esrosedotblog

STONEWALL NORTH

We here in the States think that we invented Gay Liberation but it is a world movement.

And not that far from home.

The 1981 Toronto Bathhouse Riots

Today is the 30th anniversary.

I can personally testify to the change in Toronto's gay atmosphere during this time. In only a few visits to a friend, the lid came off and stayed off so that Toronto became a vibrant and liberated gay community.

"If gay people had run for the shadows in 1981, if the found-ins had pleaded guilty, if those who marched on that first cold February night had simply stayed home, Canada would be a very different place for gay people today."

Every once in awhile I have to explain to straight people what a bathhouse was.

Fundamentally, it was a place where gay men could go, take their clothes off, put on a towel (there are various techniques to get the proper drape) and walk around waiting for situations to occur that might be pleasing for them.

In some ways it was a bit stifling as no names were used and people didn't "know each other" after they left. But it was a safe haven for many gay men and a playground of sorts that was unprecedented.

Ironically, with gay liberation and the advent of the internet hot line, the baths no longer served a function for most gay men. You could cruise from your home and not have to worry about getting the towel right.

There are still a few baths in big cities but, for the most part, they are gone.

We have one or two here in Palm Springs for those who still like the aura of a place like that. Anonymous sex and some kink besides. It is funny that since some locals go to them it is like old home week for some veterans.

And here, the gatherings of naked gay men still occur but at the inns and complexes. Same game, different venue.

I know. It is disgusting. But a lot of fun if you like that kind of thing. And no one's business. It is all quite consensual and a pretty clean business. In the old days, the baths were often run by the mob and were subject to a lot of side trouble. Not now.

There was recently a sting here in the gay resort area. The police chief has had to resign over his remarks and tactics at the time. A different world.

Labels: gay his', gay identity, gay liberation