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Andy Karagas, Tony Garneau, and Sam "Bookie" Stewart
Karagas is joined by two of Detroit's other prominent barkeeps, Garneau of Gigi's, and Stewart of the Silver Dollar, the Diplomat, and later Bookie's…
Copa Night Club
Despite the demise of disco in the late 1970s, large dance clubs maintained their allure among young gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals as places to…
Flyer for Hot Cops 3
Centaur Films
A one-time dancer at the Gold Coast in Detroit, Steve O'Donnell (lower left) migrated west and began a career in adult gay male videos. The popularity…
Gayscene Detroit, no. 1
This racy entry into Detroit's gay publications was short-lived, but provides important insight about early 1970s bar life, particularly the leather…
Go-Go Dancers at Gold Coast Saloon
With a relaxing of laws against obscenity and consequent bar raids, gay strippers became a popular mainstay at several Detroit bars. Some even…
Hi-Spots Magazine - 1967
In 1961 Melva Earhart re-opened the State Bar on W. Kearsley Street in Flint. By the late 1960s it had become almost exclusively gay, and hosted…
Hitting the Hi-Spots Magazine - 1951
Lesbian Melva Earhart purchased the State Bar in Flint in 1950 and it soon became a safe hang-out for a homosexual clientele. Its original location on…
Jack B. Pierson and Robert Purcell
This photo was taken at an unidentified Detroit bar shortly after Pierson and Purcell began their lifelong relationship. After World War II, they…
Living Legends Night at Gigi's
Some of Detroit's legendary female impersonators, including Jennifer Foxx and Nikki Stevens, shared the stage at this 1994 performance.
Melva Earhart and Betty Underwood
Betty Underwood met Melva Earhart on a visit to Flint in 1957, and they soon began dating. After their romance faded, the two remained close, with…
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