The Bucs made history last night winning Super Bowl LV in their home stadium. Food Walking Tours With all the nightclubs, restaurants, and live bands in Ybor City you don’t want to miss out on the chance to enjoy, experience, and indulge in the culture. "We have a … Cheezy’s Bistro & Speakeasy is open weekdays 11a.m to 12a.m. "If we told them the truth we might have been arrested and interrogated," West said.SUNday FUNday the Showbar Ybor City Caught Bradley’s on 7th Caught Southern Nights Caught City Side Lounge C aught Southern Nights Dishing with Mark n Carrie, So Much FUN in Tampa The Bulge Ybor City SUNday FUNday The Showbar Ybor City 11 Tours to Choose From 3 Tours Each Day – 7 Days a Week For More Information call: (813) 408-1078 To Book a Tour… the James Joyce Irish Pub & Eatery has sandwiches, bowls, entrees, burgers, and of course a state of the art bar with all the drinks you can imagine. They replied no, and said they were cousins. "They asked, 'Sir, do you know what type of bar that is?'" said Bias, 62. Police would park around the corner and pull over patrons leaving the establishment. "Jacqueline Kennedy was so was so pretty and glamorous," Bias explained, "and, 'Are you a friend of Dorothy?' was a gay pickup line."īias and West were regulars at Rene's, popular for its pool and cabanas. Kennedy is in the room," when anyone spotted undercover cops, and, "Dorothy is on her way," when a raid was coming.
FIRST GAY BAR IN YBOR CITY GAY BAR TAMPA CODE
Gay bar patrons, they said, whispered the code phrase, "Mrs. "We parked five blocks away from other bars because we didn't want to be seen," Bachschmid said.īias and West moved to the area in 1980. This mainstream status made it the safest place for LGBTQ people to frequent without fear of being outed. One regular was former Tampa mayor Dick Greco, who would take out-of-town guests there to see the drag shows. "It was legendary."Įl Goya Mall attracted heterosexuals, too. "The entrance had a giant lagoon with a huge waterfall," said Alvarez, the former restaurant owner. The committee was disbanded in 1965.īut the bar reopened on a grander scale, as El Goya Mall - offering five lounges including one with a country-western theme. The LGBTQ community was also targeted by the John's Committee established in 1956 by the Florida Legislature to root out what were deemed to be subversive activities. No one was charged, but 12 women dressed in "mannish clothing" were photographed and fingerprinted, according to the Tribune. "We're going to put a stop to this activity once and for all." "My orders came from the top," an officer was quoted as saying in the Tampa Tribune. In July 1957, Tampa's Jimmie White's Tavern was raided. Police used the crime as a pretense to intensify their crackdown. He was last seen alive at the Knotty Pine. was found beaten unconscious along Riverhills Drive in Tampa and died a month later. When police entered the bar, those dancing would quickly switch from same-sex to opposite-sex partners. The Knotty Pine opened in the 1940s on the corner of Polk and Morgan streets. The history of Tampa's own gay bars mirrors the changes nationwide. "It's unbelievable how open it is now," West said.Ī gay bar figures prominently in that timeline - Greenwich Village's Stonewall Inn, where riots broke out 50 years ago when homosexuality was illegal and patrons lashed out against constant raids.
Today, communities on both sides of Tampa Bay elect openly gay candidates, and this weekend, they host Pride parades. The auction items span a period of growing acceptance for gay people in American society, he said.