July, 1975

eland's Bar Managers

ial life in Cleveland. entertainment, cony affect all of the h Gear's continuing in the gay community, eland's bar managers r and social scene. their co-operation ilair subjects in

HE GAY BAR, DO YOU ALLY GOING OUT OF

LARITY OF MAJOR BARS? can last as long as ar to be that much of -ally conservative prefer familair surtition because each -y.

d in running a gay bar. epends on the type of mate a bar's life span buy another bar or have to insure success. = up and down. The gay bar. They go where the est thing.

of a gay bar to be

it is somewhat of a come into the Cleveland ease..

OLICE HARASSMENT OF

· police ever get tough

is not so much to harass. rime.

t, gays mind their own there are more impor-

COME IN AND HARASS

not really accesible thoroughfare or one s might be more ses-

harassment, but lately straights are harassed walk in off the street. ight-to-gay harassment are welcome, though

WOMEN TO A GAY BAR THAT BAR. DO YOU

and give them what 'omen don't cause er, is the success-

t be representative aight women in, then hat is when the trouble ooking for a woman and y resist hostily and

a problem. "They tend the men don't relax eel they have to watch

Page

John Nos

JSN ALCOHOLISM IS A SOCIAL DISEASE THAT SEEMS TO PERVADE EVERY LIFE STYLE IN AMERICA. DO YOU FEEL THAT ALL BARSWHETHER STRAIGHT OR GAY CONTRIBUTE TO THIS PROBLEM BY CHARGING HIGH PRICES FOR SOFT DRINKS AND NOT OFFERING OTHER NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES SUCH AS COFFEE?

BAR 1 Alcoholism can't be blamed on the bars. Advertising, personal problems, etc. have more to do with the illness. Frankly, we charge high prices for cokes because we are here to make money. If we charged a quarter for a coke, that is all people would buy. When someone is drunk and needs coffe it is available, but we don't make a general practice of distribution.

BAR 2: We have coffee and give it out free. Sometimes we refuse drinks and offer coffee to those who need it. The bars don't contribute to alcoholism. An alcoholic will drink anywhere.

BAR 3 I don't think bars promote alcoholism. It is not something that comes solely from drinking. We have soft drinks available. If someone wants that alternative, it's here. BAR 4 We charge 30¢ for a soft drink and 75¢ for a mixed drink, thus giving people fair options. No bar contributes to alcoholism. Alcohol can be purchased anywhere at price far less than in a bar.

JSN: DO YOU SEE ANY ROLE FOR THE BARS IN THE GAY COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF BEING NIGHT SPOTS FOR SOCIAL CONTACTS?

BAR 1 We do personal things for people in trouble; provide bail for those jailed for drunk driving, loaning people emer gency funds, etc. We also hope we help in communication by distributing High Gear. Most of our work, however, is done

on an individual basis.

BAR 2: We provide other social outlets. We have a baseball team and a future bowling team. We also distribute the

newspaper.

BAR 3 What other functions should we have? I don't really know if there are any other functions.

BAR 4: I'd like to see bar owners get together and do picnic or a concert. We make plenty of money off the people. Let's return some of it to the community. Maybe we could even charge admission and put it in a kitty for future use by gays for emergencys. However all the bars would need to co-operate in such a venture. No one bar can raise enough money to support everyone.

JSN: WHAT ARE YOUR GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF "HE CLEVELAND GAY SCENE?

BAR 1: So far as individual life styles are concerned, the gay scene here is conservative. We never have violence or destruction of property and this is a positive reflection on the community as a whole.

BAR 2: The gay scene here is getting better all the time, although the bars should so-operate more with each other. Younger gays who are just coming out are changing the past conservative gay life styles and in the long run, this will benefit the greater gay community.

BAR 31 Cleveland is not a lively town, straight or gay.. It's a family town, good for business. Overall, everything is conservative. The gay life is no exception.

BAR 4: High Gear is a very positive and needed addition to the gay community. The gays here also seem to be getting more together and making it easier for newcomers to feel comfortable. I think the Cleveland gay scene has a bright future.

Fellowship Metropolitan

Community Church