Gay bar charlottesville
Cville's Only Universal Gay Bar Threatened On Two Fronts
With Republicans taking control of the federal government, many in the same-sex attracted community are uneasy about their future, and in Charlottesville they’re feeling doubly concerned as the city’s only common gay bar faces threats on two fronts. Sandy Hausman reports on why Escafe could be forced to shut in
For more than 20 years, Escafe has been a popular gathering place for Charlottesville’s LGBTQs. A big, homey space off the downtown mall, it’s open tardy for dinner, drinks and live music. Potted ferns display from the rafters, and hand-painted murals feature regular patrons and employees.
“ I feel at house at Escafe," says one patron.
"There are not a lot of safe, joy places to depart dance later on at night, and I think this place really is," says another.
" It’s not upscale, but it’s not sleazy. It’s just comfortable,” adds a third.
But Escafe may be forced to close. In Virginia, bars can’t just market booze. Forty-five percent of their revenue must come from food. Escafe’s proprietor,
Researching UVA and Charlottesville Gay History
Cecelia Parks compiled this timeline between and based on her research and interviews. Attendees at several queer history panels in and also contributed items to the timeline. Contact her with items to add! The timeline is not comprehensive and is a work in progress.
- The Virginian, a restaurant on the UVA Corner with a reputation for being gay warm, opens
- Gay Scholar Union is established at UVA
- Same-sex marriage is prohibited by Virginia law
- Friday night dances are held at Joani Schwartzman’s house
Late ss - The Thawing Out party is held for gay and lesbian people - a weekend campout - held near Crozet
- Muldowney’s (Charlottesville’s first “unofficial” male lover bar) is opened by Joani Schatzman
- first AIDS case at the UVA Hospital
- The Silver Fox opens (Muldowney’s space was reopened as The Silver Fox) by Clyde Cooper and Mike Fitzgerald, plus others
- CLF (Charlottesville Lesbian Feminists) exist by this date; c(3) status achieved
- Wo
Charlottesville LGBTQ City Guide
Charlottesville, Virginia is perhaps most well-known for existence home to the University of Virginia. While it is a fun funky college town, it is also a city with beautiful scenery, a thriving arts and culture scene, plenty of opportunity, and much to glimpse and do. Even better, it has a smaller, yet thriving LGBTQ community where all can find their place and touch at home. If you’re thinking of finding your next place in Charlottesville, chances are, you’ll find plenty about it to love!
A Look at Charlottesville’s History
Charlotteville was named for Charlotte Sophia, who was the consort of King George III of England. It began as an important tobacco growing and trading area and later became renowned as the home of presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Since the time of its founding in , it has grown steadily and today it is a vibrant, thriving town full of diverse, welcoming neighborhoods and friendly people.
A Few Joy Facts About Charlottesville
- The feature Evan Almighty was filmed in Charlottesville.
- Actor Rob
In early , Hospice of the Piedmont needed support with a patient who had less than a month to live. The organization’s purpose, then and now, is to take care for terminal patients, but this patient had AIDS, and AIDS patients were different.
By the end of , there were 10 reported AIDS cases in Charlottesville, 42 in Virginia. A year later, the total number in the state had jumped to , and Hospice board member Jim Heilman began pondering the idea of a group devoted solely to their treatment. Given the hysteria and shrink from surrounding the disease, as well as how rapidly and miserably the patients died, AIDS cases required a special kind of care. When a particularly horrific case came to the door in , Heilman called Blaise Spinelli, a year-old med tech at UVA, and asked him if he wanted to help.
As a medical technician at UVA, Blaise Spinelli saw the first local victims of the AIDS epidemic in the early ‘80s and helped found the AIDS Services Group of Charlottesville in Photo: Billy Hunt
The patient was a young guy in his mid- to lates, living outside of town with his sister and her husba