Small Town Gay Bar
Recently, there have been many editorials of the demise of the need for “a gay bar” in our urban centers. Do we need to segregate ourselves? Why not simply congregate whenever, wherever with whomever we please? This is a luxury our rural brethren don’t have. And “Small Town Gay Bar” reminds of those we left behind as we fled for gay Meccas like San Francisco and NY. The film chronicles their struggles to carve out a place where they can “be themselves.”
If you ever needed a reminder of why we fight so hard for equal rights, a trip to Deep South provides constant reminder of the cruelty, ridicule, and even violence faced by gay men and women who simply want to live a honest and open life. And for many, the only chance to do so is the local gay bar. Local being a relative term as many travel far and wide to find an outlet of acceptance in the midst of the Bible Belt.
It is in these small towns that a true LGBT community is created. It’s not about bear bars, it’s not about lesbian bars – it’s about “the bar.” The only game in town or in the county or . . .
Drag queens mix with dykes who mix truckers who mix with . . . and they get along, because each understands what it’s like to be alone in a small town. They put their differences aside to create a “safe” place, a community, a family.
The film opens with the song “You Gotta Move” played over images of a small town gay bar. One has to wonder if this is the message for those in the film. What we never get is why they stay. Is it the rural lifestyle? Is it a connection to their birthplace and family? We just don’t know.
Overall, Small Town Gay Bar provides a slice of the community not often viewed. It is a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.