![]() We are allowed to have a space that’s right on a thoroughfare like everybody else. “But it also shows that we don’t have to hide in a back alley. But more than surviving, places like Club Basix and then Belle’s Basix allowed her to thrive. “Other bars, you had to know where it was in an alley with a swinging light, or go through a creaky door,” she said.īut places like these saved her from isolation - feeling like you’re the only one, often one of the most horrifying experiences she said a gay or lesbian person can experience. Another common code for gay bars was having “Mr.” or “Mrs.” in the name.įor Rowray, 53, bars like Club Basix in northeast Cedar Rapids felt like they had an element of danger after coming of age at nightclubs in abandoned buildings off railroad right-of-ways or hard-to-find locations. Long before mainstream establishments picked up on the trend of putting their building number or address in their name, as did the 620 club, she said it was generally a signal of safety for gay patrons. Before she came out in 1993, Newhall resident Jennifer Rowray, now a popular lesbian personality on TikTok, was going to the 620 nightclub, a gay staple in Iowa City now closed.
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