October 15th, 1997 to October 21st, 1997

Chicago Whispers

A Very Personal Gay and Lesbian History

by Sukie de la Croix

The raid at the Windup Bar in 1949. The bartender speaks ...
"The Windup was a converted storefront property. Double wide storefront and the space that was window area on the south side front was the coat check space. It was a very plain and tacky interior with a horse shoe shaped bar with the back to the north side. [It] had a small bandstand platform and there was a trio or piano player for entertainment most of the time. The police raided it and closed it down a few days after New Year's Eve and used it as a start to crack down on crime in Chicago. We had had a good holiday season and no trouble, so when they hit on the Saturday after the Eve, we were surprised. Captain Harrison, head of the Vice Squad at the Chicago Avenue Station at the time, came a little after midnight and went around talking to a few people. I was running the '26' dice table that night and he came over and asked me to write my name on a slip of paper for him as he wanted to 'be sure he had it.' I did so, and then signaled one of the floor men over to ask what was going on. He pointed out that we had been under arrest for over an hour (this was about 1:30 a.m.) and pointed out that there were plain clothed officers at the door who were letting people in but not letting anyone leave. Everyone was taken to the station in 'black marias' and it was a very messy night for all. All of the newspapers had photographers covering the front door as we were led out one by one to the wagons and it was terrifying. All of the other Near North Side gay bars closed when they heard what was happening and the patrons and a few of the employees from the other places came over to see what was going on. Over 85 men were taken in and booked that night and several committed suicide as a result, because of their fear over what the publicity would do to their families and their careers. When the Windup was closed the Tribune had front-page stories quoting the 'State Alienist' as saying there was 'no possibility of cure in the case of a homosexual. They should be locked up and kept off the streets for the rest of their lives.' " - F.W.
1988: 11th International Gay & Lesbian Jewish
Conference ...
"I was the president of the congregation, and chairperson of the conference. Have you ever heard the expression: You have two Jews and three synagogues ... (Laughs) ... that's what it was like. We had between 300 and 400 people came from all over the world to attend the conference. It was downtown at the Hyatt Hotel. It was extremely successful. I thought it went rather well. Did anything go wrong? .... (Laughs) ... lots of things went wrong. One of the things that was particularly difficult in those days, was trying to keep the vegetarians happy ... (Laughs) ... the chefs at the hotel, when you said vegetarian, all they understood was steamed vegetables, and they had no idea!" - Alice Cooperman
My first lesbian bar ...
"It was 1981. The Swan Club. Very small, very smoky, you walked in and there was a small dance floor, a bar ... I think most people went there to drink and meet women. At the time I didn't even realize I was gay, and somebody I worked with took me there, because I liked to dance, and I felt very uneasy. It was very hard for me." - Anita
"It's a restaurant now, but it was a small women's bar, they had a pool table in the back. It was nice because it was smaller, and ... it was just a more neighborhood type of place, where I could walk to." - Alice Cooperman
A Go Go Boy ...
"I danced at the Horseshoe a long time ago. But one thing I never did was let them stick a buck or any money down my G string. Cos they want to grab and touch, like ... Oh no .... no no no no no ... It was like, stick in my boot, or put it in my hand ... that was at the Lucky Horseshoe and the Glory Hole, and the New Flight .... those were the three I danced at." - Spid er
The Bank Lounge ...
"That was fun. It was fun! It was kind of like a dump. But it was cool. Cool party people." - Spider
My first gay bar ...
"The Iron Butterfly. I thought it was wonderful. The guy I went in there with was friends of the owners, and so I knew the owners and had gone to parties with them. They even stole my shirt up at Marina Towers one night. They wanted a butterfly shirt, and I had a butterfly shirt on ... (Laughs) ... and I was left, New Year's Eve without a shirt. I can't remember the owner's name ... it was a gay woman. She had previously been married to a gay man. She was a chemist, so she made all of her own popper's ... and stuff ... (Laughs) ... " - Eric Magnuson
Iron Butterfly ...
"It was kind of a scary place for me. I'd just come out. The place was really dark, and the people were not real friendly. It just seemed like a lot of people into drugs, and probably into a lot of scenes that I wasn't into." - Mark Palermo
His 'n' Hers ...
"They had great hamburgers there." - Alice Cooperman
"As for my burgers, the recipe will go with me to my grave ... " - Marge Summit
Memory check: The Windup Bar (669 N. State St.), The Swan Club (3720 N. Clark St.). The Bank Lounge (200 State St. Calumet City), Iron Butterfly (1437 N. Wells St.).
Send your stories to Sukie de la Croix at Outlines.

What a Difference a Gay Makes

The Gay/Lesbian Movement, 5, 10, 15 & 20 Years Ago

by Sukie de la Croix

What was happening in the gay and lesbian movement 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago this month?

Here's this week's Outlines overview to help you trigger the memories of yesteryear ...

Oct. 12-18

1992: 5 Years Ago
U.S.: Thousands of ACT UP members form a human chain around the White House to protest President George Bush's inactivity on AIDS. - In an interview with Newsweek, country singer Garth Brooks declares his support for gay rights. His latest song "We Shall Be Free" says: "When we're free to love anyone we choose, then we shall be free." - In the October issue of Vanity Fair, Madonna says: "I have a lot of sexual fantasies about women, and I enjoy being with women, but by and large I'm mostly fulfilled with a man." - Roland Pool, 31, and Michael Geller, 30, two Washington, D.C. men, who have earned some of the highest honors achievable as members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), file a complaint against the BSA, charging that they were discriminated against, after they came out as gay. - Norway: In Oslo, six gay men are arrested, after throwing eggs at Christians who were protesting the proposed legalization of gay marriage.

1987: 10 Years Ago
U.S.: ABC newsman Peter Jennings picks Cleve Jones, organizer of the AIDS Memorial Quilt display in Washington, D.C., as 'Person Of The Week.' - Over 600 demonstrators are arrested at the U.S. Supreme Court, during a protest against sodomy laws. - Two inmates at a state prison in Lake Butler, are charged with stealing HIV-infected blood from the prison laboratory and pouring it into a guard's coffee. - Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt becomes the ninth governor to sign an executive order banning discrimination against lesbians and gay men employed by the state. - In Massachusetts, the Provincetown Board of Selectmen fire Gene Poyant, the official town crier, after allegations that he made slanderous remarks about gays to tourists visiting the town.

1982: 15 Years Ago
U.S.: The Alliance of Gay Artists hold their annual Media Awards. Winners include: Robert Preston & Alex Karras for their role in Victor/Victoria, and Tony Randall for his performance in the TV show Love, Sidney. t In Seattle, a U.S. District Court judge rules that the Army must allow openly gay Perry Watkins to re-enlist, because military authorities repeatedly stated that he was qualified to perform his duties, even though he admitted he was gay when he was drafted in 1967. He is later discharged. - Moral Majority leader, Jerry Falwell, appears on the Phil Donahue Show, discussing gay rights with Virginia Apuzzo, the director of the Fund for Human Dignity, and Dan Bradley, president of the Legal Services Corporation. - Australia: New South Wales Premier, Neville Wran, announces an amendment to the Anti-Discrimination Act, that prevents discrimination on grounds of homosexuality in public education, employment, accommodations, provisions of goods and services, and in registered clubs.

1977: 20 Years Ago
U.S.: A gay man from Grand Island, Neb., hijacks a Frontiers Airline jet with 32 passengers, and demands $3 million in cash and the release of his lover, who is in jail in Atlanta. - Tom Higgins, a gay activist from Minneapolis, slaps a cherry cream pie into Anita Bryant's face during a news conference in Des Moines. - The 1st annual conference of the Gay Nurses Alliance takes place in Boston. - Movie review from The New York Times: "You could look far and wide to find a more pointlessly ugly movie than John Waters' Desperate Living, but what would be the point? This one more than takes the cake, and regurgitates it in close-up. The graphic sex scenes are enough to make absolutely anyone swear off amour."

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