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In the spring, Barnes says that Overstreet began pressuring him and Squatriglia to make their upcoming rental payments.
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“With the dancers being so mixed, as far as their preference, and sexual identities, that definitely goes hand in hand with the type of people that have come through the door,” she adds. “We called ourselves ‘Cirque Du So Gay.’”Ĭane says the owners of the bar, Chris Barnes and Jacqui Squatriglia, treated the dancers like artists, employing everyone from parkour enthusiasts to any “stuntmen who could catch a groove.”Ĭane, who identifies as bisexual, says the club was also unique in West Hollywood in that it was inclusive to everyone - lesbian women, trans people, straight people - as opposed to primarily being for the boys. “Flaming Saddles was supreme, honey,” says dancer Candace Cane. And now it’s just gone.”ĭown the block, another Overstreet-owned building called Flaming Saddles drew a diametrically different crowd, as well as gravity-defying go-go dancers who could swing from the rafters and then expertly lower themselves down a two-story pole. “I feel like I spent half my life in a bar on Santa Monica Boulevard. “It was a very traumatic thing to move out of there,” he adds. An estimated 23% of men over the age of 65 live alone in West Hollywood, according to the city’s 2019 demographic report - triple the rate of Los Angeles County. Paul Hamel, a longtime customer who documented the bar’s annual Red Dress Party, an AIDS benefit that’s gone national, liked that Gold Coast catered to “neighbors not tourists,” including seniors who have fewer options for socializing in the city.
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whether they were wearing a cashmere sweater or a leather jacket,” says Hastings. “We wanted a place where gay people can go to and have a good time and be treated with respect. Hastings opened the bar three years before West Hollywood was even founded, envisioning a gay Cheers that welcomed all. Customers could play pool and darts, then stumble across the street and “browse” the iconic adult store Circus of Books, the subject of a 2019 Netflix documentary. The dive was known for serving cheap drinks to an older, less status-driven crowd, a rarity in a neighborhood that prizes EDM remixes and rock-hard six-packs. Gold Coast was just down the boulevard from West Hollywood’s main drag, but it might as well have been in another world. He remembers when the alley next door was such a popular hookup spot that cars would circle the pavement, occasionally hitting folks cruising for sex. Bob Hastings, the founder of Gold Coast, talks about his bar as if it’s still kicking. Overstreet isn’t the only landlord who’s failed to reach an agreement with commercial tenants during the pandemic, but the resulting closure of beloved and historic queer spaces has rattled longtime customers and the wider LGBTQ+ community in L.A., leading to existential questions about what post-pandemic nightlife will look like - especially for marginalized queer people.įor bar owners, the past year has been dizzying. He declined multiple interview requests from them. Reached over the phone, Overstreet refused to comment on his business dealings with Barnes and other bar proprietors but said it was “untrue” that he wasn’t willing to work with them.
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The owners of three other queer clubs, in buildings owned by Overstreet, also announced that that were shutting down after being unable to make rent. to close permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oil Can Harry’s is one of a number of queer establishments in L.A. I can’t stop thinking: ‘When am I going to see my friends again?’” “It’s hard for me to talk about it without getting emotional. When Bowerman read the news, his heart sank. “Thank you all for this beautiful gift that we all shared for 52 years,” he added. In another post, Fagan said that “the property was sold out from under me.” Fagan did not elaborate further on what happened and did not respond to messages from them. “I fought hard to keep it but just had to give up!!” Fagan wrote in a Facebook post announcing the news. After sitting vacant, owner John Fagan announced in January 2021 that the club was closing permanently because Monte Overstreet, who owns commercial properties all over the L.A. The two-stepping came to a screeching halt when the pandemic hit last March.