diversity in a gay bar
| <<-- : 02.17.04 : -->> |
8:44 p.m.so i got an "A" on my paper for cultural anthro. i woke up at 330am last thursday to write it. i wrote bits and pieces on BART rides, but i had a huge part of it that i needed to do and waited til the last minute. so i suffered the pangs of lack of sleep. i'm just glad that my teacher liked it though. i had to overgeneralize a lot and make a lot of shallow judgements. it was fun, but not something i'd like to do normally. i like giving people the benefit of the doubt. but for the sake of this paper, i had to be pretty mean in my judgements.
anyway, here's my paper. the great thing about this is that i had a lot of fun. i really wanted to try something different with my writing. i had hoped that my humor wouldn't effect my grade. but it didn't seem to.
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Known as a punk/biker bar in the south of market district, The Eagle Tavern houses a variety of individuals. Generally the clientele consists mostly of people within the gay community. On certain nights, more of the same types of individual tend to congregate. It is a meeting place, a bar, a punk show venue, and acts as second home to their regular customers.
As you approach the venue, a line of motorcycles marks the entrance. Once inside, a long rectangular bar sits directly in front of you in the center of the room. To your left is a bench that lines the wall. To your right is another room extended from the main and houses a smaller second bar. Further back in the main room is the stage where various performances are held, mostly punk bands. All over the walls are memorabilia from various pieces such as license plates, artwork, and old photographs. It�s a colorful environment and the atmosphere is low-lit.
Next to the second bar on the right is a door that leads out to the back patio. This is where most of the action takes place. Most everyone who comes to this bar gathers outside at least once during the night. Most of that group can stay for hours smoking cigarettes and conversing. This is the area to meet and greet and reunite with old friends. The patio is large and consists of a barbecue pit, which acts as a bonfire, and the above shelter is lined with heaters. It is a very comfortable place to sit on a bench and relax with a new friend.
The night I attended was a Thursday night. On this particular night every week, a showcase of local punk bands play. This usually draws a younger crowd and dependent upon the band, lesbians. On a normal night, the crowd is usually older and male. This night hosts a great deal of lesbian groups and other females. Most straight men who accompany them are usually with their girlfriends and very clingy to that group. The females held a more diverse group as far as racial background, but gay men on the other hand, seemed to be grouped a bit more selectively.
I noticed several groups of males. There was one group who consisted of men who appeared to be of white or Caucasian origin and another of Latin. There were hardly any that appeared to be of Black or Asian descent. Grouping together by racial origin or appearance is a common theme in the gay community. Although San Francisco boasts as one of the most diverse as far as cliques, most men by far tend to be middle class and white. The interesting thing about the Eagle Tavern is that diversity is usually abundant. But, on this particular night, groups containing people who appeared to be of one racial group seemed prominent.
When I first arrived, I took note of a fairly attractive man sitting at the barbecue pit in the back patio. He will be referred to as �Baldy Guy� for his lack of hair, either due to shaving or from natural causes; it was unclear as to why he was bald. Not long after my arrival, a taller slender guy in a red sweater approached him. This guy will be referred to as �Red Sweater Guy� for obvious reasons. The two began a conversation that will continue throughout the night. I chose these two as my subjects of observation because I was able to witness what I perceived as their first encounter. Whether or not this was their first meeting is unknown to me, but I have reason to believe that there was an air of mystery for the both of them as to each other.
At first contact, Baldy Guy and Red Sweater Guy were about three feet apart. Baldy Guy was sitting on the edge of the pit and Red Sweater Guy was standing. The two would hold this position for the first half of the night. As they converse, what appeared to be as friends of Red Sweater Guy would be introduced to Baldy Guy. This group consisted of three other white males, all who appeared to be around the same age, in their early to mid-twenties. The group would come and go sporadically, but Baldy and Red Sweater would stand their ground. It seemed that they were hitting it off and deep in conversation. Red Sweater Guy eventually moves over to the other side of Baldy Guy and sits down next to him.
Another tall and slender white male approaches the couple. He is wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. He introduces himself to Red Sweater Guy who in turn introduces Baldy Guy. The three engage in a conversation, but Black Hoodie Guy�s attention is on Red Sweater Guy. This continues on for about an hour or so. It appears that Black Hoodie Guy has in an interest in Red Sweater Guy, but that interest is faltered by the interest that remains strong between the main two subjects. Soon, a friend from Red Sweater Guy�s group talks to Baldy Guy. The attention is split and the two engage in separate conversations. Neither guy gets up from their spot, they remain seated and next to each other. After about an hour, Black Hoodie realizes that his interest is not being returned and leaves. Baldy Guy and Red Sweater Guy are left to their own devices. The night ends with a �make-out� session and the two guys leave together shortly after �last call.�
It was my belief that everyone seemed to be there for different reasons at first arrival. I found larger groups of people clustered together. For the most part, they moved as a whole. When a band would start playing, that one group would all move inside to watch them play. Between sets, they would move outward. As the night progressed, and as more alcohol is consumed, the group would �weed� out and become smaller. Some would go home or the group would split up into three�s or four�s. Eventually, those who would make it to about one o�clock, would be paired off or waiting off to the side alone. At first, people want to have a good time with their friends and listen to live music. But as time passes, the intention of �hooking up� with another individual starts to take over. New people are met and connections are made. As with Baldy Guy and Red Sweater Guy, they might have known when they first met that they were going to go home together.
There could have been other reasons as to why they ended up together. Maybe they have known each other before. Maybe they are currently dating. I do not know. They only appeared to act in the classic �boy meets boy� fashion. The presence of another fairly attractive individual (Black Hoodie Guy) seemed to interrupt their encounter, but the original interest in each other was enough to continue this process.
The racial composition of these groups stayed the same. Not once did I see a person of another racial group approach them and engaged in a conversation. Female groups were diverse and harder to generalize. Males were more segregated. It is unclear if this was a conscious decision on their part. I do not believe that any one group as a whole would have shunned out another individual of a different racial background if being approached. I believe that this is a natural occurrence in a place where attraction and sexual preferences play a key role. Does this say that gay men are only attracted to others of the same racial background? Or does it display a sense of narcissism among this group, that attraction is decided upon how much the person resembles the one being pursued?
I will not say that this applies to everyone in the gay community. But the events of the evening have displayed a common occurrence in gay bars. The attraction between the two individuals would have been different if they belonged to different ethnic groups. It is not to say that it wouldn�t exist, other factors play a role as well: common interests, style, intelligence, body type, etc. But, the appearance of something so simple like skin color could be the deciding factor of whether or not someone would be approached.
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