Entrapment, Discrimination, Censorship. But...
June 7, 2021 9:22 PM   Subscribe

Buffalo News brings you The struggles of Buffalo’s gay community through the '70s But...

What of that Mattachine Society mentioned in that article? Buffalo's Own Piece Of LGBTQ History tells the story of the founding of that group and a bar riot in Buffalo which galvanized the movement. But...

What of this gay life of the 40s and 50s mentioned in THAT article? Gay In Buffalo (from Buffalo Spree, 2000) Conversations with people who remember when people from Toronto came to Buffalo for the gay scene. But...

What about all these newsletters and other source materials mentioned? You can peruse The Madeline Davis Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Archives of Western New York online, including photos, programs, radio shows (audio!), and newsletters that are source materials from the times reported in the WIDELY-varied Gay Histories Of Buffalo, NY.
posted by hippybear (7 comments total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
What a great collection of stories! I was born and raised in (suburban) Buffalo and Western NY is such a huge piece of my heart. Thanks for expanding my perception of my hometown city.
posted by misskaz at 4:20 AM on June 8, 2021 [3 favorites]


Thank you for posting this!! My teenage years in the mid to late 90s were bearable only because I was embraced by my gay sister and the whole queer community of Buffalo.

I have to give praise to some particular organizations that are doing great stuff: The Imperial Court of Buffalo, BUA (Buffalo United Artists), The Stripteasers, Evergreen Health Services. These are just a few.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:13 AM on June 8, 2021 [6 favorites]


Met my wife in Buffalo! She met her wife too :)
posted by triage_lazarus at 9:23 AM on June 8, 2021 [4 favorites]


Thanks for sharing! I've enjoyed seeing all the Rainbow Flags mounted on the city light poles as I walk down Elmwood Ave in Buffalo. I could have sworn the lights on top of Buffalo City Hall looked like a rainbow pattern on one of my walks last week.

At the corner of Allen St. and Elmwood Ave there's someone known as the Bubble Man. They live in an apartment on one of the upper floors. They make the intersection rain bubbles. I recently moved here and the bubble shower seems to be a regular occurance, not just limited to June.

It's nice to celbrate Pride month when it's raining bubbles and Rainbow flags are mounted on city fixtures.
posted by mundo at 10:33 AM on June 8, 2021 [6 favorites]


mundo, I can confirm, bubble man is not just active in June. If the weather’s warm enough for open windows, there’s a chance of bubbles. :) Welcome to the 716!!

Thank you so much for this post, hippybear! I am really looking forward to diving into the queer history of my adopted hometown as soon as my darn internet is back up.
posted by okayokayigive at 12:47 PM on June 8, 2021 [2 favorites]


Fascinating. This is not the Buffalo I thought I saw as I naively and briefly passed through as a tourist. That was clearly my mistake.
posted by eotvos at 1:49 PM on June 8, 2021


Another former Buffalo suburbanite Mefite here. Thanks so much for this - I had no idea and it is a pleasure to read some positive stuff about Buffalo, a really great city that is on the rebound in many ways.
posted by bluesky43 at 7:16 PM on June 10, 2021


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