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From Bachelorette Parties to Sex Clubs

Mapping Performances in Gay Spaces

It was early in 2003 when I first witnessed my first bachelorette party. I was in a massive bar complex in downtown Davenport Iowa. This catered to the gay population of the area with three bar areas, a multi-level dance floor with go-go cages, a rooftop deck, a cabaret space for drag shows and an area for outdoor volleyball. I had just moved to the area and was being shown around by a friend from college, and we had laid claim to a space on the upper balcony of the dance floor for maximum viewing pleasure when they arrived. There was a fair warning as we heard an unusual screech of female voices even before they descended onto the dance floor. The gaggle (Pack? Posse?) was lead by a young woman wearing a party tiara with a hint of a veil attached to it. The energy of the room shifted as their exuberance overtook the dance floor as they started to perform a semblance of dance that had previously not been seen in the club that night. As their sight shifted towards the previous center of attention; namely a young male go-go dancer who was well endowed with a mix of a low carb diet and good genetics; my friend and guide suggested we go to another establishment. This bar, it seemed, was not our own anymore.

The club space had been co-opted for another performance that we were not cast in.

Where we ended up was just across the street to the other gay bar in the area. This was a more traditional neighborhood bar with a myriad of neon beer signs in the darkened windows and a large U-shaped bar that took up most of the interior. The men tending the bar appeared to be hired to be an equal part of eye candy and expertise. Near the entrance was a pool table that was overcrowding the front half of the bar. The table was being dominated by a small group of women more than likely not there for a bachelorette party but to run the table and school anyone who worked up the courage to challenge them to a game. The back half of the bar was more Kipp 2 dimly lit and filled with groupings of men in twos and threes were attempting conversations over the music. This too was a gay bar but did not attract the bachelorettes that were drawn towards the flashier establishment across the street. The performance they were looking for was not here.

More so of the enacted rituals of cis straight womanhood that made up their program for the night would be more challenging to perform in this space. Both their performance and the performance my friend and I were embodying had the same goals -to shape our identity outside of the heteronormative. However, these scenarios were not compatible with each other.

What this paper will explore is the spectrum of spaces in which a gay identity is performed from the neighborhood bar to the shadowy spaces of sexuality. This exploration will encompass the performances of self-identity of not only the bodies within these areas but also of the spaces themselves as they attract segments of the population to them. This examination will use Jason Orne’s book Boystown as a base as well as personal recollection and experiences by the author. In doing so, I will show that there is a symbiotic relationship of identity between the performer and the space the performed body inhabits.

I come to this paper as a self-identified gay man. I have lived in the neighborhoods that

Orne examines for a total of almost nine years. I have also been to several spaces that Orne describes and to all that are mentioned in this paper. My observations, like Orne, are through the lens of a cis male but unlike Orne, I do not self-identify as a queer man but due to my age as a fag. Simply put, due to my age, I predate the concept and construct of queer. I believe that this age difference allows another perspective in observations that mostly align with Orne’s.

In Orne’s introduction, he describes a similar scenario to what I described in the mammoth club complex but on a smaller scale. Orne is at a small club in the heart of the

Boystown area in Chicago with a friend to see a dancer/go-go boy. His friend identifies as a gay Kipp 3 male and is older than Orne (who also identifies as a gay/queer male) by at least a decade (mid- thirties) and the dancer is only identified by his tattoo on his chest. Orne and his friend both know that the dancer is straight identifying and dances in a gay club to support his wife and child. In response to the friend tip, the dancer acknowledges it by a quick smile and a firm squeeze on the upper arm. Moments later a single presenting woman in the club tips the same dancer. The dancer responds to the tip in a more prolonged and physical manner with the woman.

This act of heteronormativity along with the entrance of more presenting females into the space causes Orne and his friend to leave the club. This gay space has turned straight.

This scenario illuminates an issue that Orne tangentially addresses. As society moves away from a normative gender binary, can the space be identified within a binary? Even if it self- identifies within the binary of either straight or gay the performances within the space can shift it out of the binary. This, in turn, has created not a binary identity but a spectrum of spacial identity that on which the space, like a performative body, sits. The performative space does not occupy a single point on the spectrum but is positioned over a range within it. It is within this range that the performative space tries to claim its perceived identity.

Dr. Viv Cuthill explores this concept of perception of space in the article Consuming

Harrogate. While Cuthill examines two spaces within a cultural heritage framework, both of these spaces reside in the performance of the heteronormative and the historical. The tea shops that are examined build their identity on a concept of temporal space that is being created through reenactment. It is this temporal shift that allows a body to perform and travel to another period of time. The other establishment, a vodka bar, allows the performance of travel in space by the consumption of the vodkas from around the world. In both cases, the performative body is Kipp 4 drawn to the space to enact a well-codified scenario. One knows what to expect while embodying the space. They have narrowed the space on the spectrum to create their “brand.”

The narrowing of scenarios by a space is examined Peter Adey in the design and use of modern airports. These spaces are well codified with a sharply formed objective for its identity; mainly to manage the movement of bodies within the space to allow them quick access to their destination. There is a duality within this space in such that once at the destination, namely the gate for your aircraft, this efficient movement is replaced by a performance of waiting. The successful design of the space allows both performances to happen congruently by subdividing itself. This multiplicity of subspaces enables the identity of the space in total to remain intact.

One is not forced to perform buying an overpriced meal or bottle of water, but the option is there to enhance the performance of getting onto an airplane.

Both these articles illuminate the ways that a space can shape the bodied performances within them. These spaces, as well as the bodies within them, occupy the range of the spectrum between heteronormativity and homonormativity. It is when spaces move past either of these constructs in their identity they become more fragile as the more widely known structures of performance are no longer present. In fact, performing this structured normative behavior would cause the space to shift or lose its intended identity. In contrast, it is the homonormative space that has the most resilience in its identity when they are invaded by performed behavior outside of its design.

One example of the homonormative bar in Chicago is Big Chicks. This bar is not within the boundaries of the state-sanctioned Boystown neighborhood but is about two miles north a few blocks from Lake Michigan. Unlike the spaces along Halstead that constitute the vast majority of gay-identified spaces in Chicago, this space holds it own existing among Kipp 5 heteronormative spaces. Big Chicks can do this by the nature of its space. The layout of the storefront space is one that is typical of most bars in Chicago. It is a relatively narrow building that is quite deep. The central area takes up about two-thirds of the total with the back third divided again to accommodate restrooms of nominally binary gender and an outdoor patio for smoking. The main bar is a standard old wood style that is almost generic. On the surface, the identity could be mistaken for any number of bars within the city. It is only after studying the bar’s decor that one can determine where on the spectrum this establishment lies. The framed artwork of retro bouffant-haired women only hints at the aesthetic that the space wishes to share with the clientele. The televisions hung up behind the bar show the latest series of drag reality shows alongside the occasional sports program. The rainbow flag displayed up front could be taken down. This space could be “accessorized” differently and be made into a heteronormative sports bar with minimal effort.

This “normative” space begets “normative” behavior. It is a space that one could “take your mother to” or your straight best friend for a beer. It is a classic neighborhood bar that happens to be gay. The fact that it is not in a sanctioned gay neighborhood is the only anomaly about it. Patrons come to this space to relax, converse with friends, flirt and, eat some awesome bar food. It is a space for a regular ordinary night even though for some it is a destination as they travel from other parts of the city to perform this normatively.

This concept of a destination bar is brought up by Orne several times. This is due to the shifting demographics of the Boystown neighborhood due to gentrification. Simply put, the clientele can’t afford to live in the neighborhood. As Orne explores the sociological impact of this on both the new residents of this area and those who travel to the established spaces that are gay identified, he does not examine the shifting performances within these spaces. Kipp 6

The largest of these established spaces is Sidetrack that has grown from a single storefront space in its infancy to a half block wide space with multiple bar areas. The sheer size of the venue encourages various levels of performances due to the mix of architectural design as a result of a multi-step expansion process. This self-proclaimed “largest buyer of vodka” (according to the bartender) may not just be a marketing ploy as each bar area features a set of different frozen vodka drinks. This is unlike the draw of Cuthill’s vodka bar. The purpose is not to travel to various locations but to offer a wide variety to appease as many tastes as possible. This is also evident in its many theme nights throughout the week that dictate the programming that it offers on its abundant video screens. This programming ranges from show tunes, comedy and, the occasional drag-themed reality show watch party. By not catering to a single group this space encourages a performance of community as different factions of the community travel to this destination. Through this inclusiveness the performance identity becomes diluted. As in color theory, the more of the spectrum that it welcomes the more homogenous it becomes. It is accessible but also generic.

A bar about two blocks north of Sidetrack uses video to limit its clientele. Little Jim’s has been on the same corner since the mid-1970s and from the interior not much has changed. The darkened windows create a cave-like space in the rough wood-paneled interior. This curated space of old bar stools and lower end draft beer choices amplify the aura of the stained wood paneling and solidify the identity of a dive bar. Only after coming into the space midway down the bar do you see the video screens that are turned away from the front entrance. On display are no performances of drag or show tunes but of hardcore gay pornography. This programming shifts the clientele towards exclusively male. This moves the performances within it more towards a sexual nature. This performance selects the bodies that choose to inhabit the space. It Kipp 7 also defines itself, unlike the previously discussed spaces, within a narrower location on the spectrum. It is a space of overt sexualization and objectification of men.

The concept of sexualizing a space to exclude categories of bodies is discussed throughout Orne’s book. Whereas the space of which he first describes in his introduction is sexualized, it does so in a welcoming way to gay men and straight women alike. This exertion of inherently gay sexuality by the space shifts the performances within it away from the normative.

This is accentuated by the dress or undress of the bartenders as might disappear as the night wears on. Little Jim’s is not a space you would commonly see the scenarios of Sidetrack or Big

Chicks being performed, and if so those performances would be shifted towards the sexualized because of the performance of the space.

A similar space to Little Jim’s is the Jackhammer Complex. Situated several miles north of Boystown about a mile inland from the lake this space is divided up into three main areas on the ground floor. Instead of adult films being shown behind the bar to segregate the clientele, one of the spaces is a fetish clothing store that is adjacent and accessible to the bar areas. Where these are separate businesses, the performance of the fetish store shifts the bar spaces away from the normative. The decor is more modern than of Little Jim’s but is more industrial with sheet metal accents instead of the rough wood paneling. The state of undress of the staff behind the bar is also dependent on the time of night and day/night of the week. In this sexualized space however performances of drag shows happen on occasion along with the more regular male go-go dancers. This bar is not a solely male identified space. Female presenting bodies are seen here, but the performances of the dancers are far from heteronormative.

Another space within the complex is its basement area known as “The Hole.” This area is accessed by an out of sight stairwell near the men’s restroom on the main level. It is only open Kipp 8 later at night and has its dress code and doorman. The dress code is either themed to fetish wear

(conveniently sold in the shop upstairs) or -depending on the night, shirts off or underwear. This dimly lit space is sexualized by the gay pornography playing behind the bar -which is the brightest source of light in the space- as well as the state of undress of the bartender. The bar itself is scaled back in its service providing no products on tap and no glassware. Besides a mural on the wall depicting several men in fetish gear the space, there is no other decor. This space is shifting away from a bar space to one that is focused on allowing intimate and sexualized encounters between the bodies in the space. This space does not exclude female presenting bodies, but admission is contingent on the same rules as the male presenting bodies. This forces a female presenting body to sexual themselves in a space that they are not the focus of attention.

Their presence does not cause a radical shift towards the normative of the space because of the dress code. One part of this area does exclude female presenting bodies which is the darkened

fire exit hallway in which is a highly sexualized and intimate -if not anonymous- space. This space shifts The Hole as well as the entire Jackhammer Complex away from the normative.

There is a similar space set up within the same block of Jackhammer, Touché. This space is self-identified for fetish and leather enthusiasts. Where Jackhammer is at least on the ground level a more modern designed space, Touché is performing as a dive bar. Upon entering and being greeted by a doorman to check your identification you find yourself in a dimly lit space with a low ceiling and dark/black walls. The layout of the front space is in the tradition of a neighborhood bar with the bar running down one side of the length of the room and scattered pairs of bar stools on the other wall. The video playing behind the bar that is one of the brightest sources of illumination is of hardcore fetish themed gay porn. This causes the fetish-clad or shirtless bartenders to use flashlights to examine the cash handed to them occasionally. Without Kipp 9 this video and with different lighting this could be a normative bar that competes with Big

Chicks. The performances within this space seemed to be in line with those at Big Chicks although with a higher level of intimacy. By shifting the decor and hosting theme nights throughout the week and month geared to the various fetish communities within the gay culture, it has shaped its identity.

Touché, like Jackhammer, has a more private space that is accessed through a side hallway in the back of the bar by the restrooms (which were not gendered). This space named the

“Club Room” due to its official function to hold private fetish club events. This area is just slightly smaller than the front bar but with less ambient light. A large video projection of hardcore porn on the far back wall is the main decor. The staff in this space is more daring in their display of fetish gear than in the front. Unlike The Hole’s minimal furnishings this space has several benches that line the wall opposite the bar. Chain link fencing cordons off several smaller more intimate and dimly lit areas. Female presenting bodies were not seen in either this or central space. This is either by the design of the space or from the doorman discouraging female bodies to enter into it.

The presence of a doorman brings in the concept of a body that is in a liminal state between the identity of space and performative bodies that enter into it. The doorman, the bar staff, the go-go dancer and, the drag queen are all bodies performing, but their performances are associated to the space as well as individual bodies. These bodies act as both gatekeepers and role models of performance within the space. A doorman both casts the performances within the space and “costumes” the bodies by enforcing a dress code. The bar staff adopts the dress code - sometimes pushing the boundaries of the theme- to reinforce the identity of the space for that evening. They are performing the idealism of the space for those who enter into it. Kipp 10

All of these spaces, from Big Chicks to Touché, share a malleable spacial identity. With a simple change in lighting, color schemes and, changing the channels on the televisions these could be transformed into heteronormative spaces. Theme nights from drag shows to fetish gear could be replaced by more mainstream interests. It is through the encouraged, continued repetition of performances within them that the spaces form their identity. By doing so, they have narrowed their footprint on the spectrum of performance. Other spaces are not as malleable, namely, the gay bathhouse.

Two spaces self-identify as gay bathhouses in Chicago; Steamworks which is an immense industrial space within Boystown and Man’s Country that established itself about three miles north of Boystown in the mid-1970s. These spaces are designed for sexual intimacy first and foremost. Unlike the previously described spaces, these are private, member-only establishments that cater to male presenting bodies. This exclusion pushes against the normative and reinforces the performances of sexuality and sexual identity by the bodies that inhabit the space. Both spaces have similar offerings as far as architecture. Like their mainstream counterparts, they offer wet areas including showers and steam rooms as well as a changing area/locker room.

Going beyond this, they provide a series of spaces ranging in privacy and anonymity from single lockable “changing rooms” to more public spaces for group activities. These common areas do not dissuade more normative behavior within them, but the environment in total pushes against such a performance to make to make it an outlier within the space. Both of these spaces are less reliant on the performances within them to establish an identity.

Orne describes his experience at Steamworks as he used the “gym rat” option not to enter the sexualized spaces of the building fully but to use the large gym area on the back half of the top floor. These gym passes allowed access to the building in shorter time allotments rather than Kipp 11 the traditional six hours. This performance of working out was shaped by the journey through the sexualized spaces of the first two floors to arrive at the gym. Even so, this area was not entirely sectioned off as those performers from the other spaces wandered through the then underutilized space of the gym wondering who was using it and how. This sexualization of the space continued in the shower space assigned to the gym as sexual activity was offered to him.

This sexualization was inverted recently at Man’s Country when after it was announced that the space would be closing after four decades a series of parties was publicized to celebrate the history of the establishment. A dance party was held in its underused ballroom that consisted of several D.J.s throughout the night and into the next day. Where in the past, nightclub-style entertainment was typical in the space, there was a twist as this male-only private space allowed female presenting bodies within its walls. While this area housed a more normative performance of a dance party the participants costumed for a performance at a bathhouse, namely towels draped around themselves. The presenting females also took part in the sexualized performances to some consternation from some longtime male members.

This performance of sexuality by female presenting bodies brings to the forefront the concept of codes of conduct within these spaces. If they had entered the space and not performed the same or similar acts as the other bodies in the area would they have diluted or shifted the sexual identity of the space towards the Big Chicks end of the spectrum? By adhering to these codes of performance are they not only reinforcing the identity of the space but also shifting the area that much farther away from the social normative? As Orne postulates this space that has moved past the sphere of gay and now has become queer. This queer performance of pushing the social normative outward is what Orne describes as the future of gay-identified space. Kipp 12

This code of conduct extends itself into a system of consent within this spectrum of spaces. As a body moves from the normative of Big Chicks towards Touché and Man’s Country, the primary levels of consent shift. Where a kiss between two bodies (same or divergent presenting gender) would be at the boundaries of consent at Big Chicks, this would be considered normal between a go-go dancer and their tipper at Jackhammer. These boundaries get pushed even further in a space such as The Hole where both the setting and (un)dress code encourages the more intimate behavior. This is not to say that consent is not discarded but pushed forward in the interactions between bodies. By presenting the body in a state of undress, the body permits to be seen by others. This removes a step or hurdle of consent that other bodies would need to clear in more normative situations. This implied consent is shown in the scenario

Orne describes when using the gym facilities at Steamworks. In a normative gym space being observed in the shower room is not acceptable but in a space that is shifted towards the sensual, this consent is implied upon entering the area.

Orne codifies this implied consent as naked intimacy. There are several factors that build this closeness between friends and strangers. The most obvious in this concept is the enforced uniformity of undress. All the bodies within the space are now playing on the same team; there are no shirts to signify a class of wealth or power. Whereas a class structure does exist by perceived body type and adornment, this pushes a performance of intimacy. You are no longer conversing about an inanimate object of clothing but of the body itself. This leads to a tighter bond between strangers as they communicate and perform a ritual of flirtation or pure fellowship.

The erotism of skin touching skin is facilitated by the construct of the space that forces these bodies to interact in this way. Kipp 13

Orne argues that these performances of heightened intimacy create what he describes as sexy communities. The body that performs naked intimacy in The Hole can also present a more normative scenario at Big Chicks the following day. However, the archive of the performance of naked intimacy informs this performance. This archive is reinforced by each additional body in performance with the same archive. A group of bodies that have performed together in a more intimate space will shift their performances in a more normative space towards that intimate space within the confines of where the space sits on the normative spectrum. This also forms a traveling repertory company of bodies that form a social structure throughout the spectrum of spaces that they visit. These bodies may not perform together outside of these spaces -they belong to more than one repertory company, but they can easily perform the archives of the space because of their familiarity of both the archive and the players.

The archive, however, is problematic when discussing gay identified spaces. As Taylor describes the archive of being embodied by performance it is also perpetually in the past. (Taylor

) This assumes a body carries and is aware of the archive. In a gay-identified space, there is greater potential for an archive not to be known by the bodies performing within it. This is due to the archive not being taught to them such as a newly self-identified gay body or; the archive that the body knows is not authentic to the space.

There are several colloquialisms for the newly self-identified “out” gay body, but preference will be given to Orne’s term of “baby gay.” Where these bodies are old enough to enter a space that serves alcohol they do not possess the full social archive of the space to perform within it successfully. This awkwardness is similar to that of a toddler navigating their way through social constructs that with they are newly presented. It is through the help of others that the toddler learns the acceptable performances within these spaces. For the baby gay, this Kipp 14 help could come from other self or perceived gay-identified bodies such as the staff in these spaces or through learned friends. This baby gay would feel more comfortable within the spectrum of more normalized spaces than those that shift towards performances of primarily of naked intimacy.

Another outside player that can come into this space is wanting to perform their personal scenarios of an archive that is not known to the existing bodies in the space or is perceived to be not authentic to the existing bodies. These are instances of the scenario described at the beginning of this paper. This group of female-identified bodies is entering into a space that they perceive to be a safe non sexualized space for them to inhabit without taking into account that this space is inherently sexualized by the bodies performing within it. This sexual performance or scenario of naked intimacy is foreign or simply unknown to this group. By forcing their enactment of their archive into the space, they have forced other performances to adapt to their own or to stop altogether.

This act of overtaking the archive similar to a performance of what Orne describes as going on safari. This performance disrupts the existing behaviors by active observation and not entering into a performance of the space. This is an unwelcome performance since it discounts the performance of the space and the performances within it as exotic. This colonial act of otherness sets the bodied observer to a higher status than the “native” performative body within the space. This observational mode of performance can be seen as worse than an active mode of performing a misguided archive, but this is not an absolute.

Orne does describe a space where a performance of gay-identified scenario is done by female presenting bodies. Orne argues that this space, The Kit Kat Club, is fashioned in decor and staff to be more welcoming to straight female-identified bodies rather than for the gay- Kipp 15 identified bodies. This deliberate (as Orne describes) commodification of gay heritage harkens back to the tea shop chains described by Cuthill. The Kit Kat Club is performing the idea of gay culture for a nongay identified body and cashing in (by selling out?) from it. (Orne, 152) This performance of a modified archive feeds into the modes of performance that these female bodies come to expect when going into other gay-identified spaces. However, those spaces do not cater to their needs.

One such scenario is described by Orne at a now-defunct dance club in the heart of

Boystown. The club would hold monthly events to create a space of naked intimacy that is more readily found in areas outside of Boystown. They did so by enforcing a familiar (un)dress code of no shirts on the dance floor. Orne is befriended by a group of women one of which just moved into the neighborhood, and they wanted to celebrate with a night out. As they went towards the cordoned off dance floor they were stopped and told the rules of the space for that night. They reluctantly agreed and stripped down to their bras to enter the dance floor. Orne describes their performance as one of sexual freedom with an underlying current of uncomfortableness. This scenario was foreign to them and shifted the performance of the space towards normalcy. (Orne,

18-20)

But this shift is not always towards normalcy. Orne then describes the next month’s event where he witnessed two topless women on the dance floor their brand of a scenario of naked intimacy with each other. As they danced, kissed and, caressed their performance shifted the space and amplified the sense of a sexy community and the identity of the space. Their honoring of the scenario Orne argues moved this spacial identity from one of a gay space to one of a queer space. (Orne, 21) Kipp 16

As stated previously I am not queer identifying but the shift to acceptance of female bodies in gay-identified spaces performing sexualized scenarios among themselves appears to be shifting these spaces further away from normalcy on the spectrum into what I would perceive to be a queer-identified space. Through the mainstreaming of gay culture and heritage commodification, the performance of gay identity of by bodies and by spaces have not only become normalized, but the definition has been broadened and perhaps weakened. The queer space might be the last refuge for an authentic performance of gay identity to be preserved or for a body to shape their own identity through self-discovery. These spaces not only shape the archive but also help maintain it.

I wish to thank Chicago hosts, Gary and Joe, for their last minute accommodation as well as their encouragement in this endeavor as they both helped me explore and observe the gay spaces of Chicago and Boystown.