Difference between revisions of "Ladies Night"

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(New page: <div style="text-align: center;"> '''1183 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN''' </div> Image:Svc_ladies_night_exterior.jpg Image:Svc_Ladies_Night.jpg Opened in 1985. Eleanor "Hone...)
 
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'''1183 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN'''
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'''1183 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN (1985-1991)'''
 
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[[Image:Svc_Ladies_Night.jpg]]
 
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<small>'''Ladies Night Ad from the 1986 Twin Cities Pride Guide.  Courtesy of the [[Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection]].'''</small>
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| Darlene "Murph" Murphy opened Ladies Night on University Avenue in 1985.<small>(1)</small>  Formerly a strip club for the straight men’s entertainment, the windowless structure was part of an X-rated district that centered on the [[Faust Theater]] at Dale and University.
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Murph thought that the name was appropriate for a lesbian venue, and avoided the cost of new signage by keeping it.  The change initially escaped the attention of some; handfuls of men entered the new lesbian club expecting to see "ladies" of a different sort.<small>(2)</small>
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The lesbian bar was not the first in Muph’s business repertoire—she and Eleanor "Honey" Harold previously operated the Castle Royale in the Wabasha Street Caves on the West Side Flats. Unfortunately, the space was too large and the Castle Royal closed within a few years of opening—at least, that’s what [[Equal Time]] reported.
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A significant contribution to the Castle Royal’s demise resulted from the longstanding boycott of Coors Beer.  The boycott, begun in 1973 by labor unions, quickly gained the support of gay men and lesbian women when information surfaced about the company’s severely discriminatory hiring practices. 
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Prospective Coors employees were put through a polygraph test, and the questionnaire included invasive quandaries about the prospect’s sexual orientation.(3)  Lasting for decades, the boycott symbolized the might of GLBT consumers; community members equated drinking Coors Beer with committing treason.
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Opened in 1985.  Eleanor "Honey" Harold and Darlene "Murph" Murphy previously operate the Castle Royale in St. Paul, but the space was too large and they went separate ways.  Honey went back to reform [[Foxy's Bar]], and Murph opened Ladies Night in a former male stripper joint.(1)
 
  
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This atmosphere of extreme loyalty to GLBT-friendly products even produced occasional boycotts of queer businesses.  Such was the case shortly before “the Royale” closed; patrons caught Honey selling Coors under the counter, and a boycott of the bar ensued.(4)  In part, the boycott sealed Castle Royal’s fate.
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Honey went back to reform [[Foxy's Bar]] in the former site of [[The Grand Finale]] in downtown St. Paul, and Murph struck out on her own—she operated Ladies Night until it closed in the early 1990s.(5)
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<small>'''Exterior of Ladies Night in 1985, immediately after the bar changed from a strip club to a lesbian bar.  From [[Equal Time]] News, Courtesy of the [[Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection]].'''</small>
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This page is still under construction.  -SVC
 
  
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(1)Douma, Gretchen.  "News Bars Expand St. Paul Nightlife."  Equal Time, Issue 90, 9/18/1985.  Page 5.
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<small>(1)</small>Douma, Gretchen.  "News Bars Expand St. Paul Nightlife."  Equal Time, Issue 90, 9/18/1985.  Page 5.
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<small>(2)</small> ''Ibid.''
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<small>(3)</small> Rapp, Linda.  "Boycotts" featured on www.glbtq.com, page 2.  Retrieved 3/24/2010. http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/boycotts,2.html
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<small>(4)</small> Tretter, Jean-Nickolaus.  Interview with the author, 3/24/
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<small>(5)</small> By 1992, the site had transformed into the Metro Bar. "St. Paul / Police release two men, woman arrested after slaying at University Av. bar," ''The St. Paul Pioneer Press,'' 12/3/1992.
  
 
Part of [[Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: 100 Queer Places in Minnesota History, (1860-1969), (1969-2010)]]
 
Part of [[Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: 100 Queer Places in Minnesota History, (1860-1969), (1969-2010)]]

Latest revision as of 11:22, 1 May 2010

1183 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN (1985-1991)


Svc Ladies Night.jpg

Ladies Night Ad from the 1986 Twin Cities Pride Guide. Courtesy of the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection.

Darlene "Murph" Murphy opened Ladies Night on University Avenue in 1985.(1) Formerly a strip club for the straight men’s entertainment, the windowless structure was part of an X-rated district that centered on the Faust Theater at Dale and University.



Murph thought that the name was appropriate for a lesbian venue, and avoided the cost of new signage by keeping it. The change initially escaped the attention of some; handfuls of men entered the new lesbian club expecting to see "ladies" of a different sort.(2)



The lesbian bar was not the first in Muph’s business repertoire—she and Eleanor "Honey" Harold previously operated the Castle Royale in the Wabasha Street Caves on the West Side Flats. Unfortunately, the space was too large and the Castle Royal closed within a few years of opening—at least, that’s what Equal Time reported.


A significant contribution to the Castle Royal’s demise resulted from the longstanding boycott of Coors Beer. The boycott, begun in 1973 by labor unions, quickly gained the support of gay men and lesbian women when information surfaced about the company’s severely discriminatory hiring practices.


Prospective Coors employees were put through a polygraph test, and the questionnaire included invasive quandaries about the prospect’s sexual orientation.(3) Lasting for decades, the boycott symbolized the might of GLBT consumers; community members equated drinking Coors Beer with committing treason.


This atmosphere of extreme loyalty to GLBT-friendly products even produced occasional boycotts of queer businesses. Such was the case shortly before “the Royale” closed; patrons caught Honey selling Coors under the counter, and a boycott of the bar ensued.(4) In part, the boycott sealed Castle Royal’s fate.


Honey went back to reform Foxy's Bar in the former site of The Grand Finale in downtown St. Paul, and Murph struck out on her own—she operated Ladies Night until it closed in the early 1990s.(5)

Svc ladies night exterior.jpg

Exterior of Ladies Night in 1985, immediately after the bar changed from a strip club to a lesbian bar. From Equal Time News, Courtesy of the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection.



(1)Douma, Gretchen. "News Bars Expand St. Paul Nightlife." Equal Time, Issue 90, 9/18/1985. Page 5.

(2) Ibid.

(3) Rapp, Linda. "Boycotts" featured on www.glbtq.com, page 2. Retrieved 3/24/2010. http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/boycotts,2.html

(4) Tretter, Jean-Nickolaus. Interview with the author, 3/24/

(5) By 1992, the site had transformed into the Metro Bar. "St. Paul / Police release two men, woman arrested after slaying at University Av. bar," The St. Paul Pioneer Press, 12/3/1992.

Part of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: 100 Queer Places in Minnesota History, (1860-1969), (1969-2010)

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