Club Tribute

Club Tribute (March 2009)

Club Tribute

Location: 3200 North Arnoult Road (18th Street), Metairie, Louisiana, USA
 
Opened: March 2009
 
Closed: February 2013

From Gay Cities:

NOLA's #1 lesbian bar
Club Tribute is always having a good time in Phat City. With drink specials throughout the week and hot girls servin' them up, it's sure to be a fun girls night.

And here's a customer review from August 2012:

This bar not only had a dance floor but also 5 small pool tables (only 50 cents a game). There were booths for more intimate conversation. The drinks were well priced and despite having three drinks each our bill was under $30.00.

The Facebook page documents what a great old-school lesbian bar this was--hundreds (if not thousands!) of photos from birthday parties, benefits, fundraisers for breast cancer, animal rescue, etc. Unfortunately, it all came to an end when the owners of the building decided to sell.



Club Tribute Farewell Party - February 22, 2013
 

Here's the farewell letter from the owner (dated February 21, 2013):

Just received verbal notice this week that the building where Club Tribute / Escapades are located in has been sold...The new owners (a Medical Service) wants us to vacate within 10 days so this weekend will be our last weekend opened forever (at this location). We will open Friday for Club Tribute (No cover)...Saturday for an event hosted by Dragon (cover) and Sunday for Escapades (Club Tribute family are welcomed but there will be a cover) .
I want to take this time and ...thank our customers (family) for helping to put us on the map. My family has been operating at this location for 25+ plus years (4 years as Club Tribute) so it saddens me deeply to see it come to an end; but our journey will continue and I hope that Club Tribute’s family will go out and support the Beach House and all other “Alternative” businesses…We are a community and we need to do everything in our power to support each other.
Much love to you all,
Wongie

Below are a variety of posters from Club Tribute's four years of existence:

Kristy Lee at Club Tribute
(March 2009)

Michigan Avenue at Club Tribute (April 2012)

Tammy & Coleen Birthday Celebration at
Club Tribute (November 2011)

God-des & She at Club Tribute (April 2011)

Lounging room for ladies, Louisville & Nashville Railroad

San Antonio Express, June 20, 1925

Lounging room for ladies, Louisville & Nashville Railroad

Location: Ran between New Orleans, Louisiana, Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Open/Closed: 1920s

As a student of history, I know very well that access to a transportation service like this, especially in this location (the American South), was stringently regulated by race and social/economic class.

But there is a part of me that is easily seduced by the golden age of railroads--I freely admit it. Especially in the hot summer months, I can easily find myself fantasizing what this kind of journey by train could have been like.

And then under the description of the Pan-American, I see a reference to a "lounging room for ladies."

Now I'm really imagining good times!

I have seen references to ladies lounges in hotels of this era, but never one on a train. I have seen references to smoking cars, which were almost always reserved for men with few exceptions. (An earlier post on a smoking car for women--for some inexplicable reason--is one of our most popular posts.)

So as I swelter in front of my computer, I am drifting back to 1925 and shuttling off on a night-bound train out of New Orleans. I had just settled into a seat in the lounging room for ladies, when a mysterious woman in a black cloche hat strolls into the car and eases into the seat beside me....

Cat's

8146 Greenwell Springs Road today

Cat's

Location: 8146 Greenwell Springs Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Opened/Closed: Early 2000s

I haven't found too many references to Cat's outside of undated directories to gay and lesbian bars. And those are simply listings with no additional information.

Cat's was apparently around at least as early as October 2001, as it's mentioned in the publicity around Baton Rouge's Pridefest. But nothing is said about the venue itself.

Mygayweb reports (in an undated review) that Cat's is "mostly lesbians" along with the following brief description:

An everybody knows everybody type atmosphere. Wednesday: Ladies' Pool Tournament at 7:30pm (Win $$!)
Thursday: All Request DJ, $1.75 domestic longnecks all night.
Friday and Saturday: Live DJ from 9:00pm to 2:00am

The only more-or-less substantial description of Cat's appears this article on the gay bars of Baton Rouge.

From the Daily Isureveille, April 6, 2003:

Cat's, located at 8146 Greenwell Springs Road, is one of the most gender-specific bars in town but hosts an extremely loyal and large flock. Cat's is a lesbian bar that few men enter, but most women who frequent this bar seem to enjoy the atmosphere.

The music is eclectic and fun to dance to and there are always plenty of women to dance with. Cat's customers vary in age from 18 to older than 40. It's a little bit of a drive to get to Cats, if you're coming from campus. There is no cover, and it's usually worth the drive.

At some point afterwards, the Fish Bowl, another former lesbian bar in Baton Rouge, moved to this location. But at least from what we see at Clubplanet, it was no longer billing itself as a lesbian bar.

After a fair number of other business occupants, it appears that this location is currently a pediatric clinic.

The Fish Bowl

7367 Exchange Place today

The Fish Bowl

Location: 7367 Exchange Place, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Opened/Closed: Early 2000s

Perhaps one of the earliest reviews of The Fish Bowl is this undated description from mygayweb:

The newest lesbian bar in Baton Rouge. Relax and enjoy a drink after work with our daily happy hour while you gaze into our aquariums. Beat your friends at a game of pool or darts, or just get wild and crazy on the weekend with our DJs and our weekly events like the Frozen T-Shirt Contest. Whatever you decide, you will always have a good time!

The Fish Bowl was obviously around--and apparently still fairly new--in April 2002, when she got this shout out in New Orlean's Ambush Magazine:

The Fish Bowl on Exchange Place is having a benefit drag show on Apr. 5, 2002 to raise money for assisting local players in the APA National Singles Pool Championship. With Tasha Sinclair, Erica Rodriguez, Monique Clairborne and others leading the way, this one should prove to be a good show.

In case you haven't checked out The Fish Bowl, you really need to do so soon. Jamie and Michelle are doing a great job, and I can vouch for the sincerity these two have in support of the Gay and Lesbian programs. This is a very nice place to spend some time. The drinks are great. The friendships are lasting. And the memories made here will last a lifetime.

 

Little John went with me last week to dine at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and we stopped in to see how things were going. Jennifer was there again. I had met her on my previous visit, and I find her to be so very happy and carefree, a really nice human being. She and Amie made a nice couple for my camera to present to you. I also found Sandra to be exceptionally nice. She appears so cordial and friendly that you realize immediately that you have met a very special person.

 

Make time to pay The Fish Bowl a visit. It's where the Hide-A-Way used to be located, and the new bar staff/managers want everyone to know that they would appreciate your patronage. Just because it's a girls' bar is no sign that they don't want men around. They are open to welcoming all people and all races and want you to know how pleased they will be to have you visit them. Do it soon.

The Hide-A-Way was evidently another former gay male or "mixed" bar.

This event in August 2002 is also listed:

Mark your calendars now for Aug. 10th. The Baton Rouge Krewe of Apollo is presenting a gender-bending comedy where men become women and women become men in a little ditty called "Drag-net." This is all going to take place at The Fish Bowl, 7367 Exchange Place (formerly the Hide-A-Way).

Then there's this brief mention of the Fish Bowl in an article on gay bars in Baton Route. From the Daily Isureveille, April 6, 2003:

Woman playing pool at The Fish Bowl (2003)

The Fishbowl, located at 7367 Exchange Place, is a lesbian bar whose clientele varies greatly. During the week, The Fishbowl is a low-key place, a good place to sit, have a beer, and shoot pool or play darts. These mellow nights usually are enjoyed by an older, middle-aged crowd, but the weekends are vastly different.

A Friday night at The Fishbowl is filled with many younger people dancing to rap, techno, some top 40 and requested music. While men do party at The Fishbowl, mostly women frequent this place.

That same year (2003), Fish Bowl was cited as the "sole survivor" in terms of Baton Rouge's lesbian bars:

There is one lesbian bar remaining, the Fish Bowl on Exchange Place.

And then she was gone. Seemingly with little announcement or fanfare. At least none that I can detect.

It appears that for a while, the Fish Bowl was replaced by a gay (male?) bar called Doubloons. But by February 2012, this address was identified as the Soiree Event Hall.

Never Never Land

Never Never Land

Never Never Land

Location: 1920 Market Street, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Opened: At least by 2005

Closed: Not clear. Property has been listed as being for sale since at least March 2010.

I've seen lots of lesbian bars introduce themselves on myspace, but I must say, this introduction is unique:

NEVER NEVER LAND! Come with me now to a far off land across the briny sea, To a place where you can laugh and play, and fly your heart so free, A place of wonder within your dreams to ask the child within? Where pain and loss, and hearts then crossed, will never be let in! But only those who do believe this world exists so real, And only those who free their hearts, and believe in it and feel, The ocean of a love that fly’s the wings of who they are, Will ever so then fly with me to a land that seems so far, But if their heart then earthly bound, and their pain to ask them stay? Then the child within the heart of them, will die and waste away, And never, never then their wings, to ever fly with me, For all their lives their fate to stay, in a world of tragedy.

Wow.

Meanwhile, back in the Dull Real World, this is the venue description from ehow. There is no date attached, but it seems to be fairly old:

Never Never Land is a small lesbian bar in Shreveport. The bar is open to any patrons but simply gears itself to appeal to gay women more. The bar is open Tuesday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays the bar does not open until 6 p.m. Karaoke is a fixture at Never Never Land and offered anytime. Happy hour is only offered on weekdays and lasts from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

And this is how VirtualTourist described her back in February 2006:

The last gay bar in Shreveport is a womans bar. Never Never Land at 1920 Market St. Shreveport, LA 71101 A local hot spot for Karaoke and friendly atmosphere. Frequent events for the Lesbian community. Call (318) 678-0700 for more info.

Here's how a patron reviewed Never Never Land back in January 2009:

Fun little lesbian bar
fun, down to earth people, kinda reminds me of cheers, but with all females!!relaxed and chill,very cool music

Then there's the review from ClubFly, which is paradoxical to the extreme. They seemingly confirm that Never Never Land is a lesbian bar, but then observe more men around the premises than women:

Type: Lesbian Bar/Lounge
In a nutshell: Little karaoke dive, caters to lesbians, but everyone is invited. Every time I've been there were more men then women. Happy hour weekdays 5pm - 7pm...

On the other hand, clubplanet says nothing about this place being lesbian or even gay:

Never Never Land - Want to throw a huge party with 300 of your closest friends? Never Never Land is probably not the place to do it. But if you’re interested in grabbing a quick drink and possibly some bar food, Never Never Land is more than able to oblige.

An apparently male reviewer from November 2010 was beyond negative:

Quite possibly the worst bar on earth.

Really? Even in the blackest hole of Calcutta, there isn't a more revolting place?

Then there's this dude from December 2011. But his praise--if it can be called that--is very faint indeed:

This bar isn't for everyone but its a small place where you're for sure to meet people from all walks of life

At least until very recently, the building housing Never Never Land has been for sale. So if Never Never Land is still in some minimal operation mode, it probably won't be for long. Current asking price: $111,000. If you've always wanted to own your own lesbian bar, here's your golden opportunity! More about the structure, from the MLS listing:

This property features a 900 sq. ft. bldg. with two restrooms, a 900 sq. ft. private deck, and two vacant lots behind the bar which would allow for additional parking. Included in the sale is a 4-keg box and an ice machine. The bar's liquor license and video poker license are both transferrable.

Goldenrod Inn

Frenchmen Street today

Goldenrod Inn

Location: Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Opened/Closed: 1950s

We've spend the last day or so lingering in New Orleans, visiting all kinds of lost womyn's bars. So while we're here--nursing our imaginary hangovers--we might as well finish off our coffee with chicory and amble over to one more lost watering hole.

The Goldenrod Inn reminds me a lot of the old Palais in Detroit. In terms of its spatial design, it was cleaved right down the middle: Straight dudes and their dates monopolized the front, while the lesbians made do with the remnants to the back. Needless to say, this arrangement did not bode well for equal treatment. Once again, we're turning to Rebels, Rubyfruit and Rhinestones, and James Thomas Sears' list of pre-Stonewall drinking establishments:

Then there was also the Goldenrod--whose front area for straight men served as a cover for a back-room lesbian bar--where one Saturday night in 1953 forty-three women were booked for disturbing the peace and being "loud and boisterous." 

That was one humongous raid.  In fact, it's possible that even more women were arrested than that--this according to John D'Emilio, who made passing reference to this particular raid in Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities:

In New Orleans in 1953 vice officers packed Doris Lunden and sixty-three other women into vans after clearing them from a lesbian bar in the French Quarter. The next day, Lunden found the court overflowing with men and women brought in from other bars in the city.

Doris was only 18 years old at the time. Chris Strayer in Deviant Eyes, Deviant Bodies quotes her reaction:

That night we had to go to court and I discovered then that they had raided every gay bar in New Orleans. It was like a big cleanup. I had never seen so many gay people in my life. It was really exciting. I almost forgot to be scared about whether I would be convicted or not. My case was dismissed, but I think that set me free in some way.

Back in the New Orleans of the early 1950s, Doris identified as a butch lesbian. And as Doris has observed (in D'Emilio's book), butch-femme culture was quite ingrained within the lesbian community of that place and time:

"If you didn't pick a role--butch or femme--and stick with that, people thought you were mixed up and you didn't know who you were and you were laughed at and called "ki-ki"--a sort of queer of the gay world." The butch "seemed to fit with my notion of having boys' feelings," she said, and Lunden moved easily into a part she took quite seriously.

Doris Lunden, of course, went on to become a noted lesbian activist.  

Photo: Frenchmen Street today

Original Brady's (Alice Brady's)



514 Ursulines Avenue today

Original Brady's (Alice Brady's) 

Location: 514 Ursulines Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Not to be confused with Brady's, a later bar owned by Alice Brady located at 700 North Ramparts Street.

Opened/Closed: 1950s/1960s

In Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones, James Thomas Sears lists several "most notable institutions before Stonewall" within the City of New Orleans. One of these was the Original Brady's, a lesbian bar which actually had an all-women's band called A.B.'s Children. But the sweet musical offerings didn't necessarily make for a sweet establishment:

At the Original Brady's, no touching or same-sex dancing was allowed, and the short and tough Alice Brady "would put us out of the bar at 5:00 if we didn't have skirts on."

In Sears' account, Brady comes across as a petty martinet--sort of like a southern version of Kooky, who ruled supreme over her New York City cocktail lounge back in the 60s (also featured here at Lost Womyn's Space).

Well, maybe memories grow dimmer with the passage of time, because by 2000, Alice Brady was being praised as a lesbian pioneer:

A friend ran into her the other day, and like the game 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon, here in New Orleans we could play 6 Degrees of Alice Brady and almost always connect; that is, if we're old enough to remember Alice Brady. I was surprised to learn that my favorite drag performer who is only slightly MY junior didn't know Alice. Did time change so quickly back then? Things had seemed so static and unchanging....

Well, Alice Brady had gotten to talking with the old mutual friend and she had commented that she didn't ever go out anymore, not even on special occasions. She was, after all, in her 70's, she said...it was time to stay home with her memories. The gay community must seem like a foreign country now to this lesbian pioneer, yet without Alice Brady and others who ruled those establishments on Rampart Street, there would have been no lesbian social scene in the 50's and 60's, and no foundations on which to build today's history in the making.



North Rampart and Canal Streets (1964)



In fact, we find out that Alice Brady is a past winner of the Ambush Magazine Gay Appreciation Award/Lifetime Achievement Award. Make of that what you will.

Update March 2, 2012: Just found out that Alice Brady passed away. Her obituary clarifies some of the history of the bars she founded and their locations. Seems the "Original" Brady's (Alice Brady's) was located at 514 Ursulines Avenue (incorrectly reported below as Ursulines Street). It was the her last place (Brady's) that was located at 700 North Rampart Street. So the information previously stated above has been changed:

Alice L. Brady

BRADY Alice L. Brady, age 84, died at Canon Hospice on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. Daughter of the late Alice Pickels and Wilson D. Brady. A native of Birmingham, AL and a resident of New Orleans since 1946. Well known in the New Orleans community as a bartender and cocktail lounge owner. Alice's first bar, "The Mascarade Bar" opened at 819 St. Louis St. in 1952 followed by Alice Brady's at 514 Ursulines St. Her third location, Mr. D's Hide-A-Way and finally Brady's at 700 N. Rampart St. Survivors include a nephew, Raliegh Winn (Lois) of Pineville, LA and many devoted friends.

Photo: "Looking uptown in the early morning from the neutral ground on N. Rampart Street as a Canal streetcar crosses Rampart heading toward the river.  Don't overlook the worker changing the billboard at the far upper right. — R. Hill" (1964)

Tiger Lounge



4524 Tchoupitoulas today

Tiger Lounge

Location: Originally at 4524 Tchoupitoulas, later at 740 Burgundy, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Opened/Closed: 1950s

NOLAcitymuseum has identified Tiger Lounge as a lesbian bar in their ongoing gay history research. But other than providing the addresses, there isn't much additional information. (There is a photo of an advertising leaflet of some sort, but unfortunately, it's taken at an "arty" angle which leaves it mostly unreadable.)

In Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones, James Thomas Sears' history of southern gay culture, Tiger Lounge is listed among New Orleans' "most notable establishments before Stonewall." We are also informed that the Tiger Lounge was "operated by Jo-Jo, a former nun."

Charlene Schneider was just a 17-year-old baby dyke (and still a high school student) when she walked into the Tiger Lounge for the first time. (Charlene later went on to establish her own lesbian bar, Charlene's, which is also featured here at Lost Womyn's Space). As she told Curve Magazine some years later,

“I felt at home, because finally, I knew where I belonged. … It was wonderful seeing people like myself,” Schneider, now 62, recalls. “I saw eight of the butchest women you’ve ever seen in your life. I fell in love with each and every one of them.”

The year was 1957, and McCarthyism had a stranglehold on America; it was a time when lesbians were an illegal social group and cops made regular arrests at queer bars. Schneider herself was arrested four times in bar raids and, in the 1960s, she lost her job at NASA because they considered her lifestyle a security risk.

Photo: 4524 Tchoupitoulas today

Charlene's

Charlene's (1999)

Charlene's

Location: 940 Elysian Fields, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Opened: 1977

Closed: February 20, 1999

Here's how Toni Pizani described Charlene's and Charlene's owner, Charlene Schneder, in 2000:

Charlene's Bar was located on Elysian Fields for twenty-three years. The adventure she traveled to get there is exciting and interesting. Directly from high school, she took a job that she loved with a civilian company that worked for the Federal Government. Charlene was a crypto operator with top secret clearance. When she was arrested in a Gay bar and her name was printed in the paper for her boss and family to see, she lost her job. She was told by her boss that if she had been a whore, he could have saved her job but there was nothing he could do because she was Gay.
 
It was while she was working at the Times-Picayune that the opportunity came to make a lump sum for quitting her job. The work that she was doing was being phased out. Since she didn't see eye to eye with her boss anyway, this was a blessing.
 
Susan Landrum and Doddie Finley were talking to Charlene about opening a bar, a Gay wimmins bar. She was told that it would only take making $26 a day to break even. The idea was appealing. She worked as the social director at the Country Club while she was deciding to take the chance. Charlene started water volley ball there and was a much-liked success.
 
Charlene's Bar was to become a successful reality. She called in Kitty Blackwell to set up her bar as she had no experience herself. The bar was a key club with an all male staff that thrived with few problems for the first twelve years. Then escalating expenses and the call for changes began to take a toll. Charlene's sister was the first of her female bar staff. "In the early days," Charlene remembers, "women's bars were like boxing rings." She worked toward giving women a better space.
 
*** 
Johnny Jackson visited Charlene's Bar with other activists to assist in drafting the first New Orleans Gay Rights Ordinance which failed to pass. Over the years, many celebrities visited Charlene's and she said that she never knew who she might meet. Charlene says that it was the drag queens that were first to volunteer to help in the fight for rights and start Pride Fest.
 
*** 
She has had quite an active life and I asked when she "came out." "It was 1957 and I was in high school," she said, "her name was Barbara and she was my first love." She told me that she knew she was Gay when she walked into the Tiger Lounge. There were five women there and she loved every one of them. The bar was owned by an ex-nun.

Another great description of Charlene's comes from Charlene Schneider's obituary. Charlene passed away in 2006:

Charlene Schneider, an outspoken gay-rights advocate who ran a bar that was a focal point of New Orleans' lesbian community for 21 years, died Sunday of lung cancer in Bay St. Louis, Miss. She was 66.

Ms. Schneider, a Bay St. Louis native who had lived there since closing Charlene's in 1999, was an early and vocal advocate for gay-related causes in the 1970s, said Jim Kellogg, who had been one of the city's first lawyers to handle gay-rights cases.

"I can't think of a single demonstration or organization that she was not at," he said. "She not only was there but also was a major backer."

The center of her world was Charlene's, the bar she ran at 940 Elysian Fields Ave. from 1977 until early 1999. It became world-famous not only because of Ms. Schneider's effusive personality but also because, in its early years, Charlene's represented something rare: a safe place for lesbians when attitudes toward them were less tolerant, said Jody Gates, a pediatrician and longtime friend.

Besides giving women a place where they could socialize and dance, Ms. Schneider had live music, often by female entertainers. Among them was Melissa Etheridge, whom Gates said she saw early in what became a wildly successful rock career.

Because of Ms. Schneider's occupation, people were too quick to write her off without considering her activism in politics, charities and the drive for a city law banning discrimination against gay men and lesbians, Gates said.

"The world shouldn't be fooled by the fact that she was a bar owner," she said. "It just happened to be the only venue to do the good work that she did."

Like other neighborhood bars, Charlene's took on the personality of its owner.

"If you went in to see Charlene, you naturally got her slant on the day's current events, local and international, and a good dose of political science in the bargain, plus lots of gossip because Charlene lived to dish," said Jon Newlin, a longtime friend. "She was a grand old gal."

Ms. Schneider opened the bar after a series of odd jobs, including stints at Western Union and The Times-Picayune, where she was a hot-type operator.

Along the way, she had firsthand experience with discrimination. In the mid-1960s, after being arrested in a raid on a gay bar, Ms. Schneider lost her job as a cryptographer, as well as her security clearance, with NASA at Michoud.

"This was what radicalized her," Newlin said.

As a result of her experiences, one of her causes was the anti-discrimination ordinance, which the City Council passed in 1991.

After closing her bar, Ms. Schneider and her companion, Linda Tucker, moved to Bay St. Louis, where she operated an establishment called On the Coast.

For her anti-discrimination work, Ms. Schneider received the Human Rights Campaign Equality Award and the Forum for Equality Community Service Award.

In addition to Tucker, survivors include two sisters, Marsha Schneider Ladner and Dianne E. Schneider, both of Picayune, Miss.

A memorial service will be held today at 10 a.m. at Edmond Fahey Funeral Home in Bay St. Louis. Burial will be in Bayou Caddy Cemetery in Ansley, Miss.

Two days after closing in 1999, the Mint opened at the same location as the former Charlene's. John Paul's, a "mixed" bar, now operates at that address. After Charlene died in 2006, a plaque commemorating Charlene's was installed.

Photo: From Last Call at Charlene's, 1999