Central Valley, drawing crowds from San Francisco and Los Angeles. But her shows began years after she discovered gay bars even existed.
"When I first went to the Orange Ogre, I thought I had died and gone to heaven," she said. "My face was in awe, my eyes got big, because I'm like, I'm not the only one!"
The Orange Ogre and other same-sex attracted bars in Fresno were safe spaces for LGBTQ+ members.
"You could be yourself. You can create friends, make
The first song I ever danced to in a gay prevent was, quite naturally, “It’s Raining Men.”
I never said I wasn’t a stereotype, did I?
I was twenty-one the first hour I ever set foot in a gay bar. (If there were gay bars anywhere neighboring me in Kansas, I had no idea) It was in Fresno, California, of all places; where I spent the 80’s and which I often lovingly refer to as “Topeka in the Valley.” It wasn’t much of anything, really; a minor building on Blackstone Avenue, I think just past Olive, and near the off-ramp for the new cross-town highway in an attempt to alleviate traffic on the main streets of the city (it may have been further north). The bar was called the Express, and someone I worked with–the first obviously gay man I ever knew, and certainly the first one who was out and arrogant and not ashamed of it–took me one night after operate. I was nervous as hell. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I remember it was dark and crowded. There was a bigger front room with the bar, and there was a smaller dance floor further in the back. We arrived–I didn’t recognize the song that was playing–got
FRESNO'S GAY BARS:
Aldo’s
617 W. Belmont Ave., Fresno, CA 93728
(559) 266-3935
UNZIPPED: 18+ Gay Evening @ Aldo’s Mondays 9:00 PM
The Red Lantern
4618 E. Belmont Ave., Fresno, CA 93702
(559) 251-5898
Splash
644 E. Olive Ave., Fresno, CA 93728
(559) 515-6760
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FRESNO'S LGBTQ GROUPS & ORGANIZATIONS
(& some straight - but not narrow):
Artemis Recovery Club
Bowl-A-Thon Fundraiser
Bulldog Pride Scholarship Fund at UC Fresno State
California Rural Legal Assistance
2115 Kern St. #370 Fresno, CA. 93721
1-800-242-2752
Camping Women
Central Valley Alliance of Atheists and Skeptics
Centro La Familia Advocacy Services Inc.
559-237-2961
Clínica Sierra Vista
LGBT & Transgender Health
559-457-5800
Community Link (since 1988)
P. O. Box 4959, Fresno, CA 93744
(559) 486-3464
clinkinc@aol.com
Diversity Club at Fresno City College
Femz N Studz
Fresbians
Fresno American Indian Health Plan (FAIHP)
LGBTQ2 Spirit Support Group
David Stroud
559-320-0490
&nb
Re: Gay & Homosexual woman Lost Fresno
Postby cabeef » Sun Sep 04, 2011 9:49 pm
Since the topic is called "Gay & Queer woman Lost Fresno," I wanted to add: GORDICK'S BOOKSTORE (!!)
While it later moved to Fig Garden Village, it was Gordick's unique location in the OPUS 1 shopping mall (corner of Bullard & Palm) that really had influence in the local gay & lesbian literary nature. I was a young teen when I first started regularly hanging out at the bookstore and became shut friends with co-owners and partners Gordon and Dick = hence the label "Gordick's" - help in the first 80s, they were just about the only legit bookstore in Fresno that had its hold dedicated gay & lesbian lit section - and often hosted local and out of town authors - for example: I think of going to a book signing for "The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life & Times of Harvey Milk" with the slow author Randy Shilts and similar events.
This wasn't just a place to buy books, it the subtext of the store is that, in plain sight, it also served as a meeting place/hub for like-minded gays and lesbians searching for a community to call their possess - it was one of the few open/welcoming spots