“As Silver Lake - and the whole landscape of gay Hollywood and the east side - changed so much I always had this idea in my head of turning the place back into Cuffs for one night,” he says. Jonesy, along with a group of artistic collaborators, threw a party last summer that re-created Cuffs in the same space it once inhabited, now home to the Hyperion Tavern. Working there was a real challenge,” he says with a laugh, “especially when you were trying to clean up using a tiny penlight.”
“Bar service stopped at 2 but they kept it open until 3 and the lights went out for that final hour. Jonesy, a mononymous L.A.-based queer artist who was a regular at a number of these spots worked briefly as a barback at Cuffs, a major gay hangout of the recent past.Ĭuffs “was incredibly dark and super cruisey,” Jonesy recalls. These are souvenirs from experiences which could have been life-changing moments.” “ have a very strong emotional connection. “People go through and look for places they remember,” says Lerew. The matchbooks have made the library a draw for former patrons of the bars. Many of them are gone now and are the only record they ever existed.”
“It’s like an archive of safe spaces,” Lerew says of the collection. Todd Lerew, program manager at the Library Foundation, the private nonprofit that oversaw “21 Collections,” curated the exhibition. Elegantly arranged in concentric circles, the matchbooks hail from such evocatively named establishments as the Sewers of Paris, Basic Plumbing, the Meat Rack, the Big Banana, the Fallen Angel and Dude City. gay bars and sex clubs, most of them now closed. In the midst of the exhibition “21 Collections,” which fills the Getty Gallery with doll hats, bird eggs and Tom Hanks’ stockpile of vintage typewriters, sits a round, glass-topped case containing 200 alphabetized matchbooks from L.A. Petersburg Area.A time capsule of L.A.’s bar history is now on display at downtown’s Central Library. Pete Pride Celebration in June and Come OUT St Pete in October. Petersburg and home to many LGBT businesses and the annual St. The Grand Central District is an urban village in the heart of St. Nearby communities such as Gulfport, Dunedin and Safety Harbor also provide a welcoming community on a smaller scale. The price ranges and styles differ greatly. While there is no “gay ghetto” there are many neighborhoods that are gay and lesbian friendly. Petersburg area is the diversity of the neighborhoods. One of the most beautiful aspects of the St. Petesrburg was named one of the “50 Fabulous Gay Friendly Places to Live” by Gregory Kompes. Petersburg’s diverse economy and increasing job opportunities all beckon for potential residents to take a closer look. Lower your stress levels with our laid back lifestyle and effective transportation networks. Public art murals have sprouted all through downtown spreading. Over a dozen craft breweries have opened in the last few years. Downtown’s public parks host more than 200 events annually including Main Sail Arts Festival, 4th of July, RibFest, Caribbean Festival, Music Festivals, many concerts and more special events. The Warehouse Arts District west of downtown is booming area for artists and art lovers. Petersburg’s expanding culture, including nine world-class museums, performing arts venues, unique galleries and stores. The Municipal Equality Index examines the laws, policies, and services of municipalities and rates them on the basis of their inclusivity of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there.Įxplore your creative side with St. Petersburg’s thriving downtown and proximity to the fabulous Gulf beaches with amazing sunsets has attracted visitors for a century! Beginning in 2014 and every year since, St Petersburg has scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's Municipality Equality Index (MEI). Petersburg, Florida remains the sunniest place to be gay! Just as in this 1926 Chamber of Commerce ad, St.