Some are iconic, destinations for LGBT customers for decades, but gay bars are closing at a notable pace.
The Quest in Canton closed a year ago; The Eagle, a leather bar in the 2000 block of North Charles Street, has been shuttered more than two years. Recently came word that the Hippo, which started 43 years ago in Mount Vernon as a disco club, would close and make way for a CVS. And patrons of Jays on Read, a piano bar, expect it to close, as well.
What does the closing of these bars mean for Baltimore’s gay community, and what does it tell us about how the situation of gays has changed?
We speak with Don Davis, who owns Grand Central, a bar in Mt Vernon that he calls an alternative club. Joining us by phone is Lonnie Walker, Program Coordinator of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland, which was founded in 1975.
