the other day. I don't know why I bother because the news there is always so totally freakin' outdated. They might as well call it outdatedbuffalo.comCheck this out, here we are on February 13th and the "Breaking News" is an article from December 5th.
It seems like there should be more to talk about in a city as gay as Buffalo. One article about the gay bars on Allen being too loud for the neighbors is quite interesting.
Cathode Ray is saying that it is discrimination and that the people living around the bar just want to shut it down because it is a gay bar. Now I am going out on a limb here because I don't know the whole situation, but I bet it is more because it is loud and there are lots of people on the patio.
On the other hand, the stupid idiots that bought houses right by Allen, knew they were moving into a loud city street in the middle of the gaybarhood.
From the article
The owner of Cathode Ray stands by his accusations of gay bashing by certain residents of North Pearl Street, but police officials say that in "mixed use" neighborhoods like Allentown, made up of both residential homes and commercial businesses, the issue that emerges is not homophobia, but "quality of life."...
In July, Kym Mosgeller, of North Pearl Street, wrote a letter to Ellicott District Councilmember Brian Davis listing complaints, mostly in regard to noise levels, against three gay bars on Allen Street - Cathode Ray, Adonia's and Q-44 Allen. She attached a petition signed by other neighbors of the street who were unhappy as well.
Afterward, John Little, owner and operator of Cathode Ray, hung posters in his bar under the headline "Gay Bar Bashing" accusing Mosgeller of trying to close the gay patios, "but allowing the straight patios to remain open." He was referring to the patios used by patrons of nearby Mother's and Fat Bob's.
There is simply a huge difference between Mother's, Fat Bob's and Cathode Ray in terms of volume and the attitude of the people. It makes me wonder why are bars so loud. Anytime I go to one, I end up getting a sore throat from screaming the whole time.
I mean it makes sense for a dance club, but Cathode Ray is definitely not a dance club. I wish there was a quieter sit down gay bar that wasn't as posh as Fugazi. Buddies used to kind of be like that but the new one downtown really isn't. I liked how they had two rooms at the old one, the dance area and the actual cheers style bar.
I will openly admit that I have never been to a gay bar for women or men. But i don't really go to bars that often. Not to mention I can admit I would feal weird in one. I think maybe more in a girl bar cause it would be like oh hear is the guy who wants to see us make out (and that would kinda be true). I wonder if the part of Allen the bars are in is a factor. I kinda think that part might be more residentail but not sure. I wonder if it was any bar that was loud in that same spot that wasn't gay if the reaction would be the same. I think that what Josh said is a big factor, that you have people who want to be there for the scene. But only can have it loud on the weekends during the summer months.
Josh I have only ever been to Roxy's, and yes it was more perverted than a Cheers-style establishment (the word perverted having nothing to do with gayness itself, just the vivid girl porn star posters on the wall, so please guys just take it easy).
I almost forgot - a gay Cheers-style bar? I have to admit that I think its a cool idea. Six years ago a friend and I mistakenly walked into a dyke bar in Greenwich Village - I swear to you I've never had so many hostile glances. I felt like a Baptist minister at an abortion convention. Needless to say, we left and went next door to the White Horse Tavern - it was an interesting experience.
Anyway, I digress - having never been in a Buffalo gay bar I can't say with any authority, but my impression is that many of the gay bars in Buffalo have a more flamboyant orientation than a bar like Cheers. The neighborhood gay bar Cheers-style - considering the alcoholic nature of our city I don't understand why this hasn't happened yet.
My problems with this issue are manyfold, but I'll highlight two of them.
Firstly, claiming that the neighbors around Cathode Ray are homophobic is absolute horseshit - those bars have been there for a long time and residents of Allentown have always been fully aware of the "mixed usage" of the neighborhood. Claiming homophobia when it isn't warranted cheapens the struggles that gay people have, just like when minorities play the "race card" in the instances where there is no problem.
Secondly, I've known many of the residents of North Pearl Street - the LAST thing that people around Allentown, or Elmwood Village, or even Buffalo in general (Buffalo is a fairly gay-friendly place) are is homophobic.
Thirdly, as an extra bonus, and this is simply my conspiracy theory - the "suburbanization" of our neighborhood is ongoing, and we are constantly having people move down here for the "atmosphere" not really having ever dealt with city life. I could barely sleep because of the noise when I first moved in - now I don't even notice it. I think if anything some posh crybabies are piping up not really having known what they were getting into when they moved into Allentown.
The timing is interesting. Cathode Ray has been in place for almost 20 years now. The North Pearl gentrifiers are just now noticing there is a bar on the corner? the hell?
Interesting observation. To be honest I think the fairest way to approach it is as if it has nothing to do with the bars being gay bars. Is there a history of gay-unfriendly activity in Allentown? I am not aware of anything like that, so why automatically come to that conclusion?
The same issues would come up regardless of the clientele if an establishment was excessively noisy. I agree people should know what they're buying, but as it is a mixed use area the rules governing noise (if any) should probably be enforced more stringently.