Amongst the money-loving, tax-hating, unambiguously hetero populous that saturates our prairie province, there exists a (not so) hidden group of gay, lesbian, cross dressing, genderfucking body of citizens who -- despite the fact that they coexist with the young, forward thinkers -- are still somewhat susceptible to the conservative ideology that still lingers in the hearts and minds of the masses.
Edmonton has no Davie’s Village, or no Church and Wellesley. With no established district such as these, Edmonton’s gay population is still fairly translucent to the public. As far as City Council is concerned, it would make our city “terribly dirty” to allow us to hang rainbow flags from light posts, or paint giant hearts on the concrete.
Back in my days of cruising Whyte Ave, I saw many new nightclubs emerge from nowhere, become outrageously popular, and then fizzle out of existence in the span of a single summer partying season. Why was it that bars always failed? Lack of variety, of course. Don't open a bar that offers no more than the bar down the street. To give a little variety, I've said for awhile that if one wants to succeed in opening a bar on Whyte, they should make it a gay bar.
Seems like a good idea, n'est-ce pas?
Maybe not. I got to thinking. The nightlife downtown -- much more tame, much less dense -- gives the perfect opportunity for the gay crowd to flourish devoid of much hostility from the more unsavory of the straight crowd. Whyte Ave, for all of it's positives, transforms with the
appearance of the moon from a gathering place of friendlies to a villainous haunt crawling with drugs and alcohol mixed with wolfish bros just waiting to pounce on the first prey that they see. So maybe, with the thriving population of (Grade A Alberta)meatheads still prowling the Avenue, maybe a gaybar is not a great idea.
But enough with the negative. Like any other fundamental rights issue that has been brought to the forefront in the past 60 years, gays are slowly making their way into the positive light. However, change happens on a generational basis, so even if there are a few knots to untangle, we can sit comfortably knowing that our generation's offspring will be even more forward thinking than us.
I agree with a few of the points in this post, though I dont necessarily think that Edmonton is as closed minded or restrictive on the gay community as this post makes it out to be. Sure, we dont have established districts, but we do have things like the gay pride parade and I have seen rainbow flags flying (see Earths General Store). I dont think that we would be opposed to more events or symbolism...I just think that there is maybe a fear or apathy towards the pushing of such things. Or maybe Im just being niave...However! I dont think that it is fair to say that Downtown is not as full of "villanious haunt" (great lol). Sure, Whyte ave is a little scary, but so is downtown in my opinion... (see murders at bus terminal by the Mcdougall Hotel, see people I know getting jumped). And I do think a gay bar would work because I know people who specifically skip Whyte Ave just to travel downtown to a gay bar. It would be much more convenient on the Ave, and I dont necessarily think it would draw violence from the Grade A's.
ReplyDeletePS Your writing is awesome...(see Grade A, villainous haunt, unambiguously hetero, and wolfish)
i love the idea of a gay bar on whyte but i've often drawn the same conclusion you do. i worry that it would spawn a whole different kind of hatred and that the oilers celebrations or grey cup celebrations that bring out a SPECIFIC kind of person would be aggressive, especially when drunk. at the same time, i don't think change can come to a place without resistance. also, i hope against hope, as naive i am, that it would be embraced by a large percentage of people and those who acted against the gay bar would be judge negatively by the overall whyte community. the night life brings out people from all over, it definitely brings out the hetero "eat beef, drill oil, win hockey" types. but whyte, at least to me, seems like a fairly inclusive community. AND finally, i think we have to give the "meatheads" a chance--if we (whatever "we" means here) constantly assume they they're pigheaded, they will continue to be.
ReplyDeleteOn neighbourhoods: there is a kind of lesbian enclave in the Westmount area and somewhat in Norwood too. For the most part, these are non-bar-going middle-aged women, settled down wit life partners (whether married or living in sin). You can't locate this group by bars or clubs or even other public spaces (the folks I'm talking about are likelier to be seen at Somerville Wine Bar on 124th Street than at the Black Dog) - but the private spaces do create a certain kind of neighbourhood. It's interesting to see how this does and doesn't come to the city's consciousness. (Like Millwoods?)
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