While clubs still had to consistently pay off law enforcement to keep their doors open and their patrons safe, this bubble was ready to burst.Īnd it did.
The queer community found tolerance amid spaces that were comfortable, says Schläger. Niche spots on the Hill created a sort of “gay bubble,” as Neighbours Nightclub disc jockey and LGBTQ+ history aficionado Randy Schläger likes to call it. Pioneer Square walked so Capitol Hill could run. Before there was the fetish-friendly Cuff Complex or drag-heavy R Place-both of which opened on Capitol Hill, the former in the late ’80s and the latter in the early ’90s-Pioneer Square had the Casino, a same-sex speakeasy dancehall, and the South End Steam Baths too.
