Dallas cowboys gay bar

The march that over a decade later would be known as the Dallas Gay Pride Parade. Phil Johnson at a Pride Parade, photograph, [ Those in the surrounding neighborhood erupted in bar. Rioters threw bottles and rushed police barricades. The riots were a rallying call. And change was in the air. Fifty years later, our zeitgeist begs a reexamination of gay culture — and not just in the United States, but also in our own city of Dallas.

In the five decades following the riot that sparked the gay community to stand up for equal rights, much has shifted. In Dallas, a city smack in the center of what many would call the conservative South, gay culture thrives. Our city has been credited as one of the most gay-friendly in the country, alongside New York, San Francisco, and others on both coasts.

Yet dallas know the history of its LGBTQ lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and culture. Some might know that Cedar Springs is the epicenter of the gay community, while others may recall Dallas appointing its first openly gay sheriff, Lupe Valdezin Doyle Jr. Cut to a post-war America.

Former soldiers, particularly those who were questioning their cowboy, traded small towns for big cities, where there was a better chance of meeting other like-minded people. Here, they found bars and lounges that catered to a largely closeted gay community. But up until the s frequenting such establishments came with the threat of regular police raids — and patrons of these bars and lounges were sometimes arrested and brought to jail, where most pled guilty for the crime of public lewdness to avoid attention.

Theater Row in downtown Dallas was the well-known cruising spot — a place for gay men to meet other gay men. To show that one was looking for a sexual encounter, men would pose in a specific posture: leaning against a building with one leg raised, a foot planted against the wall, both thumbs hooked into his trousers.

Dallas Cowboys hero Dez Bryant slams NFL as gay pride post resurfaces: 'This is far from right'

Bars from the Mad Men era were scattered throughout downtown. If a patron came in who the staff feared might be an undercover police officer, the light flashed red. When the light shone blue, it meant the bar was safe, and guests could confidently continue any clandestine activities. Today, this bar has transcended sexual orientation and social stigma.

Whenever chic foreigners come to Dallas, they want to experience the Round-Up, too. The song itself, which throws the heterosexual, hyper-masculine construct of a cowboy to the wind, is another testament to how far the LGBTQ community has come. The Dallas Eagle has long been a go-to for the leather community.

And The Hidden Doora longtime establishment, has famously welcomed a wide section of socioeconomic groups since opening 40 years ago. Local and out-of-town drag performers Endora, Janet-Fierce Andrews, and Jasmine Masters keep crowds wrapped around their cocktail-ring-adorned fingers with their flamboyant performances.