BUILDING COMMUNITY WW Queer Space History, Part2 BY LESLIE FREEMAN-DYKESEN destined to become one in a string of short-lived gay bars in and around Burlington. Wayne Beam, who grew up in Hardwick, observed the bar scene during college vacations. At Pearl’s, Beam found a claus- trophobic meat market, focused on young chickens. “Out of twelve guys, if I’d go to the bath- I n 1985, Pearl’s had seemed room, six would follow me in, and six would watch me go,” he recalls. “It was overwhelming. It wasn’t a place to connect." When Beam returned to Burlington permanently in 1997, he discovered a dynamic queer club culture. Theatre irnpres— sario Robert Toms had bought Pearl’s in 1995, and had rechris- tened it 135 Pearl - with a vision of genuine community and per- formance space for queer artists. Beam soon became an integral member of the new team; work- ing the door, then bartending, marketing, and occasionally fill- ing in as DJ. 135 Pearl joined a network of social spaces, influenced by alternative lifestyle communi- ties and the queer nightlife of urban centers such as Montreal and Boston, but geared toward a smaller, geographically dispa- rate population. This network extended from the Rainbow 1 Cattle Company in Brattleboro to 136 Pearl. It was supported by_ com- munities challenged by new restrictions on outdoor cruis- ing, inspired by social change movements, and energized by national activism around HIV/ AIDS and multicultural femi- nism. In 1990, it had included the Last Elm Cafe, a collec- tive coffeehouse of queer and straight allies. Located deep in Burlington’s Old.North End, the Last Elm had provided lively art and music, a cheap bottomless cup of coffee, and a Womyn’s Open Mic. But, like many _l990s grassroots efforts, queer social spaces struggled to balance op- timism about cultural visibility and tolerance, with growing apa- thy and leadership fatigue in the wake of hard-won successes. By 1993, the Last Elm was no longer financially viable. Though it did not dissolve for-‘ mally until l998, core members were already burned out, unable The space that Pearl's once occupied is slated to become a Papa John's Pizzeria. to market the cafe to a main- stream youth culture. In this -. context, 135 Pearl struggled to be simultaneously socially con- scious, culturally relevant, and profitable. ' Burlington musician Steph Pappas had grown accustomed to carving out queer space within straight bars, and les- bian space within queer spaces dominated by gay men. Pappas remembers 135 Pearl’s crucial role in promoting and support- ing her talent. Her all-girl rock band Miss Bliss played their first gig there, under the name Toxic Shock. 135 Pearl continued to be open to Pappas’ shows, from Miss Bliss to the experimental Steph Pappas Experience. Pappas also found a niche in the crowd at Womyn’s Nights, where “music spun by a woman DJ was always the staple as well as catered food by a woman-owned business." But, she adds, “Women would leave by 11pm because the gay men would come around.” Eventually, the Womyn’s- Night concept became house music provided by a male DJ to a woman—identified audience. Pappas highlights a persis- tent dilemma for 135 Pearl: how to welcome diverse identities, yet facilitate belonging for each group, and make money. Tracy, a former Pearl’s bartender, points out that older men (presumably the regulars who had alienated young Wayne Beam) had already been “phased out." Increasingly, 135 Pearl focused on dance parties and drag shows, which drew larger crowds of youngish gay men and straight clubgoers. Some lesbians felt marginalized, or ghettoized in Womyn’s Night. Meanwhile, the nightclub, un- able to afford renovations, re- mained structurally inaccessible to dis/abled people. 135 Pearl - the “unity bar”, as Robert Toms suggested - ac- tively sought straight pa'trons. In 2003, Pea.rl’s Rutland counter- part, Shooka Dooka’s, opened to an 80 percent straight clientele. Granted access to civil muons, as well as increased access to adoption and child custody, now ~ able to dance and drink among both neighbors and peers, LGBT Vermonters found more allies in mainstream culture than ever before. Yet the most vulnerable members of LGBT communities had almost nowhere to go. Rainbow Cattle Company, Shooka Dooka’s, and 135 Pearl closed in 2006. The space that Pearl’s once occupied is slated to become a Papa John’s Pizzeria. Some LGBT Vermonters view assimilation as an opportunity to be trulyout, not among a protected circle of other queers, but in every aspect of their lives. They consider 135 Pearl’s clos- ing to be an opportunity to bring traditionally queer concepts of freedom and self—expression into the mainstream, and to seek out new communities that share their individual values, regardless of gender or sexual , orientation. Wayne Beam, who now works at Higher Ground, points to 1/2 Lounge, The Second Floor, and other Burlington area clubs. Ac- cording to Beam, these clubs have successfully borrowed from the queer club scene, hosting theme nights and hiring former 135 Pearl’s employees, who have helped to create an atmosphere of acceptance and safety. “We’ve reached a point where people in Burlington understand that queer members of the com- munity have a lot more to offer than being queer," Beam says.V Leslie Freeman-Dykesen is a dis/abled, queer femme mama of two, community activist, and writer. She and her family live in Winooski. Leslie can be reached at efemmera@yahoo.com. 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