A Woman’s Place Books

A paper was written by Stephanie Mumly for the Gay and Lesbian Archive December 7, 2000, Judy’s

Lesbian Bar

A Piece of Portland’s Queer History: Judy’s Lesbian Bar

In 1984 a woman named Judy Kiser opened up a woman’s bar located on 1431 NE Broadway, Portland Oregon. Judy opened the bar after inheriting some money from her father’s estate. This was not her first business but it has been said that it was established after hewn n heart’. It was a beer and wine lesbian bar that was clean and classy.

A patron of Judy’s bar considered it slightly upscale. Sally Cohn says. “It was by no means a dive. Only a few blocks away on SE Morrison there was a girlie bar called Club 927 that tended to be more blue-collar”. Judy’s did not sell hard liquor like some of The surrounding bars' absence of hard liquor tended to limit heavy drinking. Cohn reports that it wasn’t a rowdy place but it wasn’t snobby either. There were other bars that a person could go to if they wanted a wilder scene. Directly across the street, there was another gay-owned bar. [Black Hawk Tavern which later became JOQ’s]. An employee of a neighboring flag store (in business from 1968 to current) says that the area has had a substantial gay population ever since he can remember. One reason people may have chosen Judy’s over other gay bars was because of the music, pool, and entertainment. Another feature is that it was wheelchair accessible. These features were combined with the bar's clean, upscale environment were part of its appeal.

Sally Cohn’states the crowd drew from diverse classes and included music lovers and members of the Metropolitan Christian Church. The lesbians who went to Judy’s ranged from upper class to middle class to lower classes who attended this lesbian bar were upper-middle-class to middle class. Cohn makes the bar sound like a cool place because even though some people were from the upper class it didn’t make it exclusive or have an I’m too good’ attitude or atmosphere.

Judy Kiser actually met her partner, who she is currently living within Pennsylvania, at MC.C. (Northeast Portland). Judy’s connection with the church may contribute to her bar and the church’s collaboration which existed. They would often share advertisements in Just Out to put on events. For instance, Judy’s might hold an event and the church would provide daycare so the parents could nd.. d. This appears to be ideal since the two structures were close in proximity (M.C.C. is located on NE 244 Judy’s NE 14* and Broadway). The bar’s involvement in the queer and women’s community made it more than just a place to get a drink and see live entertainment. It was the fact that this small bar chose to help raise funds for women’s activities and the queer community that makes it a particularly great place.

During the bar’s short existence (1984–1985) Sally Cohn, who was a member of the second Jug Band remembers performing a music gig at Judy’s. She performed on a stage that was set above a small parquet dance floor. The performance was put on to raise money for a women’s retreat. There was a talent show that followed Cohn recalls that they had a crowd and everyone looked like they were having fun.

Popular musical performers at Judy’s were Spicy Tomatoes and Kate Sullivan. (Just Out, March 2-March 16). They were more than just experienced musicians, they were also “the founding mothers of [1983] Gay Prom” which indicates that they were active in Portland’s queer community. The group played at other gay-friendly establishments such as Old Wives Tales, Reed College and Wild Oscars. Sally Cohn recalls Spicy Tomatoes' catchy slogan, ‘Be there or be ketchup!’, that was meant to remind people to watch them perform Their slogan along with their band name is telling as it shows their sense of humor,

Judy Kiser’s business was one of the many that was forced to close as a result of the gentrification of Broadway. The landlord nearly doubled her rent as she did those neighboring businesses. Another gay- owned restaurant named Dugan’s moved into the space. Cohn described Dugan’s as “funky kitch – a Hamburger Mary’s type place”.

Currently, a snazzy coffee shop called “Peete’s Coffee” exists where Judy’s and Dugan’s For at least five blocks on Broadway 12-17 and Broadway), the scene is most would consider An outcome of the recent remodeling is that certain street addresses have changed and 1431 NE Broadway is now 1444 NE Broadway. There is no record of Judy’s in the city directory. Portland skipped the year 1984 which is where it probably would have been listed. With the numbered address altered, the building and the buildings along Broadway demolished, and no record of it in the city directory, where is Judy’s history?

The writer is in error. Judy’s was NOT in the Dugan space which is on the corner, but one door west, where Dugan’s Stage Door was.

A paper written Lucas Gamlin with an interview with Ann Mussey and Rev. Susan Leo for the fall class of Gay and Lesbian Archives

The Magic Garden: Real Gay Bar?

The Magic Garden is located at 217 NW 4th Ave. in the Old Town/ Chinatown area of Portland Oregon. The bar still runs by as it did in 1973, the year in which the owner changed the Northwest. Club Northwest was owned by James S. Cleve changed ownership to Mrs. Carmelita Swearingen. Carmen felt that some changes were in order at her newly acquired bar and in 1973 name to the Magic Garden.

Carmen as she was known to her clientele did not herself identify as lesbian however, she did cater to a gay crowd, many bar owners in this area catered to marginalized crowds. Old town was known by the community as skid row and I am sure in the area would appreciate any business be it gay or straight. As early as 1972 this bar had become known for being a meeting place for the gay and lesbian community. While not being able to contact Carmen herself I have identified a few people that frequented this bar in the 1970s and am attempting to recreate the importance in this location in creating a community for gays and lesbians searching for a place to meet others.

The earliest recollection of this bar as a meeting place for gays and lesbians was in the first years of the 1970s when the bar was still known as Club Northwest. In 1973there were only a small number of bars that were meeting places for gays and lesbians, all located in Old Town or just outside of Old town in the downtown. These bars included Tasha’s and Dema’s (now known as Darcelle’s XV) as well the bar Rising Moon; there was a well-beaten path between these four bars to be sure. Tasha’s was more of a bar for a younger lesbian crowd, Dema’s was a location for all the gay community. As the change over from Dema’s to Darcelle’s XV the lesbians that I have spoken with remember feeling displaced and Darcelle searched for more tourist appeal. The Magic Garden was a bar that was catering to a different clientele others; the women who enjoyed the Magic Garden were a working-class lesbian crowd. This crowd presumably having been out longer have and were seen as rougher than the young politically optimistic lesbians I have interviewed. The working-class lesbian clientele stuck to more of the “traditional” roles that were created in the years between 1940 and 1970 in the bar scene. This bar culture developed norms of behavior and the tradition of utilizing masculine behavior to identify in lesbian culture culminated into the butch and fem dynamic. Although this bar was known namely the lesbian clientele, those I have interviewed remember that in this bar – there were always a mix of men amongst the women here.

The Magic Garden was not the most frequented bar of Susan Leo’s group of friends, instead feeling that Tasha’s was more certainly “their” crowd. These young just out of college lesbians who “felt that the sun rose and set on them, according to Susan who only on occasion venture out to the destination of the Magic Garden. Whereas Ann Mussey and her friends frequented the Magic Garden more often, they still felt the Rising Moon to be their hangout. One of the draws of the Magic Garden ws that they served not only beer but mixed drinks as well. The Magic Garden was felt to be a gay bar that “your parents would worry about you if they saw you” according to Susan. These types of locations are seemingly where the idea of a gay and lesbian community were first formed in the bars, those of the post-Stonewall age being already the second generation of this now semi-visible community. The Magic Garden then began to change slowly to the strip club now standing. In around 1975 the change had begun.

The clientele of the Magic Garden while being primarily lesbian, certainly had no stakes in being a meeting place As far as I know the owner Carmen did not herself identify as a lesbian and could have possibly had a husband and kids. The changes and strip club was a gradual one. Beginning first with strippers only once a week. Those that I have talked to did not discuss going to these strip nights and the only information I have is that this began to drastically change the make up of the clientele. By the early 1980s, the clientele was primarily straight men. It was around this time that there were other bars popping up around the city such as 927 Burnside, Judy’s on NE Broadway, and the Other Side of Midnight. Some of these were drawing away the crowds from the old town area. The bars had moved from the skid row area of downtown to the neighborhoods of the east side of Portland. The decline of the Magic Garden as a lesbian hangout certainly had to do with the change *club but I would imagine that it also has to do with the new bars were becoming options for the community. The lesbian community still being so small as to only support two or three bars according to Ann Mussey. It was not until the after 1976 that this bar had switched over to being strictly a strip club. The bar has remained a strip club until present day and in 1992 changed ownership was again. The bar was bought and is still owned by Everett Moore.