I visited a gay bar for the first time last summer and was surprised that nobody paid any attention to me. Fellow Weeklyteer Eric Griffey and I were writing a warped blog post called “Little Mikey’s Big Adventure” and we stopped at Stampede’s, a gay bar south of downtown. While Griffey was talking to the manager I sat at a table next to a U-shaped bar where at least two-dozen men were drinking beer and cocktails. There wasn’t a woman in sight except local celebrity drag queen and AIDS activist Rhonda Mae, who has been written about previously in Fort Worth Weekly.
As I sat there, I kept figuring one of these guys would hit on me. I was going to politely explain to them that I wasn’t that way. Except nobody paid any attention to me. For 10 or 15 minutes not a single person spoke to me or approached me. I was relieved and offended at the same time. What am I chopped liver?
Another straight dude Weeklyteer Dan McGraw did a cover story called “Waking Up the Rainbow” in 2005 about gay politics in Fort Worth and spent several nights incognito at a gay bar called Best Friends. He had a similar experience of being ignored. “It was like hanging out at any other bar,” he said. “Most of the guys had been married before and had kids.”
For some reason, however, Fort Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officers went into a gay bar on Saturday night and the patrons allegedly became fraught with horn and damn near raped our boys in blue. Here’s the police account of how a routine bar inspection resulted in sexually explicit advances, a grabbed crotch, seven arrests, and a severe head injury (whether or not you believe this explanation is up to you):
“Officers arrived at the Rainbow Lounge to conduct the scheduled inspection. Some officers remained outside while some entered the club. While walking through the Rainbow Lounge, an extremely intoxicated patron made sexually explicit movements toward the police supervisor. This individual was arrested for public intoxication. Another intoxicated individual also made sexually explicit movements towards another officer and he was arrested for public intoxication. A third individual inside the lounge assaulted the TABC agent by grabbing the TABC agent’s groin. He was escorted outside and arrested for public intoxication. The decision was made to release him to paramedics due to his extreme intoxicated state as he was repeatedly vomiting. While dealing with this person, another officer requested assistance from inside the club as he had an intoxicated individual that was resisting arrest. This person was placed on the ground in an effort to control and apprehend. A total of seven (7) arrests were made from the Rainbow Lounge during this inspection.”
No one touched those officers. My question is this. Where were the breathalizers? Seriously, if you are raiding a bar to ascertain if patrons are drunk (and ostensibly arresting them for it), why not bring the breathalizers? Hmmmm.
The gentleman who was beat senseless for the crime of being Gay and walking to the bathroom is hospitalized with internal bleeding and a broken skull. His condition is reportedly not good. My guess is that the taxpayers in FW are going to be paying lots of money in this case.
It might also be instructive to see pictures of those law enforcement officers who were supposedly ‘assaulted’ to see if its credible that they would be so hot that people would just jump up and grab their crotches. I’m also wondering if there will be any prosecutions of those patrons for grabbing crotches. That would be assault on a law enforcement officer. Why no arrests for that ? Hmmmm.
You may also ask why was this club targeted for ‘enforcement’. How was it picked? At random? Boy they must have some bad luck because they had been open for all of a week. Hmmmm.
While folks who have never visited a gay bar may imagine that crotch-grabbing, booty-pinching, and lewd come-ons are the order of the day, I can honestly state that in all my years of visiting gay bars (makes me sound like a sot, but hey–where else can you find a room full of gay men?), the only times I saw crotch-grabbing was between friends as a joke (usually followed by “Get away from me, Queen!!” and wild laughter). I wasn’t there–I admit, but the crotch-grabbing story just doesn’t ring true to me, based on my experience. Hoping and praying for a quick recovery for the guy in the hospital, though….
I agree T&P, in all my years going to gay bars, I have never seen that kind of behavior. Nobody would do that to a cop. It’s obviously fabricated. There is something else going on and I hope it comes to light.
Jeff,
I could hazard a guess as to why you and Dan weren’t hit on…
I was there … Regarding the police’s testimony, absolutely nothing of the sorts went on …. I myself am a straight man and was there with my girlfriend and two friends of hers … What went down Saturday night was utterly repulsive behavior on behalf of the Fort Worth police department … I am incredibly proud of the way the community is rallying around this issue … This is not a gay issue … This is an equality issue …. If we want to live in a free society we have to stop seeing these people as second class citizens ….
Another factor to consider is the history of how police officers routinely lie on police reports, how they cover up for each other, and how they are proven to be violent. The police have no credibility. My advice is avoid cops whenever possible. They are no one’s friends, they are dangerous and should be treated as dangerous.
I’m bi and have patronized many clubs in FW. I haven’t visited the Rainbow Lounge yet, but I will. In my experience, I haven’t found as much lewd behavior at any club as one in downtown FW. Not only was sexually suggestive behavior observed among women in cages, but breasts were bared. Two police officers stood guard at the top of a ramp and watched the act. They DID NOT take any type of enforcement action. As I said, I’m bi and wasn’t offended. But why the double standard? If these “queers” thrusted their hips at the officers, I don’ t believe it was any worse than women baring their breasts; at least no penis’ were exposed. I honestly believe the machoism of these men was compromised by the acts. They were not lewd. It comes down to tolerence. No one else in the club was offended. Perhaps the Justice Department does need to investigate. In my opinion, the incident borders on discrimination.