Something you didn't see in the 70s was pubic hair beards like Mark Wahlberg is inflicting on the rest of us.
Bottled water was pretty rare till Perrier came to America.
I remember where I was when I heard my first song by Prince (I Wanna Be Your Lover) and it was really electrifying. Same with Donna Summer and I Feel Love. The entire bar actually stopped and caught it's breath when that song was played the first time, it was THAT good.
The rest of America seemed a little slow to pick up what was going on with the Village People.
Sgt. Leonard Matlovich vs. U.S. military was a big deal in my world, I'd bet 99% or more of today's America has no idea who he was.
Anita Bryant got a pie in her face (Banquet brand lemon meringue, as I recall) in Des Moines Iowa in 1977.
I had a 75 Camaro, and a 77 Monte Carlo. Wish I STILL had them. The Monte had a powered sun roof (I LOVED IT !!!) and an emergency crank in the glove box in case it should fail to close.
Kill A Queer For Jesus t-shirts were around. A comedy movie, can't recall the name, had a scene on hunting the wild faggots in New York City with high powered rifles.
America was mortified there was a gay character on Soap. Even the John Ritter character on Three's Company who only pretended to be gay was controversial.
I was in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade in 1979 (theme: Stonewall 10 years after) with 250,000 of my closest friends. The one day a year the Chicago PD was required to protect (instead of persecute) the homos.
I never went to Halsteads. I am probably alive today due to that omission.
A friend of mine had a stamp that said "GAY MONEY" and he'd stamp every piece of US currency he got his hands on.
It was tough to be 'out' in your home town, or even your home state, but if you moved away, it was much easier.
Sometimes you'd see hetero couples at gay bars/discos. It was a great place for them to go if they were having an affair, no one was going to tell. If they saw someone they knew, they couldn't tell either.
No internet in those days, and no specific advertising ever, ever, ever used the word 'gay', but my friends and myself always knew where the gay bars were wherever we went. I still don't know how that worked.
Gay really was a separate world back then. We've lost an aspect of our sense of community from the increasing acceptance over the years. The younger gays these days have no idea what that was like. Intellectually, I know that's a good thing, but I still miss the feeling.
Bottled water was pretty rare till Perrier came to America.
I remember where I was when I heard my first song by Prince (I Wanna Be Your Lover) and it was really electrifying. Same with Donna Summer and I Feel Love. The entire bar actually stopped and caught it's breath when that song was played the first time, it was THAT good.
The rest of America seemed a little slow to pick up what was going on with the Village People.
Sgt. Leonard Matlovich vs. U.S. military was a big deal in my world, I'd bet 99% or more of today's America has no idea who he was.
Anita Bryant got a pie in her face (Banquet brand lemon meringue, as I recall) in Des Moines Iowa in 1977.
I had a 75 Camaro, and a 77 Monte Carlo. Wish I STILL had them. The Monte had a powered sun roof (I LOVED IT !!!) and an emergency crank in the glove box in case it should fail to close.
Kill A Queer For Jesus t-shirts were around. A comedy movie, can't recall the name, had a scene on hunting the wild faggots in New York City with high powered rifles.
America was mortified there was a gay character on Soap. Even the John Ritter character on Three's Company who only pretended to be gay was controversial.
I was in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade in 1979 (theme: Stonewall 10 years after) with 250,000 of my closest friends. The one day a year the Chicago PD was required to protect (instead of persecute) the homos.
I never went to Halsteads. I am probably alive today due to that omission.
A friend of mine had a stamp that said "GAY MONEY" and he'd stamp every piece of US currency he got his hands on.
It was tough to be 'out' in your home town, or even your home state, but if you moved away, it was much easier.
Sometimes you'd see hetero couples at gay bars/discos. It was a great place for them to go if they were having an affair, no one was going to tell. If they saw someone they knew, they couldn't tell either.
No internet in those days, and no specific advertising ever, ever, ever used the word 'gay', but my friends and myself always knew where the gay bars were wherever we went. I still don't know how that worked.
Gay really was a separate world back then. We've lost an aspect of our sense of community from the increasing acceptance over the years. The younger gays these days have no idea what that was like. Intellectually, I know that's a good thing, but I still miss the feeling.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
