From Playland to The Other Side and the Napoleon to “the 12”, Chaps, Styx, Sporters and Buddy’s, and dozens of others opening and closing through the years, I thoroughly enjoyed them ALL, including Fritz. I lived in Boston from the early 70s til a few years ago… when there were gay bars a-plenty… a place for everybody and all their changing moods, tastes, and situations. I’m curious – how could people in a gay bar discriminate against you for being straight? Did you have that tatooed on your forehead? Did you make a point of making your orientation clear in such a way as it sent the message that you were afraid of being “mistaken” for being gay? I visited Fritz alone, with gay friends, and with straight friends. Stupid, childish, but true, and I came to know that I had no use for gay bars that functioned as exclusive “clubs” that only the “right” people could truly feel at home in. I, as a gay man, have been made to feel unwelcomed at certain gay bars too – because I was wearing a suit at one, and wasn’t wearing a suit at another! My clothes didn’t support the fantasie du jour. Others have a broader socializing aspect to them and are welcoming to all. Some are obsessed with the bar “theme”, whatever that is. Some seem to exist solely for the purpose of “sexual connection”.
