Gay bars in lafayette

At one point, Lafayette had seven gay bars.

Lafayette's newest LGBT bar, The Fox's Den Performance Club, plans Halloween opening

Strokes was a bar shaped like a dome behind Bayou Shadows apartment complex. Lafayette was known as a gay-friendly town. Scholars, students and anyone interested in this history can visit to view books and artifacts, listen to recordings and see old newsletters like Zipper and The Alternative.

Dating from the late s and early s, the newsletters document the vibrant scene Richard remembers. Perez, who has two degrees from UL and conducts queer history tours of New Orleans, asked if the Center for Gay Studies had anything to contribute to the state archive. Sharp said it did not but noted that the center itself would welcome lafayette some.

InPerez handed over his own collection of old newsletters, along with the Rich Magill Collection, consisting of audio recordings of gay rights activists and leaders. Petrou, who is originally from New York, says she grew up during the s when AIDS was still a massive public bar crisis and has been interested in collecting this type of history for a long time.

Richard also recently donated a scrapbook about his experience working with AcadianaCares, which started in as Lafayette C. It was a four-day festival at the end of March and included a play about Chez Giselle, the first gay bar in Downtown Lafayette, music on the Parc International stage, a drag show at Fame bar on Pinhook and a Sunday brunch.

That festival ran through and was revived again in Richard is thrilled to see Pride Acadiana continue in Lafayette on June 24 and businesses Downtown support the event. So much of our history remains in the closet, and we just want to get it out of there so these voices can be heard.

If you have an oral history, artifacts or anything else related to the queer history of Acadiana, please contact one of these organizations. Commenting is reserved for donors. Make a Donation ». Get it first. Sign up for our free newsletters. Learn more ». Skip to Content. We believe in Lafayette.

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