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adding articles

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This commit is contained in:
Nasir Anthony Montalvo
2026-01-06 18:36:54 -06:00
parent 1d3b0ffd3b
commit 22c205b3d9
24 changed files with 1830 additions and 592 deletions
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4
_config.yml
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@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ source-code: https://github.com/CollectionBuilder/collectionbuilder-csv
# title of site appears in banner
title: "{B/qKC}"
# tagline, a short phrase that will appear throughout the site in the top banner
tagline: an archive of Black queer Kansas City history
tagline: a decentralized, digital archive of Black queer Kansas City history
# description appears in meta tags and other locations
# this description might appear in search result lists, keep around 160 characters max
description: "{B/qKC} is a dynamic community archive challenging out-dated archival practices within the frame and study of midwestern Black queer history."
description: "This is the official database for {B/qKC}: a decentralized, digital archive challenging out-dated archival practices within the frame and study of midwestern Black queer history."
# keywords, a short list of subjects describing the collection, separated by semicolon, to appear in rich markup
keywords: kansas city; history; queer; black
# creator of the digital collection, to appear in meta tags; we typically use our GitHub usernames but feel free to just use your name

2
_data/config-metadata.csv
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@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ location,Location,,,,contentLocation
latitude,Latitude,,,,
longitude,Longitude,,,,
source,Source,,,,
identifier,Source Identifier,,,,
objectid,Identifier #,,,,
type,Type,,,DCTERMS.type,
format,Format,,,,encodingFormat
language,Language,,,DCTERMS.language,
1 field display_name browse_link external_link dc_map schema_map
8 latitude Latitude
9 longitude Longitude
10 source Source
11 identifier objectid Source Identifier Identifier #
12 type Type DCTERMS.type
13 format Format encodingFormat
14 language Language DCTERMS.language

13
_data/config-nav.csv
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@@ -1,15 +1,22 @@
display_name,stub,dropdown_parent
HOME,/,
the_ARCHIVE,/browse.html,
THE_ARCHIVE,/browse.html,
COLLECTIONS,,
EXPLORE,,
READ,,
SUBJECTS,/subjects.html,EXPLORE
MAP,/map.html,EXPLORE
METADATA,/data.html,EXPLORE
ABOUT,/about.html,
ABOUT,,
ABOUT THE ARCHIVE,/about.html,ABOUT
COPYRIGHT & TERMS,/copyright.html,ABOUT
CONTACT US,/contact.html,ABOUT
SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER,https://1800nasi.substack.com,ABOUT
gary_carrington,/collections/gary-carrington/,COLLECTIONS
starla_carr,/collections/starla-carr/,COLLECTIONS
tisha_taylor,/collections/tisha-taylor/,COLLECTIONS
Remembering Soakie's,/soakies.html,READ
REMEMBERING SOAKIE'S,/read/soakies.html,READ
EDYE GREGORY & RAY RONDELL,/read/edye-and-ray.html,READ
'OUT THERE': GAY & LESBIAN VARIETY SHOWS,/read/out-there.html,READ
MACT-KC,/read/mact-kc.html,READ
DONATE,/donate.html,
1 display_name stub dropdown_parent
2 HOME /
3 the_ARCHIVE THE_ARCHIVE /browse.html
4 COLLECTIONS
5 EXPLORE
6 READ
7 SUBJECTS /subjects.html EXPLORE
8 MAP /map.html EXPLORE
9 METADATA /data.html EXPLORE
10 ABOUT /about.html
11 ABOUT THE ARCHIVE /about.html ABOUT
12 COPYRIGHT & TERMS /copyright.html ABOUT
13 CONTACT US /contact.html ABOUT
14 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER https://1800nasi.substack.com ABOUT
15 gary_carrington /collections/gary-carrington/ COLLECTIONS
16 starla_carr /collections/starla-carr/ COLLECTIONS
17 tisha_taylor /collections/tisha-taylor/ COLLECTIONS
18 Remembering Soakie's REMEMBERING SOAKIE'S /soakies.html /read/soakies.html READ
19 EDYE GREGORY & RAY RONDELL /read/edye-and-ray.html READ
20 'OUT THERE': GAY & LESBIAN VARIETY SHOWS /read/out-there.html READ
21 MACT-KC /read/mact-kc.html READ
22 DONATE /donate.html

2
_includes/data-download-modal.html
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@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
</div>
<div class="modal-body">
<p>Download this collection's data in a variety of reusable formats.</p>
<p>Download this collection's data in a variety of reusable formats. Beware of this archive's copyright information!</p>
{% if site.data.theme.metadata-export-fields %}
<div class="card my-3">

3
_includes/feature/image.html
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@@ -51,9 +51,6 @@
| {{ figure.description }}
{% if figure.date_created or figure.collection %}
<em>({% if figure.date_created %}{{ figure.date_created }}{% endif %}{% if figure.collection %}{% if figure.date_created %}.{% endif %} Licensed for use as part of the {{ figure.collection }} of {B/qKC})</em>
{% endif %}
{% endif %}

2
_includes/index/data-download.html
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@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
{%- assign stubs = site.data.config-nav | map: 'stub' | join: ';' -%}
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="card-body">
<p><small>Download this collection's metadata in a variety of reusable formats.</small></p>
<p><small>Download this collection's metadata in a variety of reusable formats. Beware of this archive's copyright information!</small></p>
<p class="card-text text-center">
<a class="btn btn-sm btn-secondary m-1" href="{{ '/assets/data/metadata.csv' | relative_url }}" download>Metadata CSV</a>
<a class="btn btn-sm btn-secondary m-1" href="{{ '/assets/data/metadata.json' | relative_url }}" target="_blank">Metadata JSON</a>

36
_layouts/about.html
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@@ -83,4 +83,38 @@ layout: default
{% include cb/credits.html %}
</div>
{% endif %}
</div>
</div>
<script>
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () {
const tocLinks = document.querySelectorAll("#about-toc-list a");
const headings = document.querySelectorAll("h1, h2, h3");
let activeId = null;
const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
entries => {
entries.forEach(entry => {
if (entry.isIntersecting) {
activeId = entry.target.id;
tocLinks.forEach(link => link.classList.remove("active"));
const activeLink = document.querySelector(
`#about-toc-list a[href="#${activeId}"]`
);
if (activeLink) {
activeLink.classList.add("active");
}
}
});
},
{
rootMargin: "-20% 0px -60% 0px",
threshold: 0
}
);
headings.forEach(heading => observer.observe(heading));
});
</script>

2
_layouts/map.html
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@@ -3,5 +3,5 @@
layout: default
custom-foot: js/map-js.html
---
<h2 class="visually-hidden">Map of Collection Items</h2>
<h2 class="visually-hidden">Mapping The Archive</h2>
<div id="mapContainer"></div>

425
_sass/_custom.scss
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@@ -2,9 +2,8 @@
Put your custom SCSS here!
This allows you to override any CollectionBuilder or Bootstrap CSS without modifying the base theme files directly.
*/
/* =========================
Base Color System
========================= */
/* base colors */
:root {
--bg-black: #000000;
@@ -13,9 +12,7 @@
--text-muted: #bfbfbf;
--border-white: #ffffff;
}
/* =========================
Global Black Site
========================= */
/* global black */
body {
background-color: var(--bg-black);
@@ -27,7 +24,8 @@ input, textarea {
::placeholder {
color: rgba(255,255,255,0.6);
}
/* === Site title / navbar title color === */
/* forcing color fixes */
.navbar-brand,
.navbar-brand a,
@@ -36,19 +34,16 @@ input, textarea {
.navbar-dark .navbar-brand:hover {
color: #ffffff !important;
}
/* === Make muted text readable on black === */
.text-muted {
color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.65) !important;
}
/* === Force site title in navbar to white === */
header .navbar-brand,
header .navbar-brand *,
#home-banner-logo {
color: #ffffff !important;
}
/* === Nuclear fix: make all header links white === */
header a,
header a * {
@@ -58,54 +53,41 @@ header a * {
#header a * {
color: #ffffff !important;
}
/* Only change the inner-page site title */
#title a.text-dark,
#title a.text-dark:hover,
#title a.text-dark:focus {
color: #ffffff !important;
}
/* =========================
Footer layout + logo
========================= */
/* top row: text/nav left, logo right (from footer.html .footer-top row) */
/*footer styling */
.footer-top {
align-items: stretch;
}
/* footer logo wrapper */
.footer-logo-spinner {
display: flex;
justify-content: flex-end; /* align logo to the right on desktop */
padding: 0.5rem 0;
}
/* video sizing */
.footer-logo-spinner video {
width: 300px; /* tweak as needed */
max-width: 100%; /* don’t overflow on small screens */
height: auto;
}
/* Respect accessibility: reduce extra visual processing for motion-sensitive users */
/* Note: this does NOT actually stop the video, but avoids adding any extra CSS animation effects. */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.footer-logo-spinner video {
animation: none !important; /* in case we ever add keyframe animation later */
filter: grayscale(30%); /* optional styling touch, keep or remove as you like */
animation: none !important;
filter: grayscale(30%);
}
}
/* bottom strip (built with CB + last updated) */
#footer-credits {
text-align: center;
margin-top: 1rem;
}
/* -------------------------
Dark theme & item cards
------------------------- */
.bg-dark,
.navbar-dark.bg-dark,
footer.bg-dark {
@@ -127,7 +109,7 @@ footer a:hover {
color: #cccccc;
}
/* Single-item image card */
/* removing ugly white box on single item pages and fixing text colors */
main[role="main"] .card.mb-4.text-center {
background-color: transparent !important;
border: none !important;
@@ -139,14 +121,11 @@ main[role="main"] .card.mb-4.text-center img {
border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.18);
}
/* “Click to view full screen” text */
main[role="main"] .text-center small {
color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.75) !important;
}
/* -------------------------
Links
------------------------- */
/* links */
a {
text-decoration: underline;
@@ -166,9 +145,7 @@ a:hover {
color: #bfbfbf;
}
/* -------------------------
Buttons – global
------------------------- */
/* buttons, color n animations */
.btn,
.btn-outline-secondary,
@@ -193,7 +170,7 @@ a:hover {
text-decoration: none;
}
/* Buttons on white / light cards */
/* fixing card buttons */
.card .btn,
.bg-white .btn,
.bg-light .btn {
@@ -212,11 +189,7 @@ a:hover {
color: #ffffff !important;
}
/* -------------------------
Browse page controls
------------------------- */
/* Search + Reset attached to browse search field */
/* browse colors */
#browse .input-group .btn {
background-color: #000000 !important;
color: #ffffff !important;
@@ -230,9 +203,7 @@ a:hover {
color: #000000 !important;
}
/* -------------------------
Navbar search button
------------------------- */
/* fixing navbar search colors */
.navbar .input-group .btn {
border-radius: 0 4px 4px 0;
@@ -247,9 +218,7 @@ a:hover {
fill: #ffffff !important;
}
/* -------------------------
Item-page buttons
------------------------- */
/* item page buttons */
body.item-page main[role="main"] .text-center a.btn {
display: inline-block;
@@ -266,7 +235,6 @@ body.item-page main[role="main"] .text-center a.btn:focus {
color: #000000 !important;
}
/* “View on Map” / “Download JPG” buttons under main image */
main[role="main"] .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary {
background-color: transparent !important;
color: #ffffff !important;
@@ -281,9 +249,7 @@ main[role="main"] .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary:focus {
color: #000000 !important;
}
/* -------------------------
Map page – FuseSearch
------------------------- */
/* map page colors */
.leaflet-fusesearch-panel .search-input {
color: #000000 !important;
@@ -295,9 +261,7 @@ main[role="main"] .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary:focus {
color: #555555 !important;
}
/* -------------------------
Homepage carousel button
------------------------- */
/* homepage browse carousel button */
.carousel .btn,
.carousel .btn-outline-primary {
@@ -313,9 +277,7 @@ main[role="main"] .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary:focus {
color: #000000 !important;
}
/* -------------------------
Typography
------------------------- */
/* font styling */
main h1,
main h2,
@@ -344,26 +306,21 @@ main p {
text-transform: uppercase;
font-size: 0.8rem;
}
/* =========================
Home Banner styling
========================= */
/* home banner styling */
#home-banner {
position: relative;
min-height: 380px;
max-height: 580px;
padding: 3.5rem 0 2.5rem;
background-color: #000; /* safety if image fails */
background-color: #000;
}
/* container that holds the title box + Featured Image pill */
#home-title-box {
position: relative;
}
/* inner dark rectangle with title + tagline */
#home-title-box > .p-2 {
/* turn the centered strip into a badge */
display: inline-block;
text-align: left;
padding: 1.25rem 1.6rem !important;
@@ -373,7 +330,6 @@ main p {
border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25);
}
/* title inside the banner */
#home-title-box h1 {
margin: 0;
font-size: clamp(2rem, 3.4vw, 3rem);
@@ -387,13 +343,12 @@ main p {
text-decoration: none;
}
/* tagline inside banner */
#home-title-box p {
margin: 0.35rem 0 0;
font-size: 0.95rem;
opacity: 0.85;
}
/* mobile: center the badge instead of left-aligning it */
@media (max-width: 767px) {
#home-title-box {
text-align: center;
@@ -402,10 +357,9 @@ main p {
margin-left: 0;
}
}
/* === Featured Image label on home hero === */
#home-banner {
position: relative; /* anchor for absolutely positioned label */
position: relative;
}
#home-banner .featured-image-label {
@@ -413,7 +367,7 @@ main p {
bottom: 0.75rem;
right: 1rem;
padding: 0.15rem 0.6rem;
background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); /* like the old design, but subtle */
background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75);
}
#home-banner .featured-image-label a {
@@ -431,16 +385,14 @@ main p {
}
/* =========================
Subpage header (under nav)
========================= */
/* headers on all other pages */
main #title h1 {
margin: 0;
font-size: 1.5rem;
letter-spacing: 0.04em;
font-weight: 700;
text-transform: none; /* don't force all caps */
text-transform: none;
}
main #title h1 a {
@@ -463,9 +415,6 @@ main #title p {
font-size: 1.25rem;
}
}
/* =========================
Subpage header (below nav)
========================= */
#title {
padding: 1.5rem 0 1.1rem;
@@ -478,10 +427,9 @@ main #title p {
font-size: 1.5rem;
letter-spacing: 0.04em;
font-weight: 700;
text-transform: none; /* keep {B/qKC} style */
text-transform: none;
}
/* keep links looking like the site title, not underlined */
#title h1 a {
color: #ffffff !important;
text-decoration: none;
@@ -502,19 +450,318 @@ main #title p {
font-size: 1.25rem;
}
}
/* ---------------------------------
Card hover lift (non-modal only)
--------------------------------- */
/* Only apply when no Bootstrap modal is open.
When a modal is open, body gets .modal-open, so this shuts off. */
body:not(.modal-open) .card {
transition: transform 0.2s ease-out, box-shadow 0.2s ease-out;
/* animations */
.modal-content .card.mb-4.text-center small {
color: #000000 !important;
}
body:not(.modal-open) .card:hover {
.modal-content .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary {
background-color: transparent !important;
color: #000000 !important;
border: 1px solid #000000 !important;
border-radius: 4px;
text-decoration: none;
}
.modal-content .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary:hover,
.modal-content .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary:focus {
background-color: #000000 !important;
color: #ffffff !important;
}
.modal,
.modal * ,
.modal-backdrop {
transition: none !important;
animation: none !important;
}
html body main[role="main"] .modal-content .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary {
background-color: transparent !important;
color: #000000 !important;
border: 1px solid #000000 !important;
border-radius: 4px;
text-decoration: none;
}
html body main[role="main"] .modal-content .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary:hover,
html body main[role="main"] .modal-content .card.mb-4.text-center .btn-group .btn-outline-primary:focus {
background-color: #000000 !important;
color: #ffffff !important;
}
.modal .card.mb-4.text-center {
transition: none !important;
transform: none !important;
box-shadow: none !important;
}
.modal .card.mb-4.text-center:hover {
transform: none !important;
box-shadow: none !important;
}
main[role="main"] .card {
transition:
transform 150ms ease-out,
box-shadow 150ms ease-out,
border-color 150ms ease-out;
}
main[role="main"] .card:hover {
transform: translateY(-4px);
box-shadow: 0 10px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 8px 20px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.45);
border-color: #ffffff;
}
/* animations off for compound cards (can't figure out bug that keeps them flickering) */
main[role="main"] .row.row-cols-lg-4.g-2 .card,
main[role="main"] .row.row-cols-lg-4.g-2 .card:hover {
transform: none !important;
box-shadow: none !important;
border-color: #000000 !important;
}
.modal .card,
.modal .card:hover {
transform: none !important;
box-shadow: none !important;
border-color: inherit !important;
transition: none !important;
}
/* two block quote styles */
.quote-line {
margin: 2rem 0;
padding-left: 1.25rem;
border-left: 4px solid #bbbbbb;
color: #dddddd;
}
.quote-line p {
margin: 0.5rem 0;
}
.quote-line .quote-attrib {
font-size: 0.9rem;
color: #aaaaaa;
font-style: italic;
}
.quote-box {
background-color: #ffffff;
color: #000000;
padding: 1.75rem 2rem;
margin: 2.5rem 0;
border-radius: 4px;
}
.quote-box .quote-text {
font-size: 1.1rem;
font-style: italic;
margin-bottom: 1rem;
}
.quote-box .quote-attrib {
font-size: 0.9rem;
text-align: right;
}
blockquote {
max-width: 700px;
}
/* =========================
ABOUT TOC
========================= */
#about-toc {
background-color: #000000;
padding: 1rem;
margin-bottom: 2rem;
position: sticky;
top: 1rem;
}
/* Remove Bootstrap italics everywhere */
#about-toc,
#about-toc * {
font-style: normal;
}
#about-toc-title .btn {
background-color: #000000;
color: #ffffff;
width: 100%;
text-align: left;
padding: 0.5rem 0.75rem;
}
#about-toc-title .btn:hover,
#about-toc-title .btn:focus {
background-color: #111111;
}
#about-toc-title svg {
float: right;
fill: #ffffff;
}
#about-toc-list {
background-color: #000000;
padding-top: 1rem;
}
#about-toc-list ul {
list-style: none;
padding-left: 0;
}
#about-toc-list li {
margin-bottom: 0.4rem;
}
/* TOC links */
#about-toc-list a {
color: #ffffff;
text-decoration: none;
font-size: 0.8rem;
line-height: 1.3;
opacity: 0.3;
position: relative;
padding-left: 0.75rem;
}
#about-toc-list a:hover {
opacity: 0.6;
}
/* Active section indicator */
#about-toc-list a.active {
opacity: 1;
}
#about-toc-list a.active::before {
position: absolute;
left: 0;
top: 0.25em;
height: 1em;
width: 3px;
background-color: #ffffff;
}
/* Nested hierarchy */
#about-toc-list ul ul {
padding-left: 1rem;
border-left: 1px solid #444444;
margin-top: 0.25rem;
align-items: left;
}
#about-toc-list ul ul a {
font-size: 0.75rem;
}
@media (max-width: 768px) {
/* TOC card stacks above the back-to-top button */
#about-toc {
position: sticky; /* keeps it visible when scrolling */
bottom: 1rem; /* push it above the button */
margin-bottom: 0; /* remove default bottom margin */
z-index: 998; /* below the button (which is 9999) */
max-width: 95%; /* optional: prevent full width to fit nicely */
margin-left: auto;
margin-right: auto;
}
/* keep back-to-top floating above TOC */
#scroll-to-top {
position: fixed;
bottom: 4.5rem;
right: 1rem;
z-index: 9999; /* always on top */
transition: transform 0.2s ease, box-shadow 0.2s ease;
}
}
#scroll-to-top:hover {
transform: translateY(-2px);
box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
}
/* interp/about page */
#about-wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 250px 1fr;
gap: 2rem;
}
#about-contents-wrapper {
max-width: 800px;
padding: 0 2rem;
margin: 0 auto;
}
#about-contents-wrapper p {
max-width: 70ch;
line-height: 1.6;
}
@media (max-width: 992px) {
#about-wrapper {
display: block;
}
#about-contents-wrapper {
max-width: 100%;
padding: 1rem;
}
}
/* wrapped images */
.float-img {
max-width: 40%;
margin: 0.5rem 1.5rem 1rem 0;
}
.float-left {
float: left;
}
.float-right {
float: right;
margin: 0.5rem 0 1rem 1.5rem;
}
.float-img img {
width: 100%;
height: auto;
display: block;
}
.float-img .caption {
font-size: 0.75rem;
color: #bbbbbb;
margin-top: 0.25rem;
}
.clearfix::after {
content: "";
display: block;
clear: both;
}
@media (max-width: 768px) {
.float-img {
float: none;
max-width: 100%;
margin: 1rem 0;
}
}

5
_sass/_pages.scss
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@@ -160,7 +160,8 @@ $toc-a-color: #191919 !default;
bottom: 0;
z-index: 99;
width: 100%;
background-color: var(--bs-body-bg);
background-color: black;
text-decoration: none;
}
#about-toc-title {
button {
@@ -174,7 +175,7 @@ $toc-a-color: #191919 !default;
.jekyll-toc-list {
list-style: none;
padding-left: 0;
font-style: italic;
font-style: none;
ul, ol {
padding-left: 0;

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---
## Collection Metadata
## Archival Metadata
The table below provides sorting and basic search of the collection contents.
The table below provides sorting and basic search of the archive's contents.
Use the "CSV" button below to download the filtered metadata you see on the page.
Alternatively, click the "Download" button at the top right to view the full collection metadata in various formats.
Alternatively, click the "Download" button at the top right to view the full archive's metadata in various formats.

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---
## Mapping The Archive
This map below shows where various artifacts from the archive were originally captured.
Eveyrthing is mapped purely using coordinates within the archive's metdata.
Items not listed here have not been given coordinates.

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---
title: Edye Gregory And Ray Rondell
layout: about
permalink: /read/edye-and-ray.html
# include CollectionBuilder info at bottom
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# featured-image value can be one objectid for a photo object in this collection, a relative path to an image in this project, or a full url to any image. If left blank, no featured image will appear at top of About page.
about-featured-image:
# set background-position for featured image, "center", "top", "bottom"
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# **Edye Gregory and Ray Rondell: The First (Well-Documented) Black Drag Queens of Kansas City**
Edye Gregory and Ray Rondell are some of Kansas City’s first documented Black Drag Queens and, more broadly, part of the only recorded histories of Black, Queer Kansas Citians at large.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">From Volume_1 of {B/qKC}: Nasir Anthony Montalvo's 2022 liberatory research into Kansas City's institutional archives, namely the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America (GLAMA).</p>
</blockquote>
BY [NASIR MONTALVO](https://1800nasi.net) ● ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE KANSAS CITY DEFENDER ON MAY 17, 2022
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/124826498_10157620662290980_7245850797823051402_n1-794x1024.jpg"
alt="Edye Gregory in a signed headshot to a loved one. Edye smiles with her right shoulder facing the camera, dressed in a light-colored, feathered dress."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Edye Gregory in a signed headshot to a loved one. Edye smiles with her right shoulder facing the camera, dressed in a light-colored, feathered dress. Message reads "Sandy -- Judy Garland lives -- keep it up -- Edye Gregory 1977." (KC's Cabaret/Pegasus Memories, 1977)
</figcaption>
</figure>
If you walk past the intersection of Midtown's West 39th and Summit street (right outside of Missie B's), you'll find a crosswalk modeled after the [**Progress Pride flag**](https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-progress-pride-flag). The "pride crosswalk" has quickly become a national symbol that expresses inclusion of all queer folks and their intersecting identities–but how does that pan out in Kansas City, specifically?
When I moved to Kansas City about a year ago, my priority was finding how I could immerse myself among Black, Queer community. One of the first things I did was simply *google* "Black Queer Kansas City" (and its many related phrases), here's what I found: an organization dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS amongst Black gay men and a Reddit post from 2015 asking **"[Living in KCMO as a black, lgbt person?](https://www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/comments/34yah2/living_in_kcmo_as_a_black_lgbt_person/)**"–that's pretty much it. Not only was that disheartening, it was infuriating when I looked deeper into our State's statistics.
Between 2019 and 2021, five [**Transgender Missourians were murdered**](https://www.glaad.org/blog/tdor-memoriam) by acts of anti-transgender violence–**all five of them were Black women**.
And these are only the cases that have gone [**reported**](https://jhs.press.gonzaga.edu/articles/10.33972/jhs.158/).
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 75%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/E8s-V0-WQAgMcKR-1024x878.jpeg"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Kansas City government officials celebrating the installation of the "Progress Pride" crosswalk. The [Progress Pride] flag was created in 2018 by Daniel Quasar and adds black, brown, blue, pink and white stripes to symbolize marginalized intracommunities (people of color, transgender people, and those living with HIV/AIDS). (Kansas City, MO, 2021)
</figcaption>
</figure>
It has to come down to this: we can symbolize our pride for Black queer community members at any given moment, but real progress begins when we honor us as people–people deserving of safety and rights. Part of that is recognizing Black Queer people are Black and Queer people: meaning not seeing these identities as "sub-groups" or individuals on the fringes of society, but as part of our collective unity.
The same needs to be said when it comes to our history.
A significant portion of KC's LGBTQIA+ history resides at the University of Missouri-Kansas City–specifically within the **Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America (GLAMA)** as part of their LaBudde Special Collections.
As any archive might tell you, being able to collect accurate histories is hard enough. It becomes even harder when history is actively silenced because it is not white, straight and/or cisgendered–or not shared in fear of these same reasons. Unfortunately, Kansas City does not bypass these truths.
However, some documented history of Black Queer Kansas Citians still exists within the GLAMA, and you might be surprised to find this history begins with Drag Queens.
The Jewel Box Lounge
--------------------
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 80%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/jbl-postcard1-1024x680.jpg"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A grayscale postcard picturing The Jewel Box Lounge's original Troost location. The Lounge is two stories; and adorned with a neon sign and double door entrance at the center of the building. (Queer Music Heritage, ca. 1945-1972)
</figcaption>
</figure>
[**Drag Performance**](https://pendergastkc.org/article/proscenium-inferno-interwar-transformation-female-impersonation-kansas-city) in Kansas City goes back as far as the Civil War, but the performance art became much more popular in the 1960s as attitudes towards Drag changed and became more liberalized.
The Jewel Box Lounge was a main congregation for Drag, or what was referred to at the time as "[**female-impersonation**](https://pendergastkc.org/article/proscenium-inferno-interwar-transformation-female-impersonation-kansas-city)." Female-impersonation's roots come from minstrel shows and vaudeville theater–originally starting as a joke and growing to become a legitimate form of gender expression and entertainment.
Jewel Box opened in 1945 on Troost, but did not start showing drag until 1958 or 1959–ohn Tuccilo, the owner, could not remember exactly when. In 1972, as business began seeing a downtick, the bar moved to 31st and Main.
The lack of business was due largely in part to **[Kansas City's Race Riots](https://flatlandkc.org/news-issues/deadly-68-riots/)**, and the rapid decline of neighborhoods near the infamous racial dividing line that is Troost. Tuccilo plainly mentioned his feelings towards Troost "as changing" in a March 1976 Edition of Kansas City Town Squire–likely referring to the ensuing white flight and loss of his suburban clientele.
Edye Gregory
------------
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 80%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/gregory-0001-809x1024.jpg"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Edye Gregory in a signed photograph. Edye smiles head-on--with her eyes directed partially above the camera; the picture cropped at her upper chest. She is donned in a feathered dress. The back of the image contains a handwritten message from Edye expressing her appreciation for a loved one. ([Photograph of Edye Gregory], 1977)
</figcaption>
</figure>
Among the cast of Queens that droves of Kansas Citians lined up for at Jewel Box was Edye Gregory---one of the first and only Black Drag Queens to perform at the location. There is, however, no evidence that Jewel Box officially hired or represented her (a probable cause being because of her race).
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 80%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/more-edye-1977-09-0003-322x1024.jpg"
alt="The full bio reads: 'Mr. Edye Gregory, one of Kansas City's finest female impersonators performed a one night concert at the North Side T Room in Topeka, Sunday Sept. 4th to a standing room only crowd. People drove from KC, Lawrence, Manhattan and Wichita for the Concert, and to spend the Labor Day weekend in Topeka. Edye sang a variety of songs including This is My Life, Mahogany, & many, many more. Edye has been performing at the Avanti-Arts theater at 33rd & Main. He [sic] does a fantastic job as the MC there. At the Coming Out Ball in October he will be the featured performer. He has performed at the Jewel Box. He was Miss Gay Illinois a couple of years ago and 1st runner up for Miss Gay Missouri.'"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Edye Gregory's bio in a Sept. 1977 publication of "Kansas City Coming Out*." Edye's headshot appears at the top followed by the title "Mr. [sic] Edye Gregory in Topeka Concert." See alt text for full bio. ("Kansas City Coming Out," 1977)
</figcaption>
</figure>
Edye, whose specialty for creating their "breasts" involved a cut-up Nerf Football, was, however, a well-known performer across several cities–winning Miss Gay Illinois and being 1st Runner-Up for Miss Gay Missouri in the 70s. Her stardom was even recognized on the front cover of the March 1976 edition Kansas City Town Squire magazine, the same edition featuring Tuccilo mentioned earlier.
According to [***Our Community Roots***](https://ourcommunityroots.com/?p=379), Edye passed away in 2014.
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 80%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/town-squire-0001-793x1024.jpg"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Edye Gregory (amongst three other performers from Jewel Box Lounge) pictured on the cover of Kansas City Town Squire. All four women look directly into the camera solemnly as Edye reaches for her left earring. The magazine's cover is all a light-toned pink with the women cutout in black and white–both the article and magazine title are in bright yellow font. (Leathers, 1976)
</figcaption>
</figure>
Ray Rondell
-----------
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 80%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/rondell-flyer-0001-774x1024.jpg"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Ray Rondell in an Ad for The Dover Fox–a gay bar from the 1980's.* Ray Rondell locks eyes with the viewer, her head tilted with her right index finger rested on her cheek. ([Dover Fox Ad], ca. 1980-1990)
</figcaption>
</figure>
In March 1982, The Jewel Box Lounge came to a close as Kansas Citians' views toward live entertainment faltered. That same year, Kansas City Times released article "Club has last chance to shine," where we hear from another Black Queen, Ray Rondell, about the overall plight of Kansas City Drag Queens in the 80s.
The article largely revolves around Ray's grappling with the closure of Jewel Box, and the overarching struggles to find work as a Drag Queen (Jewel Box Lounge was the only "female-impersonation" bar at the time). Ray laments that she would be filing for unemployment and figuring out where to go next, and also touch on the downsides of being a performer at Jewel Box Lounge, a feeling eerily similar to what Black trans women face today: "[Ray] had gotten used to the late hours and abusive audiences, the creeps who paid money to harass the performers" (Brisbane, 1985).
Despite all of that, Ray remained hopeful:
"I'm going to use any vehicle I can. But I'm going to keep going."
Hundreds of Kansas Citians showed up for the Jewel Box Lounge and Ray's final show–but it would not be the last we see of Ray Rondell. In January 1985, her name once again appeared in the Kansas City Times, just at a new location: Sarah Crankankle's Cafe.
Sarah Crankankle's Cafe opened on 33rd Street and Gillham Road as a restaurant with Drag Queens serving as its waitresses---similar to today's Hamburger Mary's. Though short-lived, Rondell was one of the Queens working at the location alongside Renee Scott and Tiffany Stone. The Cafe, however, didn't last long due to the much of the same sentiments around Jewel Box.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">I'm going to use any vehicle I can. But I'm going to keep going.</p>
<p class="quote-attrib">Ray Rondell (Brisbane, 1985)</p>
</blockquote>
On September 27, 1988, Ray Rondell passed away; though the cause of her death was never confirmed, the community assumed it to be AIDS. Her obituary, under the name "Remus Smith," mentioned she used the stage name Ray Rondell–but only under the guise of her being a singer and performer at places like Worlds of Fun, and not, namely, a Drag Queen.
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 80%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/5-1024x1024.png"
alt="The entry reads, 'Remus Smith, 40, midtown Kansas City, died Sept. 24. 1988 at Veterans Hospital. He was born in Tulsa, Okla., and lived in Mississippi and Jacksonville, Fla., before moving to this area in 1980. Mr. Smith was a singer at the Windjammer, the Jewel Box, Ebenezer's, Jamie's Lounge, and the Arabian Nights. He also performed using marionettes at Worlds of Fun and acted for Unicorn Theatre. He used the stage name Ray Rondell. He was an army veteran of the Vietnam War. Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Kansas City; burial in the Leavenworth National Cemetery. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Morris and Harvey Chapel.'"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Ray Rondell's obituary under the name "Remus Smith." See alt text for screen-reader friendly entry. ([Remus Smith Obituary] 1988)
</figcaption>
</figure>
Honoring Black, Queer History
-----------------------------
These are some of the only remnants of Edye and Ray's legacy in the LGBTQ+ scene in Kansas City–let alone the contributions of Black Queer Kansas Citians, at large. Nonetheless, their impact can still be felt across the City of Fountain's gay scene today. In a world where being Black and femme is brutalized and punished, their histories stand strong–we should do the same for them.
*A very special thank you to UMKC's Gay-Lesbian Archives of Mid-America and its Director, Stuart Hinds, for helping gather information on Edye and Ray; and serving as a cornerstone for queer Kansas City history.*
> As mentioned earlier, it can be difficult finding community in Kansas City. To help combat this and provide asylum to those seeking a place where they can be their wholeself, below are just a few resources for Black Queer/Trans Kansas Citians:
[**No Divide KC:**](https://www.nodividekc.org/)A queer arts organization dedicated to building and sharing the stories of underserved communities.
[**The Nafasi Center of Kansas City:**](https://heykcqac.wixsite.com/thenafasicenterofkan?fbclid=IwAR3Z-JVrXWWI0lNUsRxDB6r1ASvCxsvdBqkb5ttqFKZcHs5wCygJLspeOvs)An organization offering communal healing, wellness, food sovereignty, access to skillsharing and other survival resources for Black Queer, Trans, Intersex and Non-Binary Kansas Citians.
[**BlaqOut:**](http://www.blaqout.org/) A community of health advocates looking to dismantle systemic barriers affecting Black gay men in concern with HIV/AIDS awareness.
---
Sources:
Brisbane, A. S. (1982, March 8). Club has last chance to shine. *Kansas City Times*. 
[Dover Fox Ad]. (cal. 1980-1990). Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
Hinds, S. (n.d.). From Proscenium To Inferno: The Interwar Transformation Of Female Impersonation In Kansas City. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from https://pendergastkc.org/article/proscenium-inferno-interwar-transformation-female-impersonation-kansas-city. 
"Kansas City Coming Out." (1977, September). Mr. Edye Gregory in Topeka Concert. *Kansas City Coming Out*
Kansas City, MO [@KCMO]. (2021, August 13). *This afternoon KCMO's LGBTQ+ Commission celebrated the installation of a brand new Progress Pride crosswalk at 39th & Summit!* [Image attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. Retrieved May 16, 2020 from https://twitter.com/kcmo/status/1426303722540388357
KC's Cabaret/Pegasus Memories (2020, November 9). *Home* [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved May 16, 2020 from https://www.facebook.com/groups/131490664126092
[Photograph of Edye Gregory]. (1977). Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
[Remus Smith Obituary]. (1988, September 27). *Kansas City Times*. 
Leathers, T. (1976, March). The Boys At The Jewel Box. *Kansas City Town Squire*. 
Uhlenhuth, K. (1985, January 22). A cafe with a twist. *Kansas City Times*.

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---
title: Men of All Colors Together–KC
layout: about
permalink: /read/mact-kc.html
# include CollectionBuilder info at bottom
credits: false
# featured-image value can be one objectid for a photo object in this collection, a relative path to an image in this project, or a full url to any image. If left blank, no featured image will appear at top of About page.
about-featured-image:
# set background-position for featured image, "center", "top", "bottom"
position:
# major heading to display over featured image
heading:
# paragraph text below heading in featured image
sub-heading:
# additional padding added to the feature to increase size. Give value in em or px, e.g. "5em".
padding: 6em
# Edit the markdown on in this file to describe your collection
# Look in _includes/feature for options to easily add features to the page
---
# **Men of All Colors Together: The Kansas City organization fighting racism amidst gay men in the 80’s–90’s**
In 1980, this group of Kansas Citians founded a social club and safe space for those seeking to fight racism amongst gay men of all races.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">From Volume_1 of {B/qKC}: Nasir Anthony Montalvo's 2022 liberatory research into Kansas City's institutional archives, namely the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America (GLAMA).</p>
</blockquote>
BY [NASIR MONTALVO](https://1800nasi.net) ● ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE KANSAS CITY DEFENDER ON JUNE 24, 2022
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Blue-Scrapbook-request-2-3.png"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
</figcaption>
</figure>
One of Kansas City's unique identifiers is its dual-statehood in Missouri and Kansas, but this can be a major roadblock to continuity across State law. 
A recent example is the recently [leaked Roe V. Wade ruling](https://kansascitydefender.com/kansas-city/roe-v-wade-rally/) and how different laws look for abortion across state lines. Should Roe V. Wade be overturned, Missourians will be at an extreme risk of losing their rights due to a "trigger law" passed by the General Assembly in 2019. Kansans, however, do not face this risk. In fact, Kansans will have the opportunity to supersede the State's power to make decisions on abortion in a ballot vote this coming August–securing their right to this one aspect of reproductive autonomy.
An older example of this incontinuity extends to these states' history around anti-miscegenation laws. 
Miscegenation refers to the "interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types" (Oxford Languages). Kansas's laws around anti-miscegenation were repealed before achieving statehood in 1859, making it one of the earliest states to ([technically](https://www.jstor.org/stable/41600774)) allow interracial marriages (Monahan, 1971). Missouri, however, wouldn't be able to say the same until 1967, when the state–along with fifteen others–overturned laws after the success of Loving V. Virginia (Stein, 2010).
That's an over 100 year difference between the States on one issue.
I bring up these discrepancies–and our country's purely pitiful lawmaking–to examine just how complex these social issues can become, how little conversations have shifted across time, and to frame the importance of the group being spotlighted in this very piece.
Just 13 years after anti-miscegenation laws were overturned in Missouri, this group of Kansas Citians came together to foster support for interracial couples, specifically for gay men.
**Rocky Beginnings: National Association of Black and White Men Together **
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/VLBNbXsJFPQOsS2cJBGovC7U0rBihby3eqAICU8q3DQaP08MGYjpmIwV2bKXGBgARMMuiruq5Pu2l3ILL-rXm4X-UVCvpHlwhvmBXujdN_V8gpim5ujx7fh7BxSfNzYi8B2OMekbMMIQKzTzCQ"
alt="Two side-by-side photos of the, then-titled, Black and White Men Together-Kansas City (BWMT-KC) Chapter members gathering for a restaurant night at Spaghetti Factory (ca. 1980-1991). The first photo captures the group mid-meal. The second photo is of Douglas Reynolds and an unidentified member. Doug Reynolds wears a silk black shirt with gold patterned print down the right side and left pocket."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Two side-by-side photos of the, then-titled, Black and White Men Together-Kansas City (BWMT-KC) Chapter members gathering for a restaurant night at Spaghetti Factory ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1980--1991).
</figcaption>
</figure>
In 1980, the National Association of Black and White Men Together (NABWMT), was founded. The Association was started by Michael J. Smith in San Francisco, California. Smith, a white man, was very vocal about racism within gay communities throughout his life. Smith used his platform as editor for the *Quarterly (*a periodical that duly served as NABWMT's newsletter) to express his frustrations: releasing articles that focused on topics like media perpetuating racist stereotypes and challenging gay white men's assertions that they couldn't be racist. Smith's notoriety was high----being involved with the first (openly) gay US baseball player, Glenn Burke, in the early 80's for example----and this would help with advertising the Association's founding (Burgin, 2013).
<div class="float-img float-left">
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Untitled-design-30-1024x576.png"
alt="Two logo variations for BWMT-KC are pictured side by side. The old logo is pictured on the left: a circular badge with the chapter name on the rim and the center depicting the World War I Monument in a yin-yang overlay–a symbolic, phallic interpretation of the organization's purpose. The new logo from 1990 is pictured on the right: two pictograms stand next to each other, their shoulders and arms forming a triangular shape. The name of the chapter is written beneath in bold, wide text."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Two logo variations for BWMT-KC are pictured side by side. The logos show a shift from a more symbolic, phallic interpretation of the organization's purpose through depiction of the WWI monument, to a more obvious representation with the new logo* ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1980-1990)
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Though Smith's fight was loud, his actions were undermined by his claim to be an "interracialist": individuals who are attracted to people of other races. Dr. John Bush, a Black Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and long member of NABWMT, would describe Smith's motivations for NABWMT as easily finding Black men to have sex with: "[Smith] was totally dedicated to sex with black men. He, like many others, felt that they were especially endowed"(Burgin, 2013). This caused NABWMT to have a rocky onset. 
Smith would also provide no semblance of direction for the Association. In an interview with Thomas Beame in 1982, Smith said this about the organization: "If they want to be activist-minded, fine. If they choose to make it a fuck-club, hey, that's their business." This would further charge negative perceptions for NABWMT. On the plus side, because of Smith's poor vision, many people took matters into their own hands to become an organization that meant more than cruising.
<div class="clearfix"></div>
After the creation of the parent organization in early 1980, several chapters across the nation were created in cities like New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Kansas City that summer. Black and White Men Together-Kansas City (BWMT-KC) kept its purpose as a social space for Black and White gay men–specifically those in or seeking relationships–but also had three other goals:
- To develop AIDS and Safer Sex Education workshops
- To fight racism and homophobia within the [gay] community
- To foster a supportive environment for interracial relationships
Douglas Reynolds, one of the most prominent leaders of BWMT-KC since 1987, described interracial relationships amongst gay men as being extremely difficult to navigate at that time–especially with the added layer that gay marriage wasn't legalized. Douglas describes his observations of what it was like to be a Black gay man in the 80's:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"There was still a lot of racism in the white community. Publications to the advertisements–it was all geared toward white gay men. Not just on the Kansas City level, but the national level. And I would have to say, about 15 to 20 years ago, that all started changing, because we had to fight for stuff. I mean, our organization had to go in and talk to [gay clubs] and say, 'Why did the black guys have to produce three pieces of ID and the white guys just walked on back?'"</p>
<p class="quote-attrib">Douglas Reynolds (D. Reynolds, personal communication, June, 20 2022)</p>
</blockquote>
<div class="float-img float-right">
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Brochure-and-Newsletters-02-edited.png"
alt="A membership form to join the Men of All Colors Together-Kansas City. The left side collects demographic information, while the right lists fees for single and couples membership, receival of newsletters, and HIV+/PWA membership–explicitly stating fees can be waived for members who were positive."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A membership form to join the Men of All Colors Together-Kansas City (MACT-KC) chapter ([MACT-KC Brochure], ca. 1990-1999).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
BWMT-KC hosted a variety of events to achieve their mission in creating safe spaces for Black and white gay men. These included Pot Lucks, Picnics, "Rap Nights" (roundtable-like discussions), Movie Nights, Restaurant Nights, and various gatherings at members' households. Some of these outings might even be recognizable to Kansas Citians today–with the group hosting events at beloved places like Manny's Restaurant and Peking Chinese Restaurant.
Membership for BWMT-KC operated on a fee system. To join for a full year in 1990, the fee was $20 (roughly $44.24 in 2022). The organization also had various tiers. If you wanted to join for a half-year, the fee was $10. And if you only wanted the newsletter, it was $5. 
Much of BWMT-KC's history can be explored through their newsletters, released on a monthly or quarterly schedule. The first documented newsletter from the organization at the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America (GLAMA) was in March 1986.
BWMT-KC was also a highly collaborative organization, commonly working alongside organizations such as Gaytalk, Condom Crusaders, Good Samaritan Project, HARC (Heartland Aids Regional Council) Mart, and GALA (Gay And Lesbian Acceptance Inc.).
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">"If you are having problems with friends not understanding or giving you a hard time because you date outside of your race; then [BWMT] is for you."</p>
<p class="quote-attrib">([MACT-KC Brochure], ca. 1990-1999)</p>
</blockquote>
**1991 Midland Spring Regional**
--------------------------------
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Untitled-design-29-1024x355.png"
alt="The first photo features a crowd of people; a Black member in the photo's off-center locks eye and grins at the camera. The second photo is of the Regional's name tag. The name tag is Michael Boyd's–his first name is bolded, in the top left. The top right features the theme's title, 'Getting to Know You' in a circular text path, and the Regional's date and location is displayed at the bottom of the tag"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Photo and name-tag from NABWMT's 1991 Midland Spring Regional in Kansas City ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1991).
</figcaption>
</figure>
As BWMT-KC increased in size, so did the reach of the organization. The newsletters from BWMT-KC shifted from being purely schedule-based to featuring reports from prominent leaders in the organization, beginning with co-chairs Douglas Reynolds and Quience Sykes. In a 1990 newsletter, Reynolds set seven new goals for the Kansas City Chapter after attending NABWMT's convention in San Francisco. These goals included getting more involved in civic affairs, increasing AIDS awareness, and getting the BWMT-KC name out there.
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 50%;">
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/eW8DQZValNzQ0YE00eniJd3VjhCxkiVFL3En04tQdyqneZ0Fn5Ffzc-n2uhH-Bnkqm6en3X7DrJ2yapQvHgpxBL1yE_JWQpo3pEadK6gO3gxNKLrohvPVPPjg1uI0YbZ0c9VM0IYcuNLKXatGw"
alt="The flyer is a light beige, with black text listing information about the Regional. Doug Reynolds and Quience Sykes's names are featured on the flyer in the bottom right as contact persons."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A flyer from the 1991 Spring Regional, "Getting To Know You" ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1991).
</figcaption>
</figure>
Reynolds received his wish in early 1991 when BWMT-KC was tasked with hosting the National Association's "1991 Midland Spring Regional": a chance for members across all midwest chapters to congregate and get to know each other. Fittingly, the theme was "Getting To Know You."
From April 26 to 28th 1991, over seventy people attended the Regional in Kansas City. Guests were greeted with a registration and reception on the 26th, and spent the weekend attending different workshops and events. [Jon Barnett](https://info.umkc.edu/kcactivism/?page_id=40), founding member of the Kansas City ACT UP (Aids Coalition to Unleash Power) Chapter, gave a speech, guests toured the Country Club Plaza, and events culminated in a night out at former gay nightclub, Edge.
While the event was a success in terms of schedule and participants, the organization suffered in terms of finances and leadership. The organization faced a roughly $300 budget deficit that Quience Sykes would have to help cover; and Douglas Reynolds stepped down as co-chair around June/July of that year. Steve Sadler, a regular member of the organization, temporarily took his place.
**Rebranding as Men Of All Colors Together-Kansas City (MACT-KC)**
------------------------------------------------------------------
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HK2nUiaUj4RENLanTT5ZKSDg-r8sibyw5LuNrMUBJEJ7h1IH_1QJWwDpYM1DQ5I2GIDo58c6Fwr2Oa_ajBqoqVaPOn3c6ueOdFPdmmwMircmS_2wokn-G7_FStDTURwClUtYtqWpmzwUnFVnvA"
alt="Various branded flyers, brochures, newsletters, membership forms and more from Men of All Colors Together-KC are spread across a wooden table in front of a retro game machine. Alongside the promotional materials are some of the very scrapbooks currently residing in the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1990-1999)."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Various branded flyers, brochures, newsletters, membership forms and more from MACT-KC are spread across a wooden table in front of a retro game machine. Alongside the promotional materials are some of the very scrapbooks currently residing in the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1990-1999).
</figcaption>
</figure>
On November 9, 1991, BWMT-KC rebranded to Men Of All Colors Together-Kansas City (MACT-KC) after a chapter vote. The change came after several members raised points of interracial relationships being beyond the breadth of solely Black and white men.
Steve Sadler did not run for a co-chair position. Instead, members Yul Stell and Kurtis M. became co-chairs in 1992, and pioneered the organization's rebrand toward greater inclusivity.
The organization changed their logo once again, unveiling it in their May/June 1992 Newsletter.
<figure markdown="1" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; max-width: 100%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Brochure-and-Newsletters-04-791x1024.png" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
BWMT-KC April/May/June 1990 Newsletter ([Newsletters from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1990).
</figcaption>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Brochure-and-Newsletters-06-789x1024.png" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
BWMT-KC July/August 1991 Newsletter ([Newsletters from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1991).
</figcaption>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Brochure-and-Newsletters-06-789x1024.png" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
MACT-KC May/June 1994 Newsletter ([Newsletters from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1994).
</figcaption>
</div>
</figure>
MACT-KC experienced a lot of growth during the 90's–being featured in several pieces by Kansas City news, hosting variety shows with Kansas City drag queens, and even grabbing the attention of the Cleavers at a Gay PRIDE picnic in 1991.
The organization's growth, however, would be stunted by the loss of several members to AIDS.
**Fighting The AIDS Pandemic and Racism**
-----------------------------------------
In a 1995 article from *The Lesbian and Gay News Telegraph (written by* [*Jon Barnett*](https://info.umkc.edu/kcactivism/?page_id=40)*, the same founder of ACT-UP KC)*, members of MACT-KC spoke of the loss of around "four of five" organizers to "AIDS-related causes."  Steve Sadler's words from a 1995 January/February newsletter were included in the piece:
"Looking back through the past year, Men of All Colors-Kansas City has been through a lot. We've watched friends that we hold close leave us and move on to another plane of existence. We've experienced joys and sorrow. The chapter has slowly become smaller and smaller to just 23 members at the present." (Barnett, 1995)
With each passing member, MACT-KC dedicated a page to them in their newsletter. Below are a few from GLAMA's archives.
* * * * *
### **Quience X. Sykes**
**Born: Oct 26, 1964. Died: September 12, 1994.**
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Brochure-and-Newsletters-10-795x1024.png"
alt="In the photo, Quience sits in a large lawn chair, donning a dark cardigan with a white button down and tie. He flips through a magazine while smiling at the camera, his head slightly tilted.
Dedication: The members of Men of All Colors Together - Kansas City would like to express their sorrow over the passing of Quience X. Sykes
this past Monday, September 12, 1994,
at 11:00 am.
Quience X. Sykes was born October 26, 1964 in Westpoint
Mississippi.
He moved to Kansas City in 1982 and begun his 12
years with McDonald's
Quience was an outstanding member of MACT-KC since 1987.
Quience
held the offices of Co-Chair, Social Chair, Treasurer, and
Newsletter Editor.
Quience
was instrumental in organizing the
1990 10th Anniversary, 1991 Midland Spring Regional, and many
other functions
auience attended the 1993 Nationai convention
in Chicago and Midland Regionals in Chicago, Detroit, and
Indianapolis.
Quience will be deeply missed at our MACT-KC functions as well as
his warm friendship
inour lives."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A dedication to Quience X. Sykes in MACT-KC's 1994 November/December Newsletter. The dedication features a few paragraphs on Quience's life and a photo of him ([Newsletters from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1994).
</figcaption>
</figure>
Quience X. Sykes joined MACT-KC in 1987, and would hold various positions including serving as Co-Chair of the organization from 1990 to 1992. Born in Westpoint, Mississippi and later moving to Kansas City in 1982, Sykes worked at McDonald's for 12 years. Sykes had an instrumental role in planning events for the organization like their 10th anniversary and the 1991 Midland Spring Regional, and he attended NABWMT conventions in Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis as a representative.
He was only 29 years old.
### **Carl Woodford**
**Born: July 23, 1952. Died: December 3, 1994.**
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Brown-Scrapbook-1-769x1024.png"
alt="The photo featured is of Carl Woodford and his partner, Steve Ricard. Carl Woodford holds his left hand on his partner's upper stomach as both men smile at the camera. Both men wear white.
Dedication: The members of Men of All Colors Together- Kansas City would
like to express their sorrow over the passing of Carl Woodford
this past December 3, 1994, at 7:10 pm.
Services were held at
the Newcomers Funeral Home on December 10, 1994.
Carl Woodford was born July 23, 1952.
Carl was a loval and
steady member ever since I can remember (so, that makes it before
1990).
Carl served the office
of Treasurer (a perfect match for
Carl) from 1993 to 1994.
Carl attended several National
conventions and helped out at the local level always
Carl could be counted on to give a focused and well thought out
perspective on ideas and functions.
He attended functions
regularly except for when they conflicted with a night at the
theater or a symphony.
Carl was very sincere and had an attentive ear.
He loved gossip
and usually knew everything as it happened.
Maybe that's why
Carl and Steve made such a good match.
Steve Ricard had been
Carl's significant other for over 3 years and I can't count all
the pictures of functions I have that have Carl and Steve in
them
For a while I thought MACT consisted of Carl and Steve and
no one else.
They truly were a great couple
I'll miss Carl Woodford, but I'll take comfort that he
's not
really gone.
As long as I can remember him laughing or telling
story or just seeing his face in my photo album, he '
s right here
with me.
Till we meet again, Carl
Steve Sadler
Co-Chair, MACT-Kansas City"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A *dedication to Carl Woodford in a MACT-KC 1995 Newsletter ([Scrapbook clippings of BWMT/MACT-KC], 1995).
</figcaption>
</figure>
Carl Woodford, similar to Sykes, had been a regular member of MACT-KC since before the 90s. Woodford served as the organization's treasurer from 1993 to 1994, described by Steve Sadler as a "perfect match for Carl." Woodford also attended several national conventions and offered his helping hand to several events.
Woodford was Steve Ricard's partner for three years prior to his death. Steve Ricard was a regular member of MACT-KC, serving as co-chair of the organization from 1993 to 1994. The organization would, subsequently, go on "life-support" (as Douglas Reynolds called it) near the end of 1994 and Ricard's term–with heavy inference that it was due to Woodford's health and Ricard's decline in participation in order to tend to his lover.
### **Yul Stell**
**Born: Oct. 24, 1957. Died: Feb. 8, 1999**
<figure markdown="1" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; max-width: 100%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/6yT-_XU4iH1lWRU8ZjTlSxHJ51GVp8HsvsqEKozJykYw-idrOVbzOVYN7wNgr8gCrafVRVNC0XZh1AJr_Eoo4pPb7YivivY0ZR3KtbWfR0DGj9ozW5t7_LdtD84fforIkRTNCufH0aky6pZyqw" alt="A dedication to Yul Stell in a March/April 1999 Newsletter ([Newsletters from BWMT/ Men of All Colors Together-KC], 1999). The dedication features Yul's name and birth year in a rectangular box, with two illustrated angels on either side of the text." style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A dedication to Yul Stell in a March/April 1999 Newsletter ([Newsletters from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1999).
</figcaption>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/StL1l1uMKaH330s3FlFN29vFwwTt0Yjo-H65a_ioYJEPv6Z6EEDZQT3ieQ2y8GGen8tCEPDsrt-pAggDlI3Ec4hsh6QGskaHuhSfXGNqs7cVXIZrOIk3oaF6vtUZqWpQfIiUeudufq6aX3FIUQ" alt="Yul Stell and Kurt M., co-chairs of Men of All Colors Together-KC from 1992--1993, pictured above ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1992-1993). Both men stand in front of a brick wall, wearing the MACT-KC t-shirt. Yul speaks into a microphone as Kurt looks onward." style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Yul Stell and Kurt M., co-chairs of MACT-KC from 1992--1993, pictured above ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1992-1993).
</figcaption>
</div>
</figure>
Yul Stell served as the organization's co-chair from 1992 to 1993, pioneering the organization's rebrand from BWMT-KC to MACT-KC. In a 1999 March/April Newsletter, it was announced an ad-hoc committee was being created to better honor deceased members in cases where family members did not accept them, implying that Stell's family would not hold space for him even in death.
* * * * *
Reynolds describes how difficult it was not only just to process the sheer amount of people MACT-KC was losing to the pandemic, but also the added components of navigating members' family dynamics, hospital visitation policies and just blatant homophobia from religious groups claiming this was "God's divine intervention" on LGBTQ+ individuals. Though the organization went on life support following Woodford's death, the group continued to rally around their members and offer support to one another. (D. Reynolds, personal communication, June, 20, 2022)
The Telegraph article also covered MACT-KC's actions to hold various establishments accountable for racism. In a letter from Yul Stell to then-Dixie Belle Bar in the Summer of 1993, Stell condemns them for hanging a confederate flag within their establishment. Stell also alludes to undercover practices held by bars to prevent Black folks from entering–whether that be requiring multiple forms of identification or [limiting the amount of Black people allowed inside at one time](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/05/31/integration-and-chic-in-dc-clubs/73ec30d1-6e85-44a6-9a16-4615ff942aba/)–painting the picture that bars are not so far removed from once being racially segregated. 
MACT-KC would also confront a Catholic African relief organization when they denied a donation from a MACT-organized fundraiser to support African people abroad. Members successfully used tactics like public call-outs and phone trees to get them to change their mind.
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 80%;">
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/oA8rcwrs2lhH2fB2kvWTLTHCiuXY5C7RK844TY_EHqZqto0taIEqBmpzCqi8U4Zo9UnGSS3nNm9hCTvH38bdlEQHCNffvOhhzVVK45Y9AQiPfKsyXpQRTqFoHt00wVWcO7FUvAnk7JxsZCDREg"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A letter from Yul Stell (July 27, 1993) to then-Dixie Belle Bar condemning their displayal of a confederate flag ([Scrapbook clippings from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1993).
</figcaption>
</figure>
**The end of MACT-KC**
----------------------
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Green-Scrapbook-1-edited.png"
alt="Reynolds sits in a foldable chair at a members' household for an event; he crosses his arms and looks powerfully into the camera."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Douglas Reynolds was a prominent leader of Men of All Colors Together–KC, serving as its co-chair multiple times throughout the organization's history.([Photographs of Douglas Reynolds], ca. 1987-1995).
</figcaption>
</figure>
Despite the organization's successes, it was apparent that the organization never fully recovered after their battle with AIDS. MACT-KC's membership would coast from 1995-1999, with Douglas Reynolds taking helm once again to keep things afloat. 
<div class="float-img float-right">
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Brown-Scrapbook-4-710x1024.png"
alt="Doug stands in front of a tennis court, hanging Men of All Colors Together-KC banner and a rainbow Pride flag from the court's fence while looking into the camera."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Reynolds sets up MACT-KC's booth for a Pride event in the 90′s ([Scrapbook clippings of BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1987-1999).
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Reynolds sent out the organization's last newsletter in a July/August/September 1999 issue, just a year shy of their 20th anniversary. These were Reynolds' departing words to MACT-KC:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"I have truly enjoyed the times I have been involved with MACT-KC. Over the years I **have** learned much about Black and White (and Gray) issues. I truly feel more educated about matters of racism and the ugly effects of prejudiceness. Through MACT-KC I feel I have learned much about myself as well as what I can do as an individual to fight the disease of racism. It starts with myself and understanding my own prejudice toward those who *are* different from *me.* Without MACT-KC, I would be years behind in my education as a person living in a multicultural society in the nineties!"</p>
<p class="quote-attrib">Douglas Reynolds ([Newsletters from BWMT/MACT-KC], 1999)</p>
</blockquote>
* * * * *
Though the MACT-KC chapter is no longer active, the [National Association still operates today](https://www.nabwmt.org), and is actually co-chaired by the same Douglas Reynolds mentioned throughout. Reynolds still resides in Kansas City, and is retired after over thirty years of teaching in the Kansas City, MO school district. The bulk of the Association now manifests itself through a Facebook group with over 15,000 members who, according to Reynolds, have an average age of around sixty years old. They also have a website, where they're advertising their 2022 National Convention in Minneapolis–which Reynolds was positively giddy about. He also mentions that there are other former MACT-KC members still living in Kansas City today that he sees every so often, but aren't necessarily involved with the Association anymore.
<figure markdown="1" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; max-width: 100%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Image-from-iOS-22-768x1024.jpg" alt="Reynolds smiles at the camera, sporting a Kansas City tank top and glasses. The table in front of him has a cup of coffee and NABWMT's '40 Years Commemorative Legacy Book,' a publication Reynolds says he worked on for three years." style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Douglas Reynolds sits for an interview with Nasir Montalvo at HiTides Coffee on June 20th, 2022 [own photo]
</figcaption>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Image-from-iOS-23-768x1024.jpg" alt="The back is all black, with a gradient of white text displaying each year NABWMT has operated, as well as a rainbow trim at the very bottom of the book. In the center of the backing is a side portrait photo of two men–one Black, one white–captured by Russell Smith. 'Black & White Men Together' is written in bold, white text beneath the photo." style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
The back of NABWMT's "40 Years Commemorative Legacy Book," featuring a photo from Russell Smith Photography.
</figcaption>
</div>
</figure>
**Today: in all its colors**
---------------------------
Reynolds' advice to queer people today is simple: "Get off your ass." Reynolds stresses that the fight for queer acceptance is not over ([referencing recent legislation targeting gay and transgender people across the nation](https://www.aclu.org/legislation-affecting-lgbtq-rights-across-country)) and, that even if MACT-KC is not your organization of choice, there are plenty others fighting the good fight.
In 2022, conversations around interracial relationships are still controversial and haven't progressed much past where MACT-KC left them in 1999. Is it okay to date a race that has historically oppressed you? How do you navigate various spaces and power dynamics with a partner who looks nothing like you? Will you ever be able to fully experience your partner's love across racial divides?
I don't have the answers–maybe some opinions–but despite whatever work MACT-KC was doing, MACT-KC was one of few spaces for Black gay men to exist openly. The organization's scrapbooks residing at GLAMA are full of pictures of members smiling, giggling, embracing and loving one another in full vibrancy. The pictures, in fact, are very reminiscent of today's [Queer Bar Takeover](https://www.instagram.com/queerbartakeoverkc/?hl=en) and their Instagram carousels of queer folks giddy to be amongst each other.
This year's large PRIDE weekend may be over, but for the rest of PRIDE (and the rest of this year), I challenge white LGBTQIA+ individuals to channel the energies members like Doug, Steve, Carl and Kurt had in fighting for their Black and Brown peers.
Only then can we truly signify ourselves with a rainbow. In all our colors, together.
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/o7_pZYD_GyLMsoRnW-uo8gUFZqj8UGK4l_pHn1RjA00l2HtimwEQk_eT862CVsaij1dtt-YVjyLFITVgJTt0-B4OxFne9nDeQJdmFwgmw8lc4_Bbfu7QL3xfo-CDPk5GaLVFV39dltg923WfwQ"
alt="Men of All Colors Together-Kansas City co-chairs ranging from 1987-1993 pose for a photo. From top left to top right, Kurtis M., Steve Ricard, Steve Sadler, and Quience X. Sykes all smile at the camera. At the bottom of the photo–rouching in front of Steve Sadler–is Douglas Reynolds ([Scrapbook clippings of BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1987-1994]."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
MACT-KC co-chairs ranging from 1987-1993 pose for a photo. From top left to top right, Kurtis M., Steve Ricard, Steve Sadler, and Quience X. Sykes all smile at the camera. At the bottom of the photo–crouching in front of Steve Sadler–is Douglas Reynolds ([Scrapbook clippings of BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1987-1994].
</figcaption>
</figure>
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">“A very special thank you to UMKC's Gay-Lesbian Archives of Mid-America and its Director, Stuart Hinds, for helping gather information on Men of All Colors Together-Kansas City; and serving as a cornerstone for queer Kansas City history.”</p>
</blockquote>
---
Sources:
Barnett, J. D. (1995, February 9). MACT-KC: Fifteen-Year Itch. *Lesbian and Gay News Telegraph*, p. 7.
Burgin, S.N. "The Workshop As the Work: White Anti-Racism Organising in 1960s, 70s, and 80s US Social Movements." *The University of Leeds, School of History*, September 2013.
[MACT-KC Brochure]. (ca. 1990-1995). Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
Monahan, T. P. (1971). *Interracial Marriage and Divorce in Kansas and the Question of Instability of Mixed Marriages*. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 2(1), 107--120. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41600774
Onyejiaka, T. (2019, February 26). *Why is TV so afraid to show Black people loving Black people?* RaceBaitr. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://racebaitr.com/2019/02/26/why-is-tv-so-afraid-to-show-black-people-loving-black-people/ 
[Newsletters from BWMT/MACT-KC]. (ca. 1986-1999). MACT-KC Scrapbooks. Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
[Photographs of Douglas Reynolds]. (ca. 1990-1995). MACT-KC Scrapbooks. Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
[Scrapbook clippings of BWMT/MACT-KC]. (ca. 1980-1999). Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
Stein, L. (2015, March 18). *Commentary: How marriage became a federal issue.* St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://news.stlpublicradio.org/politics-issues/2010-08-15/commentary-how-marriage-became-a-federal-issue
Williams, A. R. (2018, December 10). *Jon D. Barnett.* Profiles in Kansas City Activism. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://info.umkc.edu/kcactivism/?page_id=40
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GLAMA-Brown-Scrapbook-request-2-2.png"
alt="Photo from Men of All Colors Together-KC's Halloween Party. On the right-hand side of the photo is Quience X. Sykes and Steve Ricard–both men admiring a white towel with MACT-KC's logo printed over it ([Scrapbook Clippings of BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1990-1993)"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Photo from MACT-KC's Halloween Party. On the right-hand side of the photo is Quience X. Sykes and Steve Ricard–both men admiring a white towel with MACT-KC's logo printed over it. ([Scrapbook Clippings of BWMT/MACT-KC], ca. 1990-1993).
</figcaption>
</figure>

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---
title: "Out There"
layout: about
permalink: /read/out-there.html
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credits: false
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padding: 6em
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# Look in _includes/feature for options to easily add features to the page
---
# **Kansas City’s “Out There”: The 90’s Gay & Lesbian Variety Show Featuring Lea Hopkins**
In 1993, a group of 16 people came together to launch Kansas City’s first-ever Gay and Lesbian Variety Show on American Cablevision in light of statewide, anti-queer legislation.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">From Volume_1 of {B/qKC}: Nasir Anthony Montalvo's 2022 liberatory research into Kansas City's institutional archives, namely the Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America (GLAMA).</p>
</blockquote>
BY [NASIR MONTALVO](https://1800nasi.net) ● ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE KANSAS CITY DEFENDER ON DECEMBER 08, 2022
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All of us have cared about being represented at one time or another. We remember the first times we've seen ourselves on tv, heard ourselves on the radio, and tasted our cultures outside of our homes; and maybe you've never experienced these before, and long for the day some entity will adequately capture your essence for the world to see.
You may have heard (or said) this before: that you cannot aspire to be what you cannot see. That despite our imaginations, there are distinctions that lie between dreams and reality.
But there's more to it than that.
Before the concepts of visibility and representation were topics of public conversation, someone dreamed of performing–dreamed of a stage with a cast, all in front of a person and a camera. Some of that dreaming has, undoubtedly, led to the creation of these industries that so many historically oppressed groups are still battling to break into today. 
If white men can dream of harm and enact it in real-time; can't we dream? Especially of something better?
Movies are one of the most readily drawn upon examples of representation. GLAAD's 2021 Studio Responsibility Index–a report on LGBTQ+ diversity across major motion picture films–shows that, though, there is growth across various categories of queer representation, the overall numbers still do not adequately capture the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ community.
Only 22.8% of films from 2020 featured queer characters–and of these characters, 55% were white, and majorly gay men. 0% of films featured a transgender or non-binary character, and this number has remained consistent for three years–[only being broken by Benderdict Cumberbatch's controversial portrayal of a character named "All" in Zoolander 2](https://www.nylon.com/articles/zoolander-2-review-transphobic-controversy). 
Representation means more than solely being a featured character. This character has to be written well, paid adequately, portrayed by someone who actually holds these identities, and bring real, untold stories to the main stage. And when the film industry doesn't even so much as look like you, it becomes even harder to begin to tackle all these various components.
In the 90's, a group of Kansas Citians challenged representation with "Out There," a public access program on American Cablevision that featured queer people unfiltered. The group was known as the Human Rights Project (formerly known as the Human Rights Ordinance Project; not to be confused with the national organization)–and aimed to make voices heard amidst ongoing battle with queer civil rights legislation.
***Pre-show*: The fight for gay and lesbian civil rights protection**s
----------------------------------------------------------------------
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Screen-Shot-2022-11-30-at-5.37.49-PM.png"
alt="4 screencaps from 'The Ordinance Project' featuring 4 news anchors discussing Ordinance 65430."
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Screencaps from Austin R. Williams' "The Ordinance Project." Pictured on the left are various news stations reporting on Ordinance 65430. On the right are activists from ACT-UP Kansas City and the Human Rights Ordinance Project protesting during a Kansas City Council meeting in 1990. (Williams, 2018)
</figcaption>
</figure>
The birth of "Out There" was preceded by the infamous debacle over [Ordinance 65430](https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/89576/Williams_umkc_0134D_11812.pdf?sequence=1)**,** also known as the Berkley-Shields Ordinance and, more commonly, the "Gay Rights Ordinance."
Introduced on April 12th 1990, Ordinance 65430 was proposed to provide civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation ([HROP Miscellaneous], 1990).  Along with this was classifying HIV/AIDS as a disability, thus recognizing those with the disease as a protected category. With the rise in fear-mongering, hate crimes, and lack of state-sanctioned actions in concern with the AIDS pandemic during this time, tensions were heightened and this bill can be classified as one of Kansas City's most controversial pieces in legislative history.
Ordinance 65430 was drafted through the collaboration of the Human Rights Ordinance Project (HROP), a subgroup of ACT-UP Kansas City, and Katheryn Shields, a Kansas City Council member. On the day of the Ordinance's proposal, Mayor Richard L. Berkley signed as a co-sponsor of the ordinance–hence, Berkley-Shields (Barnett, 1990).
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<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MS314-GLAMA-Madden-HROP-Press-Releases-and-Statements-B1F6-UMKC-LaBudde-Special-Collections-7-1024x769.png" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
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<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MS314-GLAMA-Madden-HROP-Press-Releases-and-Statements-B1F6-UMKC-LaBudde-Special-Collections-8-1024x767.png" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
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<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Various postcards created by HROP in a campaign to convince Kansas City Council members to approve the Berkley-Shields Human Rights Ordinance. ([HROP Flyers and Pamphlets], 1990)
</figcaption>
But the powerhouses behind Ordinance 65430 were mainly HROP–who committed to several actions in pushing the ordinance ahead through tactics like rallies, phone-banks, newsletters, and more. [More can be learned about Ordinance 65430 through "The Ordinance Project," a film created by Dr, Austin Randall Williams.](https://libweb.umkc.edu/glama/ordinance-project)
### ***Commercial Break*: "Cleaver and the Klan go hand-in-hand," addressing anti-Blackness in Kansas City's Gay and Lesbian Community**
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/NySzay2VEipTPAGoOV4IiRyyIhNfhgK_ZnVgLaB992VyrmQG9ijUtkHHy37t4n_cM3w9yUR4lth4jzALN2fMKcBNqkoaP-AwaUORynvBYBV_kYGvsZhnI_lzcQDlKzv9qPxrR8RqG-ioyTJUBQ2mqRDFRvrN4aAkvbsycxJkVsv20Gs7LSoWpHp2WLZT5g"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A 1990 Kansas City Star article detailing HROP/ACT-UP KC's harassment of Emmanuel Cleaver after the Berkley-Shields Ordinance was sent back to committee on May 10th, 1990. ([Madden's Newspaper Clippings], 1990)
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During HROP's organizing efforts, Emmanuel Cleaver quickly became a key figure in Ordinance 65430. Cleaver had 'shaky stances' as described by HROP members during the Ordinance's move through legislature (Williams, 2018). With Cleaver being a Baptist and heavily involved in our local [St. James United Methodist Church](https://kchistory.org/islandora/object/kchistory%3A63244), it's not surprising that people found his position on the Ordinance frustrating and unclear–namely on May 10, 1990 when [he voted to send Ordinance 65430 back to Committee](https://kansascitydefender.com/justice/the-black-radical-tradition-kansas-citys-rich-history-of-revolutionary-organizing/) after it was brought up for an official vote to the City Council.
During a frustration-fueled demonstration on May 17, 1990, a few HROP members began chanting, "Cleaver and the Klan go hand-in-hand!," a direct assault on Cleaver's Blackness. Cleaver, in an interview with Austin Randall Williams for GLAMA's Oral History Project, also addressed some of the racist comments made by white gay activists during their organizing efforts:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"Where I became angry was the barrage of phone calls. Many of those phone calls were extremely nasty, some of them racially nasty. I came in already sensitive to the issue, but there were other things that I did not understand. And those things are this: That people don't go to the folk who are opposed to them. They always come and exercise that highest level of hostility toward the people who are already supportive."</p>
</blockquote>
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4eXD0F4jqe5JsRlsgSz2NurMLeUVWU0LreRag2aQTJyI8K0y31S8DS-5Q-FaWKM7o6iqDudyThsMiEPT9SAyqnM8MJ4fOCiTOa4yTi_goXD_Dgf6E3rM21C62mzaimIDDJvvfMlYObyaxG3Qxj6IzoGo6XWIQqDde7gUBp5e-2FpVt-cuDAwIwU4kP36xg"
alt=""
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A marketing, physical mail campaign from the Human Rights Ordinance Project urging recipients to call the City Council and Mayor's Office and demand support for the Berkley-Shields Ordinance. ([HROP Flyers and Pamphlets], 1990).
</figcaption>
</figure>
HROP would also tell its members to be "BRIEF AND POLITE" in a 1990 phone banking campaign to City Council and the Mayor's Office, implying that Cleaver's sentiments were true and that this was an ongoing issue.
Ultimately, Cleaver would end up voting for sexual orientation to be recognized as a protected category (Ordinance 903612) on June 3, 1993 after the tumultuous fight. Cleaver would also be the first Mayor to attend GALA's 1991 Gay and Lesbian Pride Picnic, and also form a Commission on Lesbian and Gay Concerns in the same year.
I bring this information up not to defend Cleaver (nor any politician, for that matter) for inaction in the face of queer struggle. But I want to name this anti-Black action from gay activists, especially because [various activists who were interviewed in 2018 about this continued to defend the use of the chant](https://libweb.umkc.edu/glama/ordinance-project). The fight for civil rights protections while dually being racist and erasing Black, Queer people is illogical.
***On-Air*: Kansas City Alive presents...."Out There"**
-----------------------------------------------------
<figure markdown="1" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; max-width: 100%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KIC-Document-0001-17-1024x813.png" alt="Logo/promotional card of Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KIC-Document-0001-14-1024x710.png" alt="Musicians performing on Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
</div>
</figure>
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Pictured above (and in this article's section) are artifacts from a scrapbook, created by Lea Hopkins, showcasing "Out There Kansas City: A Gay & Lesbian Varierty Show." On the left is a logo/promotional card for the show's (presumably) last episode on June 10th, 1994. On the right are unidentified musical guests performing on the show. ([Hopkins' "Out There" Scrapbook], 1993-94)
</figcaption>
<br>
After the victory of Ordinance 903612, HROP dropped the O from its name and began calling itself the Human Rights Project (HRP) in order to pursue initiatives beyond the Ordinance. In a typed statement made by Kay Madden (HRP's acting legal aid) on November 3, 1993, she warns of a group named The Amendment Coalition and their plans to change the Missouri Constitution:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"The Amendment Coalition, the group spearheading the drive to pass a Colorado-type restraint on Missouri's power to pass laws to protect persons from discrimination based on sexual orientation, has gotten approval for the following language to appear on its petitions:
'Shall the Constituion of Missouri be amended by adding a new Article which would prohibit the state of Missouri, through any of its branches, departments or agencies, and its political subdivisions, including counties, municipalities and school districts, form enacting, adopting or enforcing any statute, order, regulation, rule, ordinance, resolution or policy whereby homosexual, lesbian or bi-sexual activity, conduct or orientation entitle any person or class of persons to have or demand any minority status, protected status, quota preference, affirmative action or claim of discrimination?"
If the Coalition secures the necessary 130,000 signatures [...] then the proposed amendment will appear on a state-wide ballot in November 1994." </p>
<p class="quote-attrib">Kay Madden, Nov. 3, 1993</p>
</blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KIC-Document-0001-15-1024x696.png" alt="Run-of-show on chalkboard for Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KIC-Document-0001-04-1-677x1024.png" alt="Planning board for Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
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</figure>
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Pictured are planning meetings for the variety show. On left is a chalkboard with an episode's run-of-show schedule. On the right is a planning board for a topical news segment. ([Hopkins' "Out There" Scrapbook], 1993-94)
</figcaption>
<br>
With the Amendment Coalition threatening to undo the work HRP had accomplished in Kansas City, HRP decided to make themselves as visible as possible.
Commissioned by GLAAD and the Human Rights Project, Kansas City launched its first Gay and Lesbian produced variety show in October 1993. The show aired on American Cablevision's public, local access channel "Kansas City Alive"–whose goal was to hone in on events and issues affecting the Kansas City area at the time. (Williams-Lindsey, n.d.)
Made up of 16 crewmembers, the show was expected to run on a monthly schedule. According to HRP Board Member and show producer, Terry Carlson, the show was in-part created to "unify the community to defeat the [statewide anti-Lesbian and Gay] initiative."
The 30-minute variety show, as its moniker implies, featured various segments consisting of news reports, musical guests and various other entertainment, and even featured household name Lea Hopkins as a reporter for GLAAD [*more on Lea later in this piece*]. In their first episode, HRP Member Scott DeLong would call out The Amendment Coalition's actions in a segment as well.
The first episode aired on Oct 12th, 1993 at 8pm on cable channel 4/KCCP-TV. Archival records seem to indicate that the show ran for about 7 or 8 episodes before it ultimately closed out.
According to a July 11, 1994 article by AP News, however, [the Amendment Coalition would fail to garner the signatures needed to appear on the Missouri ballot](https://apnews.com/article/3f146eac71eb172294ae6073eda349ee)–proving HRP victorious once again.
<figure markdown="1" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; max-width: 100%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KIC-Document-0001-02-1024x744.png" alt="Run-of-show on chalkboard for Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KIC-Document-0001-03-1024x700.png" alt="Planning board for Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
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</figure>
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Pictured are a group of Lea's friends and family gathered to watch the first screening of the variety show on Oct. 12th, 1993. ([Hopkins' "Out There" Scrapbook], 1993)
</figcaption>
### ***Commercial Break*: Lea Hopkins**
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/KIC-Document-0001-16.png"
alt="Lea Hopkins on Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Lea Hopkins preparing to give her segment during the World Aids Day episode of Out There on Dec. 1st, 1993. ([Hopkins' "Out There" Scrapbook], 1993)
</figcaption>
</figure>
[Lea Hopkins](https://libweb.umkc.edu/GLAMA/oral-histories-moreinfo/38) has been an instrumental Black, Lesbian organizer in Kansas City for decades. Hopkins was behind the first Gay Pride Parade in Kansas City in 1979, and [43 years later was a Grand Marshall for Kansas City's Pride Alliance Parade earlier this year](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjsbDmpDkrV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link). Because of her work, she has undoubtedly pushed acceptance for Black Queer people to once unthinkable heights in the Midwest. Hopkins' role on Out There was to serve as a spokesperson for GLAAD, presumably because of her extensive involvement with the organization.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text"><a href="https://www.ulkc.org/2023-state-of-black-kc" target="_blank">Listen to Lea Hopkins' interview with Austin R. Williams</a>, as part of GLAMA's Oral History project, as she discusses her early days, moving to New York and becoming involved with Christopher Street, and organizing the first Gay Pride Parade in Kansas City.</p>
</blockquote>
***After-show*: where do we go from here?**
-------------------------------------------
<figure markdown="1" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; max-width: 100%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MS314-GLAMA-Madden-HROP-Handwritten-Notes-B1F17-UMKC-LaBudde-Special-Collections-1-765x1024.png" alt="" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MS314-GLAMA-Madden-HROP-Press-Releases-and-Statements-B1F6-UMKC-LaBudde-Special-Collections-1-743x1024.png" alt="" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
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</figure>
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Pictured above are both a handwritten and printed list of organizations that supported the Human Rights Ordinance–including Black and White Men Together Kansas City.([Hopkins' "Out There" Scrapbook], 1990)
</figcaption>
<br>
A big question you have is probably, "Where are the tapes?" I have the same question. 
[A quick search of American Cablevision on YouTube and Google will garner various videos from the 90's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd8kiLcEjPg). Because of the state of HIV/AIDS and queer rights in Kansas City at the time, I can only assume those affiliated with American Cablevision did not take dutiful care to preserve this monumental program.
Circling back to representation, it's never as simple as wanting to "see people who look like you." For HRP in the 90's, being hyper-visible was a tool used to fight for basic human rights. And then having to continue fighting so these rights weren't taken away.
We often forget that at one point or another, remaining hidden was a means of creating safe spaces and protection. And that's not to say we should hide, but it is to say we need to continue challenging the systems that force us to hide behind the camera. Because Black Queer people are out there, and are ready to be seen.
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_1526-768x1024.jpg"
alt="Lea Hopkins on Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Lea Hopkins and Nasir Anthony Montalvo at No Divide KC's Glamour Gala on Nov. 8th, 2022.
</figcaption>
</figure>
---
Sources:
American Cablevision. (2022). 1990 American Cablevision Cable TV Provider Kansas City Commercial Jingle -- Coming Through for You [TV Commercial]. In CRT Afterglow (Ed.), *YouTube*. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd8kiLcEjPg‌
GLAAD Media Institute. (2021). 2021 Studio Responsibility Index. In *GLAAD*. GLAAD. https://www.glaad.org/sri/2021‌
Hamilton, R. (Ed.). (2016, February 11). *As Predicted, "Zoolander 2" Is Pretty Transphobic*. Nylon. https://www.nylon.com/articles/zoolander-2-review-transphobic-controversy‌
[Hopkins' "Out There" Scrapbook]. (ca. 1993-1994). Lea Hopkins. Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
[HROP Flyers and Pamphlets]. (ca. 1989-1994). Kay Madden Collection (Box 1, Folder 15). Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
[HROP Handwritten Notes]. (ca. 1989-1994). Kay Madden Collection (Box 1, Folder 17). Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
[HROP Miscellaneous]. (ca. 1989-1994). Kay Madden Collection (Box 1, Folder 18). Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas City, MO, United States.
Jackson, D. W. (2016). *Changing Times: Almanac and Digest of Kansas City's LGBTQIA History* (50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, pp. 115--116). The Orderly Pack Rat.‌
Kansas City Pride Alliance [@kcpridealliance]. (2022, October 14).\
Introducing: Lea Hopkins If you haven't followed us on TikTok you should! @kcpridealliance. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjsbDmpDkrV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Mills, K. (Ed.). (1994, July 11). *Few Anti-Gay Measures Will Appear on State Ballots in Fall*. The Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/3f146eac71eb172294ae6073eda349ee‌
Williams, A.R. (2021). *THE ORDINANCE PROJECT: COMMEMORATING KANSAS CITY'S LGBTQ LANDMARK LEGISLATION* [Doctorate Dissertation]. https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/89576/Williams_umkc_0134D_11812.pdf?sequence=1‌
Williams, A.R. (2018). The Ordinance Project [Website Video]. In *Gay and Lesbian Archives of Mid-America (GLAMA)*. https://libweb.umkc.edu/glama/ordinance-project‌
Williams, A. R. (2018, December 10). *Jon D. Barnett.* Profiles in Kansas City Activism. Retrieved June 10, 2022, from https://info.umkc.edu/kcactivism/?page_id=40
Williams-Lindsey, T.C.. (n.d.). *Home* [LinkedIn page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracywilliamslindsey/
---
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 100%;">
<img src="https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KIC-Document-0001-01-1024x945.png"
alt="Lea Hopkins' Scrapbook Cover on Kansas City's Gay & Lesbian Variety Show, 'Out There'"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-left text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
The cover of Lea Hopkins' scrapbook detailing the "Out There" program. Based on a conversation we had on August 2nd, 2022, she retains little memory of the era. The scrapbook illuminates with Lea's personality as various pictures are tacked with speech bubbles, like the ones shown here, that have her own storytelling of events. Also on this cover is a cut-out article written by Jon Barnett on Oct 8-21, 1993 for the Lesbian And Gay News Telegraph; titled "Public Access TV Program 'Out There,' Lea Hopkins is mentioned along with several other HRP members. Barnett's article has served as the foundation for this piece's research.
</figcaption>
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title: Remembering Soakie's
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# **Remembering "Soakie's": Kansas City's former Black gay bar from the Y2K Era**
Volume_2 of {B/qKC}, rediscovers Soakie's: a former Black gay bar in Kansas City from 1994-2004.
A refurbished version of the groundbreaking article for {B/qKC}'s database.
BY [NASIR MONTALVO](https://1800nasi.net) ● ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE KANSAS CITY DEFENDER ON DECEMBER 22, 2023
{% include feature/image.html objectid="garycoll004" width="100" %}
<details markdown="1">
<summary>Foreword</summary>
*Welcome to Volume_2 of {B/qKC}. It would be remiss for me to begin this new era without saying thank you. Though I believe it is the inherent duty of any human being to understand the place and time they reside in, I am deeply touched by the many hands contributing to this communal archival project. I thank those who offered space, those who offered capital, those who offered affirmation, those who offered critique, those who offered love, and–above all–those Black queer Kansas Citians who believed so deeply in their liberation that we can, now, continue their work.*
*Since Volume_1's completion earlier this Summer, I have been working intensely and intently on expanding {B/qKC}. The project initially grew from a frustration with the lack of Black queer spaces in Kansas City, and I, thus, saw a need to investigate the history of Black queer people in our city. Volume_1 was focused on "liberating" Black queer photos, documents and ephemera from local institutions that had no plans to widely publish the materials or make them digitally accessible.*
***Volume_2 and all forthcoming installments will be dedicated to building one of the world's only Black queer archives.***
***Volume_2 launches with three collections from our local Black queer eldership, each telling its own story of Soakie's: a Black gay bar that served as the birthplace for many of our local Black queer elders today.***
*There are many goals I hope to accomplish with {B/qKC}, but the project's main tenets are to:*
*1) increase access to our Black, queer Kansas Citian histories,
2) challenge local institutions and the concept of "ownership,"
3) demonstrate precedence for future reparative efforts, and 
4) educate and imagine Black queer futures through community reflection of this historical research.*
*With bigoted legislation and representation that actively seeks to erase our knowledge and indoctrinate future generations, it is more important than ever to document our histories-not just as static stories but as didactic, interactive artifacts that educate, challenge, storytell, pay homage, repair, destroy, and build anew.*
*At its very core, aside from the archive's historical content, I am using {B/qKC} to create new ways to engage with our City's contentious past-in a way that doesn't center worship of written word, paternalism, and objectivity (characteristics of "white supremacy culture" coined by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun). Instead, I want to challenge us to learn history through conversation and community, working in unconventional spaces, not just the white, sanitized institutional settings we are told to. *
*Considering {B/qKC}'s historical content with the aforementioned objectives, the project grows beyond an archive, it is a tool for abolition: the project is dismantling the ways we traditionally engage with history, while paying homage to Black queer folk-literally, through dollars, and figuratively, through remembrance. And as I want this research to bring in subjectivity and analysis, {B/qKC} also examines what ways we've succeeded and what ways we've failed to keep Black queer folks safe-and what must be done moving forward so that these missteps won't happen again (or, at the very least, are rectified). *
* * * * *
*Volume 2 begins with Soakie's. Outcast from their age's existing spaces, Black queer Kansas Citians found solace in a Downtown Kansas City sandwich shop–converging at night for drinks, music, performances, and community. We learn how white people and capitalism ultimately led to both the creation and downfall of Soakie's, and why there are currently no Black gay bars in Kansas City. *
*This is a lesson in the enduring fight to divest from white capital and how physical space has contributed to Black liberation.*
</details>
<details markdown="1">
<summary>Acknowledgements</summary>
*I would like to expressly thank Gary Carrington, Craig Lovingood and Starla Carr for being {B/qKC}'s inaugural archive donors. Not only have they been instrumental in developing this article, they have also shown me love and welcomed my presence with open arms.*
*I would also like to thank Jerry Colston, Eric Robinson, Baby Boi, and Korea Kelly for taking time to speak with me and being warm, loving advocates of Black queer Kansas City's pasts, presents and futures.*
*I'd also like to thank Zharee Richards, DuJaun Kirk, and Julia Soondar for being grounding relationships outside of this project. I'd also like to thank my newfound brother, Christopher, for reminding me that family is everywhere.*
*And finally, I'd like to thank the Universe for her guidance and my canine child, Guapo.*
</details>
<details markdown="1">
<summary>Copyright & Takedown Notice</summary>
*{B/qKC}* is making this content available for **educational and research purposes**. The Defender has obtained the needed permissions from various copyright holders for the use of this material and presents the majority of this material under a licensing agreement as part of *{B/qKC}*-unless otherwise noted.
*{B/qKC}* does not own any of this licensed content, and none of these works are in the public domain. Permissions to reproduce any of this material must be obtained from the copyright holder. **You are responsible for obtaining written permission from the copyright owners of materials not in the public domain for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond educational and personal use.** If you would like to use the materials for screenings, remixes, or any other project please contact us and we will do our best to collaborate with you or put you in contact with the owners. For any inquiries, please email [](mailto:nasir@kansascitydefender.com)<nasiranthonymontalvo@gmail.com> and include links to all the material you wish to reference.
If you are the copyright holder and feel for any reason that your work has been presented on this page without your consent, please email <nasiranthonymontalvo@gmail.com> to request the removal from this site.
</details>
* * * * *
## Vol_2 of {B/qKC}: Soakie's
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">“After everything is said and done, Soakies was home.”</p>
<p class="quote-attrib">— Baby Boi, 2023</p>
</blockquote>
In Kansas City circa July 2002, you could stumble upon one of a whopping 13 gay bars and clubs; 8 of these lived on Main Street–including Sidestreet and Sidekicks, names that some may be familiar with today (see Figure 1).
Lesser-known of that bunch is Soakie's; the once "Famous for Sandwiches" spot operated by Italian mobsters was also one of Kansas City's, and the world's, few Black gay bars from 1994-2004.
Now there are only 8 gay bars in Kansas City, and a good chunk of these are plagued with accusations of racism, transphobia, femmephobia and lesbophobia.
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According to a 2019 study by Greggor Mattson[^1], a professor of Sociology at Oberlin College, Mattons infers, based on the annual Damron guides, that LGBTQ+ bars have been on a steep decline since the 1980s (see Figure 2). From 2007 to 2019, LGBTQ+ bars as a whole declined by 36.6% while queer bars for people of color declined by nearly 60%.
In short, we are losing our safe spaces.
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 75%;">
<img src="https://journals.sagepub.com/cms/10.1177/2378023119894832/asset/fd1cdc54-041d-4215-a9f5-e3cf92d3ae20/assets/images/large/10.1177_2378023119894832-fig1.jpg"
alt="Gay bar listings in Damron guides at five-year intervals, 1977–2017 and 2019"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Figure 2. From Greggor Mattson's 'Are Gay Bars Closing? Using Business Listings to Infer Rates of Gay Bar Closure in the United States, 1977--2019': 'Gay bar listings in Damron guides at five-year intervals, 1977--2017 and 2019. Note: Change in total listings is disaggregated by bar patronage: men into radical sexual practices (cruisy/leather), lesbians, primarily people of color, mixed-gender socializing, mostly or only men.'
</figcaption>
</figure>
There has recently been a shift in the neo-liberal sphere where, instead of using the term "safe spaces," they express the need to be fostering "brave spaces." The idea is that brave spaces honor discomfort and, thus, the expensing of emotional labor as a means for growth. While I get the sentiment, this is something that white people need to create for themselves, and *in addition* to the spaces Black queer people need exclusively for themselves. 
When night rolls around and people retire to friends and cocktails at their favorite places, where can Black queer Kansas Citians go and truly feel celebrated and safe?
The answer is nowhere–at least, not above ground.
And this is why it is so important to share the story of Soakie's: a public beacon of kinship for Black queer Kansas Citians and the gay awakening for much of our Black queer eldership today.
## Soakie's: The Sandwich Bar
[^2], [^3]
------------------------------
<figure markdown="1" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; max-width: 100%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="/assets/img/DeAngelo KC Library Missouri VAlley.jpeg" style="max-width: 80%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A photo of 13th and Main Street from 1999; an ad for Soakie's can be seen on the side of the 1300 building along with Soakie's itself. (Photograph by Dory DeAngelo, 1999. MAIN STREET. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library.)
</figcaption>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="/assets/img/soakie&apos;s from reddit r_millerswiller.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
A picture of Soakie's storefront posted on Reddit posted by user r/millerswiller on August 10, 2016. (Unknown, ca. 1994 – 2004.)
</figcaption>
</div>
</figure>
Founded by Italian mobster Salvatore A. "Soakie" Rinaldo in 1962, Soakie's initially started out as a local neighborhood dive bar at 1308 Main Street–roughly, where Yard House is located today[^4]. Though Rinaldo was notorious in Kansas City as part of the mob, not much else is known about his personal or family life due to general fear around mob culture.
Soakie's functioned primarily as a packaged liquor and sandwich shop, recognizable by its sign's slogan "Famous For Sandwiches;" the bar also cashed checks for those who didn't have bank accounts or didn't want the hassle of making an extra trip to the bank[^5]. According to an [early 2000's internet chat room](https://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?t=10070&start=60), the sandwiches were delectable, and many downtown workers frequented there during their lunch time[^6].
The space was small, and functioned as a dive bar–it had no more than a few high top tables, a jukebox, a pool table, and a small upstairs area that would eventually turn into a dance floor that could house 50 people. It was housed right next to a parking garage and across from a parking lot.
But that didn't stop the bar from becoming a popular hangout spot for Black queer Kansas Citians. Because of the jukebox and its proximity to another gay hotspot, Connections (now known to many as Sidekicks), many Black queer locals would go to Soakie's to pregame.
Soakie's: The Black Gay Bar
--------------------------
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Before local Black queers found community at Soakie's in 1994, people had to make do with white gay clubs that weren't receptive or welcoming to Black folks.
White gay clubs are historically accused of having racial quotas and requiring multiple forms of identification from Black people to limit their numbers within the establishment; the famed Dixie Belle Bar (another gay bar in Kansas City) was one of these. Located on 1922-1924 Main Street, the bar would come under fire for its racist practices, including the display of a Confederate Flag-[prompting a local, interracial gay organizing group to condemn their actions](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/men-of-all-colors-together/)[^7].
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Jerry Colston, a prominent figure in Soakie's rebirth as a nightclub, recounts his experience there in the 1990s:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"A couple people used to tell me, 'Why you go down there, don't you know that they don't care about you?' Where else am I gonna go? Your house? I mean, you know, where else am I supposed to go? We don't have nowhere to go."</p>
</blockquote>
It was this same sentiment that would lead Colston and his good friend Eric Robinson to pitch a new idea to Salvatore A. Rinaldo to transform his sandwich bar into a nightclub. [^8]
<div class="clearfix"></div>
### That Fateful Meeting
According to Colston and Robinson, Rinaldo was getting ready to close his shop around the same time Soakie's was becoming a pregame spot for Black queer people in the '90s. The three of them had established a friendly rapport in light of this. In fact, Robinson notes that Rinaldo treated him and the community with kindness and was extremely supportive.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">“We don't have nowhere to go.”</p>
<p class="quote-attrib">— Jerry Colston, 2023</p>
</blockquote>
<div class="clearfix"></div>
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Over the course of a few months, as Rinaldo spoke of hardship with the bar, Colston and Robinson pitched various ideas that eventually led them to propose a full business plan-Soakie's could turn into a nightclub on weekends.
Rinaldo approved, but would not invest in the concept. So, Colston and Robinson began funding the club's necessities from scratch–adding things like a DJ booth (and the equipment needed for it) and stretching the club's tight space by using a curtain that extended to the entrance of the next-door parking garage. They'd also paint the front of Soakie's in its signature white and blue colors.
From there, the duo marketed the new club through word-of-mouth and by hustling flyers. They already had their names out in the community, which helped draw in big crowds.
The first night of the club's opening, there was a line wrapped around the block.
<div class="clearfix"></div>
### Views of Soakie's Interior
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**A birthplace for Black queer identity**
-----------------------------------------
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From then on, the Black gay nightclub would open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Though primarily a club, where Soakie's truly shined were in its performers.
Because Soakie's was so intensely tied to Kansas City's underground ballroom scene, it became host to a multitude of entertainers and different events: competitions, pageants, birthdays and more. This also meant more people became involved with managing the bar and its events–namely Tisha Taylor and Gary Carrington, a local Black drag queen and performer/emcee, respectively, and both legends in their own right.
One of Soakie's most noteworthy events, covered in several editions of KC Exposures, a former, local LGBTQIA2S+ weekly publication of the period, was "Mr. and Miss Soakies." The event was a summer pageant competition to crown the eponymous king and queen of the bar. The competition was based on evening wear, talent and an interview–similar to a beauty competition. Winners would receive a trophy, plaque, sash, flowers and a cash prize.
<div class="float-img float-right">
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Other noteworthy competitions included:
- The Lords & Ladies Pageant: a pageant for Black masc ('Lords') and femme ('Ladies') lesbians
- Mr. & Miss Black Gay Pride: a pageant coinciding with Kansas City's annual Black Pride in August
When the bar began declining around the early 00s, Tisha Taylor created "Taylor Time": a raffling event on Sundays where folks could buy a drink and enter into a drawing for a multitude of prizes–one time even including a car.[^9]Tisha notes that it drew in straight crowds and critical funding for the bar. And as a rule instituted by Tisha, folks would have to exclaim "Right here, honey!" to claim their prize if their number was called.
Although Soakie's was brimming with Black queer joy, members note that the bar wasn't free of controversy. Gary Carrington chronicles how Soakie's value as a safe space was threatened:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"We got a lot of pushback when we first started growing. We got a lot of 'spies' who would pop-up and come in. They'd order a drink, not finish it, and then leave."</p>
</blockquote>
A lot of vitriol also came as a result of John Koop, known by their drag name Flo, who was the creator of [Show Me Pride, LLC](https://queerkc.wordpress.com/category/big-gay-scandals/)–a business that began running Kansas City's annual Pride in 2003, shifting the parade from a protest to a capitalist spectacle. Flo was expressly named as a racist by a multitude of Black LGBTQIA2S+ Kansas Citians during my research; she would commonly discourage people from attending Soakie's by using the bar as a punchline during her shows at Missie B's. 
<div class="clearfix"></div>
The Soakie's staff, however, was extremely protective of attendees at the bar–Starla Carr, a founder of Kansas City's drag king circuit in the 2000s, mentions how, although it has become a running joke now, a baseball bat was kept underneath the bar at all times. Starla also recognized that aside from being a patron and performer, she was also a gatekeeper.
<div class="float-img float-left">
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</div>
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">More about John Koop and historic racism in Kansas City's queer community can be read in <a href="https://www.ulkc.org/2023-state-of-black-kc" target="_blank">"The Unseen Struggles: Erasure and Racial Inequities in Kansas City's Queer Community"</a> originally published in the Urban League of Greater Kansas City's 2023 State of Black Kansas City report.</p>
</blockquote>
<div class="clearfix"></div>
**Parkin' Lot Pimpin**†
-----------------------
<figure markdown="1" style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 10px; max-width: 100%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="/assets/img/1306-10-Main-St-Photo-1981-2048x1235.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Historic photo of Soakie's from 1981. (Pinald/Norris. 1306-10 Main St Photo 1981. May 1981. Kansas City Historic Preservation Office*. KANSAS CITY HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY FORM.)
</figcaption>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="/assets/img/1306-10-Main-St-Photo-1994-scaled.jpg" style="max-width: 45%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Historic photo of Soakie's from 1994. (Pinald/Norris. 1306-10 Main St Photo 1994. May 1994. Kansas City Historic Preservation Office. KANSAS CITY HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY FORM.)
</figcaption>
</div>
</figure>
Famously referenced by local Black queers, one of the most critical components of Soakie's existed outside the bar.
Across 1308 Main Street was a large parking lot that became a hangout spot for Black queer people. Audiences in the lot differed: Korea Kelly (a local legend), Starla Carr and DJ Baby Boi speak about it being an entrypoint into learning more about their identities, as they were all too young to enter the bar at the time. It was a spot for after hours hangouts and people who couldn't afford cover charges. People even walked pageants and competitions in the lot. To an extent, it became a destination as much as Soakie's itself.
This would become an issue, though, as it drew away from the capital Soakie's owners were receiving, and was also the source of a lot of violence.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">† There are currently no photos available in the public domain, or as donated to {B/qKC}, that capture festivities in the parking lot across from Soakie's. If you are in possession of any relevant photographs or material and would like to contribute to this article (and archive, overall) please contact Nasir Montalvo.</p>
</blockquote>
**The People of Soakie's**
--------------------------
In my interviews with a long list of Black queer people who used to attend Soakie's, they unanimously noted that Soakie's was the birthplace of their fully-formed identities–a place where they first embodied their queerness.
Below are a few Black Kansas Citians who were involved with Soakie's in some way–including those who have graciously donated to the inaugural digital collections of *{B/qKC}*.
### **Baby Boi**
{% include feature/video.html objectid="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb2gqIY3oEc" width="75" %}
Known to Kansas Citians today as a popular local DJ, Baby Boi's first encounter with Soakie's was also a pivotal moment in discovering their community.
Baby Boi recounts their teenage years, when they saw Soakie's for the first time:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"A couple, you know, friends and I, we went to a haunted house<sup>‡</sup>. And of course, we're looking across the street, and we're like, what's up with that place? Because on the sign, you see 'Famous for Sandwiches' (laughs); but you see certain individuals walk in and they look a little different from so-called "everyday people." I wasn't old enough to really comprehend it.</p>
<p class="quote-text">When I got a little older, my friends and I would tell our parents we were going out to so-and-so's house, but really we would all sit in the parking lot across from Soakie's and look in awe."</p>
</blockquote>
It wouldn't be that long before Baby Boi became part of the view. Baby Boi would be adopted into Kansas City's Ballroom scene, and perform at Soakie's under the pseudonym "Baby Beauty" of the House of Beauty<sup>§</sup>. Later on, Baby Boi would join the House of Carrington, where their role expanded into hosting shows and segments as well.
To my surprise, Baby Boi's DJing career didn't officially start until 2017–and it seems a perfect continuation from performing for, as Baby Boi puts it, "if [they] can give people a good time or experience, let's do it."
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text"><sup>‡</sup>Baby Boi references the late-haunted house, Main Street Morgue: located on 1325 Main Street from the 1970s to the early 00s. The business was shut down as part of the Power & Light Development.</p>
<p class="quote-text"><sup>§</sup>Descriptions of Kansas City's Ballrooms Scene are purposely meant to be ambiguous as to protect a well kept tradition of Kansas City's Black queer community.</p>
</blockquote>
### **Starla Carr**
*Donor of the "starla_carr_collection" to {B/qKC}*
{% include feature/video.html objectid="starlacoll034" %}
Starla Carr's "[Queer Club Culture in 1990s Kansas City: A Chance Encounter with Soakies](https://www.hiphopdancealmanac.com/ink-cypher-queer-club-culture)," featured in the Hip Hop Dance Almanac, was a foundational piece for me in beginning this research project.
And just as she was foundational for me now, Starla has been a pivotal force in developing Kansas City's drag king circuit over the past 30 years. Known under the performing name "MT" (and performing alongside Baby Boi on numerous occasions), Starla recounts her experience as a performer:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"Our male drag group was called the Kings of KC. The connections I made at Soakie's extended farther than just performing at the club, and I started to meet male drag artists all over Kansas City. Our Drag King group practiced routines in my living room preparing for shows, and one of my favorite memories is when we decided to perform a song by the Black Eyed Peas remixed with 'Love Shack' by The B-52's. It was stupid hot that summer, and we were wearing afro wigs for the first part of the performance, switching costumes when the song flipped [...] We transformed ourselves into our favorite rap artists and RnB singers. I still remember using spirit gum and weave clippings to make a fake little mustache for my performance as LL Cool J.</p>
<p>[...]</p>
<p class="quote-text">Soakie's had balls, too, much like those of the Harlem Renaissance era, and that's when we'd bring out the best performances. You were guaranteed to find top shelf entertainment, dance routines worked on for months and the newest music. As a member of the entertainers there, my eyes were opened to how society treated us outside the safety of our club, so I became a gatekeeper, making sure the place remained safe and it's a responsibility I don't take lightly."</p>
</blockquote>
Outside of performing at Soakie's herself, Starla helped other entertainers by designing their costumes and choreographing their performances. 
Above all, though, Starla has been an instrumental support system for those around her. Starla recounted stories about marrying one of her male best friends so he could keep his visa and holding space for gender non-conforming individuals who didn't fit within binary systems at Soakie's (and elsewhere).
It is with great honor that I welcome her collection to {B/qKC}.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">The "starla_carr_collection" is one of the inaugural collections digitized and donated to {B/qKC}. The collection consists of various photos from Carr's time as a seamstress, performer and go-er of Soakies in the early 2000s.</p>
<p class="quote-text"><a href="/pages/collections/collection-starla.html" target="_blank">view the starla_carr_collection</a></p>
</blockquote>
### **Tisha Taylor**
*Donor of the "Tisha Taylor Collection" to {B/qKC}*
{% include feature/video.html objectid="tishacoll027" %}
A photo of Tisha Taylor (center) printed in K.C. Exposures as part of Tisha Taylor's Birthday Bash in 2004. On either side are the succeeding owners of Soakie's (who are dually Salvatore's nephew and niece-in-law): Jimmy (left) and Sue (right). (*Photo by Chuck Tackett. "Tisha Taylor's Birthday Bash," KC Exposures. April 29, 2004. Digitized as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Tisha Taylor was an instrumental part in managing and ensuring Soakie's success. Originally a "front-door girl," or greeter, for the bar, Taylor's role would expand after Jerry Colston was victim of a stabbing around the first year of Soakie's opening. During his recovery, Taylor managed the bar: developing different events and entertainment and bringing in famous talent–such as porn star Bobby Blake one New Year's Eve.
Taylor reflects on a New Year's Eve 2000 party–one of her favorite memories from Soakie's–below:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"Our New Year's Eve parties were eventful. Those, and then my birthday party as well, which were fun. I had birthday parties where I had cakes with fountains and bridges...they looked like wedding cakes. And people would come in and say, 'Who's getting married?' (laughs)</p>
<p class="quote-text">But there was one New Year's Eve party we were all scared because, you know, we were always told that in the year 2000 the lights were going to go out. The world was gonna end. And we all fed into that. So we all came together and did the countdown that year. And before the end of it, we said, well, you know, we don't know what's going on, but we're glad we're together.</p>
<p class="quote-text">So, all of us that hung out together, all of us, were in that one spot.</p>
</blockquote>
Outside of Soakie's, Taylor has made a huge impact on the local Black LGBTQ+ scene, winning Miss Gay Kansas City America in 1995 and founding Kansas City's annual Black Pride in 1999.
It is with great honor that I welcome her collection to {B/qKC}.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">The “tisha_taylor_collection” is one of the inaugural collections digitized and donated to {B/qKC}. The collection consists of various photos from Taylor’s time at Soakie’s and Kansas City’s Black Pride in 1999. </p>
<p class="quote-text"><a href="/pages/collections/collection-tisha.html" target="_blank">view the tisha_taylor_collection</a></p>
</blockquote>
### **Gary Carrington **
Donor of the "gary_carrington_collection" to {B/qKC}
{% include feature/video.html objectid="garycoll029" %}
Gary Carrington, alongside Tisha Taylor, was instrumental in helping manage the bar. Carrington initially started out as security, checking ID's at the door, but his role expanded during Jerry's recovery. Taylor credits Carrington with creating the Mr. and Miss Soakie's Pageant–and specifically creating a culture that allowed men to compete in pageant competitions similar to their drag queen counterparts. 
Carrington was also one of the first men to entertain in the bar through emceeing Soakie's competitions, though his introduction to the task was accidental. When Tisha Taylor changed costumes, she would task Carrington with entertaining the crowd. But he became enamored with the act:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"It's a bar full of people, listening to my every word while I hold the microphone. I loved it."</p>
</blockquote>
Taylor, who still texts Carrington every morning to check on him, had this to say:
<blockquote class="quote-line">
<p class="quote-text">"Gary was one of the first ones that started entertaining as far as emceeing. I was originally emcee, and then Gary started taking over as emcee.</p>
<p class="quote-text">And I always, you know, I pat myself on the back for Gary all the time because he was a product of me. (laughs)</p>
<p class="quote-text">But, Gary is himself. Gary is original. If I were to have something, he would be the first one I would call to emcee that because he's very entertaining. I don't even want to stand up next to him anymore. He puts me to shame. I go back to those days often.</p>
</blockquote>
Similar to Taylor's sentiments, Carrington was not only instrumental in providing the photos and ephemera to make this article possible but a powerful link to other Black LGBTQ+ folks who used to attend Soakie's.
It is with great honor that I welcome his collection to {B/qKC}.
<blockquote class="quote-box">
<p class="quote-text">The “gary_carrington_collection” is one of the inaugural collections digitized and donated to {B/qKC}. The collection consists of various photos from Carrington’s time at Soakie’s, as well as clippings from KC Exposures.</p>
<p class="quote-text"><a href="/pages/collections/collection-gary.html" target="_blank">view the gary_carrington_collection</a></p>
</blockquote>
**Closing Shift: Gentrification of Downtown Kansas City**
---------------------------------------------------------
{% include feature/image.html objectid="starlacoll020" width="75" %}
Much of the reason Soakie's no longer exists today was outside the control of its Black audience.
Around 2002, founder Salvatore Rinaldo died under mysterious circumstances–ruled a suicide, officially, by carbon monoxide poisoning. 
After Rinaldo's death, his nephew and niece, Jimmy and Sue, took over the bar, which led to a temporary break in Soakie's as a nightclub. 
Although they were successful in keeping the bar afloat, they faced a new challenge with the downtown Kansas City Power & Light (P&L) development project beginning in 2004–headed by the Cordish Company, an out-of-state, privately-held development organization responsible for the $850 million dollar development project. Cordish Company is responsible for the third- and fourth-wave gentrification that pushed out Black and low-income people to make way for P&L as we know it today[^10]. This is also not the first time Cordish Companies has come under fire from the local queer community, having been met with protests in 2008 when Show Me Pride, LLC (the for-profit organization that commodified pride, created by the aforementioned John Koop) moved the annual Pride parade to P&L [^11]
<figure style="display: inline-block; max-width: 75%;">
<img src="https://queerkc.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/29503_446305851616_763406616_5657969_5615765_n1.jpg"
alt="A crowd of people protest with signs"
style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;">
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-center text-muted" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" margin-top="0.5rem">
Photo from a protest at Power & Light in 2010. The protest, according to a local blog, was meant to expose Power & Light’s financial corruption and their hosting of Pride that year as nothing more than rainbow capitalism. (The Prideful Pony. “Big Gay Scandals: Pride and Its High Dollar Pony.” Queer Kansas City, June 22, 2010.)
</figcaption>
</figure>
According to several interviewees, the City of Kansas City had initially offered to buy out Soakie's, but Jimmy and Sue refused their offer in hopes they would come back with something larger. To their dismay, however, the City expounded on Jimmy's criminal background and served Jimmy an eviction notice after he was caught serving alcohol–unknowingly to Tisha Taylor[^12].
The night before the bar closed, a Sunday, there was one last large party. Around 9:00am later that day, Jimmy called Taylor and informed her the bar had been shut down, and he had already liquidated most of its belongings–thus, ending the sandwich bar and Black gay safehaven.
**Conclusion**
--------------
The LGBTQ+ community is suffering from a decline in Black gay bars and dedicated spaces for queer people of color. Though a bar may seem insignificant to some, Soakie's demonstrates that the bar was more than just a place to have a drink. It was a nexus point. It was where people began to fully realize their identity. And, towards the end, it became a piece of political and economic organizing power against a development company. 
Next year marks 30 years since Soakie's was founded, and 20 years since it was shut down. I only pray that it does not take decades to build a Black queer sanctuary once again.
{% include feature/image.html objectid="garycoll020" %}
Top Row (L-R): Nykizha Iman, Tracy Carrington, Tremaine Scott, Nikita Carrington, Mocha Collins, Dovee Love
Middle Row: (L-R): Destiny Luv, China Collins, Treshawn Seymour, Lord Biskitt Carrington
Crouchers (Top to Bottom): Precious Seymour, Lady Kiesha, Lester
---
### Bibliography
bahua. “Closed Bars and Restaurants.” Web log. KCRag Forum (blog). phpBB Forum Software, January 23, 2003. https://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?t=10070&amp;start=60.
Carr, Starla. “Queer Club Culture in 1990s Kansas City: Ink Cypher.” Hip-Hop Dance Almanac, May 2022. https://www.hiphopdancealmanac.com/ink-cypher-queer-club-culture.
Carrington-Balenciaga, Gee Gee (videographer), in private interview on Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023.
Colston, Jerry and Robinson, Eric (founders of Soakie’s as a Black gay bar), in private interview on Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023.
DeAngelo, Dory. MAIN STREET. 1999. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO. https://kchistory.org/image/main-street-7?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=4124fac5de772c67db87&amp;solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&amp;solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=0.
Jackson, David W. “Kansas City’s LGBTQIA Bar Census.” Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2016. https://libweb.umkc.edu/content/images/glama/timeline/jackson-book-bar-list.pdf.
Kelly, Korea (local historian and performer), in private interview on Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023.
Lovingood, Craig (also know as Drag Queen, Tisha Taylor), in private interview on Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023.
Martinez, Prince. “Who Are the Top Event/Party Promoters around the Country for QPOC? • Instinct Magazine.” Instinct Magazine, January 27, 2019. https://instinctmagazine.com/who-are-the-top-event-party-promoters-around-the-country-for-qpoc/.
Mattson, Greggor. “Are Gay Bars Closing? Using Business Listings to Infer Rates of Gay Bar Closure in the United States, 1977–2019.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World 5 (December 2019): 237802311989483. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023119894832.
millerswiller. “Yup. Do you remember this nearby bar/’restaurant.’ Reddit. August, 10, 2016. https://www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/comments/4x0ze1/comment/d6byps2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
Montalvo, Nasir. “Men of All Colors Together: Fighting Racism amidst Gay Men in the 80’s.” Kansas City Defender, July 28, 2023. https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/men-of-all-colors-together/.
Pinald/Norris. 1306-10 Main St Photo 1994. May 1994. Kansas City Historic Preservation Office. KANSAS CITY HISTORIC RESOURCES: SURVEY FORM.
Roland, Elara (known as DJ Baby Boi), in private interview on Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023.
Schiff, Barry. “Proficient Pilot: 300 Feet Per Mile.” AOPA, May 1, 2007. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2007/may/01/proficient-pilot-(5).
Small, Karra. “New Kansas City Ordinance Allows Some Ex-Felons to Serve Liquor More Easily.” FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV. December 7, 2018. https://fox4kc.com/news/new-kc-city-council-ordinance-allows-some-ex-felons-to-serve-liquor-more-easily/.
The Prideful Pony. “Big Gay Scandals.” Pride and its High Dollar Pony, June 22, 2010. https://queerkc.wordpress.com/category/big-gay-scandals/.
Thompson, Amy. “GENTRIFICATION THROUGH THE EYES (AND LENSES) OF KANSAS CITY RESIDENTS .” UM System, 2011.
https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/14577/research.pdf?sequence=2&amp;isAllowed=y.
### Footnotes
[^1]: Greggor Mattson. “Are Gay Bars Closing? Using Business Listings to Infer Rates of Gay Bar Closure in the United States, 1977–2019.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World 5 (December 2019): 237802311989483. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023119894832.
[^2]: millerswiller. “Yup. Do you remember this nearby bar/’restaurant.’ Reddit. August, 10, 2016. https://www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/comments/4x0ze1/comment/d6byps2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
[^3]: Dory DeAngelo. MAIN STREET. 1999. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO. https://kchistory.org/image/main-street-7?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=4124fac5de772c67db87&amp;solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&amp;solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=0.
[^4]: David W. Jackson. “Kansas City’s LGBTQIA Bar Census.” Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2016.
[^5]: Craig Lovingood (also known as Drag Queen Tisha Taylor), in a private interview about Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023.
[^6]: bahua. “Closed Bars and Restaurants.” Web log. KCRag Forum (blog). phpBB Forum Software, January 23, 2003. https://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?t=10070&amp;start=60.
[^7]: Nasir A. Montalvo. “Men of All Colors Together: Fighting Racism amidst Gay Men in the 80’s.” Kansas City Defender, July 28, 2023. https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/men-of-all-colors-together/.
[^8]: Jerry Colston and Eric Robinson (founders of Soakie’s as a Black gay bar), in a private interview about Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023.
[^9]: Lovingood, interview.
[^10]: Amy Thompson, “GENTRIFICATION THROUGH THE EYES (AND LENSES) OF KANSAS CITY RESIDENTS ,” University of Missouri (dissertation, 2011), https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/14577/research.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y.
[^11]: The Prideful Pony. “Big Gay Scandals: Pride and its High Dollar Pony.” Queer Kansas City (blog), June 22, 2010. https://queerkc.wordpress.com/category/big-gay-scandals/.
[^12]: It is unclear whether Jimmy was convicted of a violent or non-violent criminal offense; Kansas City has had specific restrictions and jurisdictions around the handling of alcohol if a convicted felon. Small, Karra. “New Kansas City Ordinance Allows Some Ex-Felons to Serve Liquor More Easily.” FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV. December 7, 2018. https://fox4kc.com/news/new-kc-city-council-ordinance-allows-some-ex-felons-to-serve-liquor-more-easily/.

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---
title: Remembering Soakie's
layout: about
permalink: /soakies.html
# include CollectionBuilder info at bottom
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---
# **Remembering "Soakie's": Kansas City's former Black gay bar from the Y2K Era**
Volume 2 of our Black queer digital archive, {B/qKC}, rediscovers Soakie's: a former Black gay bar in Kansas City from 1994-2004.
BY [NASIR MONTALVO](https://kansascitydefender.com/author/nasirmontalvo/ "Posts by Nasir Montalvo") ● ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE KANSAS CITY DEFENDER ON DECEMBER 22, 2023
{% include feature/image.html objectid="garycoll004" width="100" %}
<details markdown="1">
<summary>Foreword</summary>
*Welcome to Volume_2 of {B/qKC}. It would be remiss for me to begin this new era without saying thank you. Though I believe it is the inherent duty of any human being to understand the place and time they reside in, I am deeply touched by the many hands contributing to this communal archival project. I thank those who offered space, those who offered capital, those who offered affirmation, those who offered critique, those who offered love, and--above all--those Black queer Kansas Citians who believed so deeply in their liberation that we can, now, continue their work.*
*Since Volume_1's completion earlier this Summer, I have been working intensely and intently on expanding {B/qKC}. The project initially grew from a frustration with the lack of Black queer spaces in Kansas City, and I, thus, saw a need to investigate the history of Black queer people in our city. Volume_1 was focused on "liberating" Black queer photos, documents and ephemera from local institutions that had no plans to widely publish the materials or make them digitally accessible.*
***Volume_2 and all forthcoming installments will be dedicated to building one of the world's only Black queer archives.***
***Volume_2 launches with three collections from our local Black queer eldership, each telling its own story of Soakie's: a Black gay bar that served as the birthplace for many of our local Black queer elders today.***
*There are many goals I hope to accomplish with {B/qKC}, but the project's main tenets are to:*
*1) increase access to our Black, queer Kansas Citian histories,
2) challenge local institutions and the concept of "ownership,"
3) demonstrate precedence for future reparative efforts, and 
4) educate and imagine Black queer futures through community reflection of this historical research.*
*With bigoted legislation and representation that actively seeks to erase our knowledge and indoctrinate future generations, it is more important than ever to document our histories---not just as static stories but as didactic, interactive artifacts that educate, challenge, storytell, pay homage, repair, destroy, and build anew.*
*At its very core, aside from the archive's historical content, I am using {B/qKC} to create new ways to engage with our City's contentious past---in a way that doesn't center worship of written word, paternalism, and objectivity (characteristics of "white supremacy culture" coined by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun). Instead, I want to challenge us to learn history through conversation and community, working in unconventional spaces, not just the white, sanitized institutional settings we are told to. *
*Considering {B/qKC}'s historical content with the aforementioned objectives, the project grows beyond an archive, it is a tool for abolition: the project is dismantling the ways we traditionally engage with history, while paying homage to Black queer folk---literally, through dollars, and figuratively, through remembrance. And as I want this research to bring in subjectivity and analysis, {B/qKC} also examines what ways we've succeeded and what ways we've failed to keep Black queer folks safe---and what must be done moving forward so that these missteps won't happen again (or, at the very least, are rectified). *
* * * * *
*Volume 2 begins with Soakie's. Outcast from their age's existing spaces, Black queer Kansas Citians found solace in a Downtown Kansas City sandwich shop--converging at night for drinks, music, performances, and community. We learn how white people and capitalism ultimately led to both the creation and downfall of Soakie's, and why there are currently no Black gay bars in Kansas City. *
*This is a lesson in the enduring fight to divest from white capital and how physical space has contributed to Black liberation.*
</details>
<details markdown="1">
<summary>Acknowledgements</summary>
*I would like to expressly thank Gary Carrington, Craig Lovingood and Starla Carr for being {B/qKC}'s inaugural archive donors. Not only have they been instrumental in developing this article, they have also shown me love and welcomed my presence with open arms.*
*I would also like to thank Jerry Colston, Eric Robinson, Baby Boi, and Korea Kelly for taking time to speak with me and being warm, loving advocates of Black queer Kansas City's pasts, presents and futures.*
*I'd also like to thank Zharee Richards, DuJaun Kirk, and Julia Soondar for being grounding relationships outside of this project. I'd also like to thank my newfound brother, Christopher, for reminding me that family is everywhere.*
*And finally, I'd like to thank the Universe for her guidance and my canine child, Guapo.*
</details>
<details markdown="1">
<summary>Copyright & Takedown Notice</summary>
*{B/qKC}* is making this content available for **educational and research purposes**. The Defender has obtained the needed permissions from various copyright holders for the use of this material and presents the majority of this material under a licensing agreement as part of *{B/qKC}*--unless otherwise noted.
*{B/qKC}* does not own any of this licensed content, and none of these works are in the public domain. Permissions to reproduce any of this material must be obtained from the copyright holder. **You are responsible for obtaining written permission from the copyright owners of materials not in the public domain for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond educational and personal use.** If you would like to use the materials for screenings, remixes, or any other project please contact us and we will do our best to collaborate with you or put you in contact with the owners. For any inquiries, please email [](mailto:nasir@kansascitydefender.com)<nasiranthonymontalvo@gmail.com> and include links to all the material you wish to reference.
If you are the copyright holder and feel for any reason that your work has been presented on this page without your consent, please email <nasiranthonymontalvo@gmail.com> to request the removal from this site.
</details>
* * * * *
## Vol_2 of {B/qKC}: Soakie's
> *"After everything is said and done, Soakies was home."*
>
> *Baby Boi, 2023*
In Kansas City circa July 2002, you could stumble upon one of a whopping 13 gay bars and clubs; 8 of these lived on Main Street---including Sidestreet and Sidekicks, names that some may be familiar with today (see Figure 1).
Lesser-known of that bunch is Soakie's; the once "Famous for Sandwiches" spot operated by Italian mobsters was also one of Kansas City's, and the world's, few Black gay bars from 1994-2004.
Now there are only 8 gay bars in Kansas City, and a good chunk of these are plagued with accusations of racism, transphobia, femmephobia and lesbophobia.
{% include feature/image.html objectid="garycoll024" width="50" %}
According to a 2019 study by Greggor Mattson[^1](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#5cea82d9-0334-4f3b-8869-37f1a8fba24b), a professor of Sociology at Oberlin College, Mattons infers, based on the annual Damron guides, that LGBTQ+ bars have been on a steep decline since the 1980s (see Figure 2). From 2007 to 2019, LGBTQ+ bars as a whole declined by 36.6% while queer bars for people of color declined by nearly 60%.
In short, we are losing our safe spaces.
![Gay bar listings in Damron guides at five-year intervals, 1977--2017 and 2019.
Note: Change in total listings is disaggregated by bar patronage: men into radical sexual practices (cruisy/leather), lesbians, primarily people of color, mixed-gender socializing, mostly or only men.](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/images_large_10.1177_2378023119894832-fig1-1024x502.jpeg)
Figure 2. From Greggor Mattson's "Are Gay Bars Closing? Using Business Listings to Infer Rates of Gay Bar Closure in the United States, 1977--2019": "Gay bar listings in Damron guides at five-year intervals, 1977--2017 and 2019. *Note*: Change in total listings is disaggregated by bar patronage: men into radical sexual practices (cruisy/leather), lesbians, primarily people of color, mixed-gender socializing, mostly or only men." 
There has recently been a shift in the neo-liberal sphere where, instead of using the term "safe spaces," they express the need to be fostering "brave spaces." The idea is that brave spaces honor discomfort and, thus, the expensing of emotional labor as a means for growth. While I get the sentiment, this is something that white people need to create for themselves, and *in addition* to the spaces Black queer people need exclusively for themselves. 
When night rolls around and people retire to friends and cocktails at their favorite places, where can Black queer Kansas Citians go and truly feel celebrated and safe?
The answer is nowhere---at least, not above ground.
And this is why it is so important to share the story of Soakie's: a public beacon of kinship for Black queer Kansas Citians and the gay awakening for much of our Black queer eldership today.
## Soakies: The Sandwich Bar 
------------------------------
First Photo: A picture of Soakie's storefront posted on Reddit posted by user r/millerswiller on August 10, 2016. (Unknown, ca. 1994 -- 2004.)[2](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#b7d3ecee-44af-4376-bfd2-6dc95e92b8ec) Second Photo: A photo of 13th and Main Street from 1999; an ad for Soakie's can be seen on the side of the 1300 building along with Soakie's itself. (Photograph by Dory DeAngelo, 1999. *MAIN STREET*. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library.)[3](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#ab393d4b-d3ce-41b1-ba5e-3868e58ef0e7)
Founded by Italian mobster Salvatore A. "Soakie" Rinaldo in 1962, Soakie's initially started out as a local neighborhood dive bar at 1308 Main Street---roughly, where Yard House is located today.[4](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#a83ae2cb-432e-463c-a096-629e53bbfc8d) Though Rinaldo was notorious in Kansas City as part of the mob, not much else is known about his personal or family life due to general fear around mob culture.
Soakie's functioned primarily as a packaged liquor and sandwich shop, recognizable by its sign's slogan "Famous For Sandwiches;" the bar also cashed checks for those who didn't have bank accounts or didn't want the hassle of making an extra trip to the bank.[5](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#c38221c1-41d7-41fa-9c19-594ac320a54d) According to an [early 2000's internet chat room](https://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?t=10070&start=60), the sandwiches were delectable, and many downtown workers frequented there during their lunch time.[6](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#873e1417-811f-4343-9715-87d3cdf17951)
The space was small, and functioned as a dive bar--it had no more than a few high top tables, a jukebox, a pool table, and a small upstairs area that would eventually turn into a dance floor that could house 50 people. It was housed right next to a parking garage and across from a parking lot.
But that didn't stop the bar from becoming a popular hangout spot for Black queer Kansas Citians. Because of the jukebox and its proximity to another gay hotspot, Connections (now known to many as Sidekicks), many Black queer locals would go to Soakie's to pregame.
Soakies: The Black Gay Bar
--------------------------
![Four patrons sitting at the bar in Soakie's. A masculine patron in the foreground looks straight into the camera, the others are in conversation.](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DannyCashmere006_Soakies_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-1024x685.jpeg)
Patrons of Soakie's, Brandon Holmes (left foreground) and Danny Cashmere (right foreground), along with others at the bar *(Photograph by Gary Carrington. Ca. 1994-2004. Licensed for use as part of Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*).
![Two Black patrons, wearing hats, pose for a photo at Soakie's. The photo is in color and printed on newspaper.](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/JerryColston002_KC_Exposures_TishaTaylorCollection_BqKC-edited.jpeg)
A photo of Alec Chandra and Jerry Colston at Soakie's, published in K.C. Exposures (*Digitized as part of the Tisha Taylor Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Before local Black queers found community at Soakie's in 1994, people had to make do with white gay clubs that weren't receptive or welcoming to Black folks. 
White gay clubs are historically accused of having racial quotas and requiring multiple forms of identification from Black people to limit their numbers within the establishment; the famed Dixie Belle Bar (another gay bar in Kansas City) was one of these. Located on 1922-1924 Main Street, the bar would come under fire for its racist practices, including the display of a Confederate Flag--[prompting a local, interracial gay organizing group to condemn their actions](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/men-of-all-colors-together/).[7](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#0b2f7f3f-00f2-410d-bbe9-be5e33427136)
![Two Black patrons pose at the bar in Soakie's----the photo is Black and white and printed on a piece of loose leaf, white paper.](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/JerryColston_Soakies_TishaTaylorCollection_BqKC-795x1024.jpeg)
Jerry Colston and Craig Lovingood pose for a photo inside Soakie's (*Photograph by Gary Carrington. ca. 1994 -- 2004. Licensed for use as part of the Tisha Taylor Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Jerry Colston, a prominent figure in Soakie's rebirth as a nightclub, recounts his experience there in the 1990s:
"A couple people used to tell me, 'Why you go down there, don't you know that they don't care about you?' Where else am I gonna go? Your house? I mean, you know, where else am I supposed to go?
We don't have nowhere to go."[8](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#34537cec-5825-4af5-9f5c-33ebd6e75740)
It was this same sentiment that would lead Colston and his good friend Eric Robinson to pitch a new idea to Salvatore A. Rinaldo to transform his sandwich bar into a nightclub.
### That Fateful Meeting
According to Colston and Robinson, Rinaldo was getting ready to close his shop around the same time Soakie's was becoming a pregame spot for Black queer people in the '90s. The three of them had established a friendly rapport in light of this. In fact, Robinson notes that Rinaldo treated him and the community with kindness and was extremely supportive.
> "We don't have nowhere to go."
>
> *Jerry Colston*
![A Black drag queen and two masculine Black patrons in front of the bar at Soakie's. One patron hugs the drag queen----both patrons smile; the other looks straight on to the camera.](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/EricRobinson001_Soakies_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-686x1024.jpeg)
(L-R) Treshawn Seymour, Eric Robinson and Derome Hubber pose for a photo at the bar. *(Photograph by Gary Carrington. Ca. 1994-2004. Licensed for use as part of Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Over the course of a few months, as Rinaldo spoke of hardship with the bar, Colston and Robinson pitched various ideas that eventually led them to propose a full business plan---Soakie's could turn into a nightclub on weekends.
Rinaldo approved, but would not invest in the concept. So, Colston and Robinson began funding the club's necessities from scratch---adding things like a DJ booth (and the equipment needed for it) and stretching the club's tight space by using a curtain that extended to the entrance of the next-door parking garage. They'd also paint the front of Soakie's in its signature white and blue colors.
From there, the duo marketed the new club through word-of-mouth and by hustling flyers. They already had their names out in the community, which helped draw in big crowds.
The first night of the club's opening, there was a line wrapped around the block.
### Views of Soakie's Interior
*Click on images to expand them and view without captioning.*
![Man posing in front of fridge at Soakie's](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DannyCashmere002_Soakies_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-1024x679.jpeg)
Danny Cashmere poses in front of the fridge at Soakie's (ca. 1994-2004. Licensed for use as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of *{B/qKC}*).
![Two men pose in front of dart board at Soakie's](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/OrlandoHamilton002_Soakies_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-1024x683.jpeg)
(L-R): Steve and Orlando Hamilton; posing in front of the dart board at Soakie's (ca. 1994-2004. Licensed for use as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of *{B/qKC}*).
![Feminine entertainer poses in parking garage at Soakie's](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MochaCollins001_Soakies_StarlaCarrCollection_BqKC-1024x696.jpeg)
(Center): Mocha Collins, a local entertainer. To extend the tight space inside of Soakie's, a curtain was installed outside of the building in front of the adjacent parking lot (ca. 2001-2004. Licensed for use as part of the Starla Carr Collection of *{B/qKC}*).
![Man performing in front of crowd at Soakie's](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GaryCarrington001_Soakies_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-1-1024x708.jpeg)
(Center) Gary Carrington performing in the upper room ("dance floor") of Soakie's (ca. 1994-2004. Licensed for use as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of *{B/qKC}*).
**A birthplace for Black queer identity**
-----------------------------------------
First Photo: Treshawn Seymour is crowned Miss Soakie's 2002 *(Photograph by Gary Carrington. 2002. Licensed for use as part of Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*). Second Photo: Treshawn Seymour performing at Soakie's *(Photograph by Gary Carrington. Ca. 1994-2004. Licensed for use as part of Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}).*
From then on, the Black gay nightclub would open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Though primarily a club, where Soakie's truly shined were in its performers.
Because Soakie's was so intensely tied to Kansas City's underground ballroom scene, it became host to a multitude of entertainers and different events: competitions, pageants, birthdays and more. This also meant more people became involved with managing the bar and its events---namely Tisha Taylor and Gary Carrington, a local Black drag queen and performer/emcee, respectively, and both legends in their own right.
One of Soakie's most noteworthy events, covered in several editions of KC Exposures, a former, local LGBTQIA2S+ weekly publication of the period, was "Mr. and Miss Soakies." The event was a summer pageant competition to crown the eponymous king and queen of the bar. The competition was based on evening wear, talent and an interview---similar to a beauty competition. Winners would receive a trophy, plaque, sash, flowers and a cash prize.
![4 Black and white photo panels printed in a newspaper. The top three panels are all entrants in Mr. and Miss Soakie's; the bottom panel shows winner of the 2003 competition, Silk Williams, alongside friends and runner-up, Tremaine Scott.](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MrSoakies2003003_KC_Exposures_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-653x1024.jpeg)
The crowned winner of Mr. Soakies 2003, Silk Williams, pictured alongside First Runner-Up, Tremaine Scott, in K.C. Exposures (*Photos by Chuck Tackett. "Mr. Soakies 2003," KC Exposures. March 20, 2003. Digitized as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Other noteworthy competitions included:
- The Lords & Ladies Pageant: a pageant for Black masc ('Lords') and femme ('Ladies') lesbians
- Mr. & Miss Black Gay Pride: a pageant coinciding with Kansas City's annual Black Pride in August
When the bar began declining around the early 00s, Tisha Taylor created "Taylor Time": a raffling event on Sundays where folks could buy a drink and enter into a drawing for a multitude of prizes---one time even including a car.[9](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#07ba22c6-dd86-4441-8027-c9ec8fc14c4a) Tisha notes that it drew in straight crowds and critical funding for the bar. And as a rule instituted by Tisha, folks would have to exclaim "Right here, honey!" to claim their prize if their number was called.
Although Soakie's was brimming with Black queer joy, members note that the bar wasn't free of controversy. Gary Carrington chronicles how Soakie's value as a safe space was threatened:
"We got a lot of pushback when we first started growing. We got a lot of 'spies' who would pop-up and come in. They'd order a drink, not finish it, and then leave."
A lot of vitriol also came as a result of John Koop, known by their drag name Flo, who was the creator of [Show Me Pride, LLC](http://the%20erasure%20and%20subjugation%20of%20black%20queer%20kansas%20citians%20%20kansas%20city%20defender%20https//kansascitydefender.com%20%E2%80%BA%20lgbtqia2%20%E2%80%BA%20the-erasur...)---a business that began running Kansas City's annual Pride in 2003, shifting the parade from a protest to a capitalist spectacle. Flo was expressly named as a racist by a multitude of Black LGBTQIA2S+ Kansas Citians during my research; she would commonly discourage people from attending Soakie's by using the bar as a punchline during her shows at Missie B's. 
The Soakie's staff, however, was extremely protective of attendees at the bar---Starla Carr, a founder of Kansas City's drag king circuit in the 2000s, mentions how, although it has become a running joke now, a baseball bat was kept underneath the bar at all times. Starla also recognized that aside from being a patron and performer, she was also a gatekeeper.
![A white masculine volunteer and white drag queen, Flo, at Kansas City's PRIDE from an unknown year. Both look into the audience fixated on someone.](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/JohnKoop_Flo_KC_PRIDE_StarlaJamesCollection_BqKC-700x1024.jpeg)
* More about John Koop and their history of racism can be read in "[The Unseen Struggles: Erasure and Racial Inequities in Kansas City's Queer Community,](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/the-erasure-and-sexual-subjugation-of-black-queer-kansas-citians-a-brief-historical-look/)" originally published in the Urban League of Greater Kansas City's 2023 State of Black Kansas City report.
(L-R) A volunteer and John Koop at an unknown year of Kansas City's Pride Parade *(Photograph by Starla Carr. Ca. 1994-2004. Licensed for use as part of the Starla Carr Collection of {B/qKC}).*
**Parkin' Lot Pimpin**†
-----------------------
Historic photos of Soakie's from 1981 and 1994, respectively. (Pinald/Norris. *1306-10 Main St Photo 1994*. May 1994. *Kansas City Historic Preservation Office*. KANSAS CITY HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY FORM. )
Famously referenced by local Black queers, one of the most critical components of Soakie's existed outside the bar.
Across 1308 Main Street was a large parking lot that became a hangout spot for Black queer people. Audiences in the lot differed: Korea Kelly (a local legend), Starla Carr and DJ Baby Boi speak about it being an entrypoint into learning more about their identities, as they were all too young to enter the bar at the time. It was a spot for after hours hangouts and people who couldn't afford cover charges. People even walked pageants and competitions in the lot. To an extent, it became a destination as much as Soakie's itself.
This would become an issue, though, as it drew away from the capital Soakie's owners were receiving, and was also the source of a lot of violence.
 † There are currently no photos available in the public domain, or as donated to {B/qKC}, that capture festivities in the parking lot across from Soakie's. More research and an article solely dedicated to this famous parking lot will be pursued in 2024.
If you are in possession of any relevant photographs or material and would like to contribute to this article (and archive, overall) please contact Nasir Montalvo at [](mailto:nasiranthonymontalvo@gmail.com)<nasiranthonymontalvo@gmail.com>.
**The People of Soakie's**
--------------------------
In my interviews with a long list of Black queer people who used to attend Soakie's, they unanimously noted that Soakie's was the birthplace of their fully-formed identities---a place where they first embodied their queerness.
Below are a few Black Kansas Citians who were involved with Soakie's in some way---including those who have graciously donated to the inaugural digital collections of *{B/qKC}*.
### **Baby Boi** | Performer, DJ
Known to Kansas Citians today as a popular local DJ, Baby Boi's first encounter with Soakie's was also a pivotal moment in discovering their community.
Baby Boi recounts their teenage years, when they saw Soakie's for the first time:
*"A couple, you know, friends and I, we went to a haunted house.*‡* And of course, we're looking across the street, and we're like, what's up with that place? Because on the sign, you see 'Famous for Sandwiches' (laughs); but you see certain individuals walk in and they look a little different from so-called "everyday people." I wasn't old enough to really comprehend it.
When I got a little older, my friends and I would tell our parents we were going out to so-and-so's house, but really we would all sit in the parking lot across from Soakie's and look in awe."*
It wouldn't be that long before Baby Boi became part of the view. Baby Boi would be adopted into Kansas City's Ballroom scene, and perform at Soakie's under the pseudonym "Baby Beauty" of the House of Beauty.**§** Later on, Baby Boi would join the House of Carrington, where their role expanded into hosting shows and segments as well.
To my surprise, Baby Boi's DJing career didn't officially start until 2017---and it seems a perfect continuation from performing for, as Baby Boi puts it, "if [they] can give people a good time or experience, let's do it."
*‡ Baby Boi references the late-haunted house, Main Street Morgue: located on 1325 Main Street from the 1970s to the early 00s. The business was shut down as part of the Power & Light Development.*
***§*** *Descriptions of Kansas City's Ballrooms Scene are purposely meant to be ambiguous as to protect a well kept tradition of Kansas City's Black queer community.*
### **Starla Carr** **| **Drag King\
*Donor of the "Starla Carr Collection" to {B/qKC}*
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/StarlaJames001_Home_StarlaJamesCollection_BqKC-1024x677.jpeg)
Starla Carr poses for a photo inside of her home (ca. 1999 -- 2004. *Licensed for use as part of the Starla Carr Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Starla Carr's "[Queer Club Culture in 1990s Kansas City: A Chance Encounter with Soakies](https://www.hiphopdancealmanac.com/ink-cypher-queer-club-culture)," featured in the Hip Hop Dance Almanac, was a foundational piece for me in beginning this research project.
And just as she was foundational for me now, Starla has been a pivotal force in developing Kansas City's drag king circuit over the past 30 years. Known under the performing name "MT" (and performing alongside Baby Boi on numerous occasions), Starla recounts her experience as a performer:
*"Our male drag group was called the Kings of KC. The connections I made at Soakie's extended farther than just performing at the club, and I started to meet male drag artists all over Kansas City. Our Drag King group practiced routines in my living room preparing for shows, and one of my favorite memories is when we decided to perform a song by the Black Eyed Peas remixed with 'Love Shack' by The B-52's. It was stupid hot that summer, and we were wearing afro wigs for the first part of the performance, switching costumes when the song flipped [...] We transformed ourselves into our favorite rap artists and RnB singers. I still remember using spirit gum and weave clippings to make a fake little mustache for my performance as LL Cool J. *
*[...]*
*Soakie's had balls, too, much like those of the Harlem Renaissance era, and that's when we'd bring out the best performances. You were guaranteed to find top shelf entertainment, dance routines worked on for months and the newest music. As a member of the entertainers there, my eyes were opened to how society treated us outside the safety of our club, so I became a gatekeeper, making sure the place remained safe and it's a responsibility I don't take lightly."*
Outside of performing at Soakie's herself, Starla helped other entertainers by designing their costumes and choreographing their performances. 
Above all, though, Starla has been an instrumental support system for those around her. Starla recounted stories about marrying one of her male best friends so he could keep his visa and holding space for gender non-conforming individuals who didn't fit within binary systems at Soakie's (and elsewhere).
It is with great honor that I welcome her collection to {B/qKC}.
![Two Black people pose for a selfie in a coffee shop. Left person is masculine presenting, smiles with teeth. Right person is feminine presenting, grins.](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/unnamed-768x1024.jpg)
*The "Starla Carr Collection" is one of the inaugural collections digitized and donated to {B/qKC}. The Starla Carr Collection consists of various photos from Carr's time as a seamstress, performer and go-er of Soakies in the early 2000s. *
*Audiences will be able to view the entire Starla Carr Collection through {B/qKC}'s digital archival database later in 2024. [Learn more here. >](http://www.kansascitydefender.com/bqkc/#expansion)*
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/StarlaJames004_Soakies_StarlaJamesCollection_BqKC-1024x685.jpeg)
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/StarlaJames002_Soakies_StarlaJamesCollection_BqKC-1024x682.jpeg)
Top Left: Nasir Anthony Montalvo, left, and Starla, right, during a private interview (*October 25th, 2023. *Licensed for use as part of the Starla Carr Collection of *{B/qKC}*).
Bottom Left: Starla Carr poses for a photo in front of the jukebox at Soakie's (ca. 2000-2004. *Licensed for use as part of the Starla Carr Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Bottom Right: Starla Carr poses for a photo in front of her car (ca. 1999 -- 2004. *Licensed for use as part of the Starla Carr Collection of {B/qKC}*).
### **Tisha Taylor** | Drag Queen, Emcee\
*Donor of the "Tisha Taylor Collection" to {B/qKC}*
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TishaTaylorBirthdayBash_KC_Exposures_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-edited-1.jpeg)
A photo of Tisha Taylor (center) printed in K.C. Exposures as part of Tisha Taylor's Birthday Bash in 2004. On either side are the succeeding owners of Soakie's (who are dually Salvatore's nephew and niece-in-law): Jimmy (left) and Sue (right). (*Photo by Chuck Tackett. "Tisha Taylor's Birthday Bash," KC Exposures. April 29, 2004. Digitized as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Tisha Taylor was an instrumental part in managing and ensuring Soakie's success. Originally a "front-door girl," or greeter, for the bar, Taylor's role would expand after Jerry Colston was victim of a stabbing around the first year of Soakie's opening. During his recovery, Taylor managed the bar: developing different events and entertainment and bringing in famous talent---such as porn star Bobby Blake one New Year's Eve.
Taylor reflects on a New Year's Eve 2000 party---one of her favorite memories from Soakie's---below:
*"Our New Year's Eve parties were eventful. Those, and then my birthday party as well, which were fun. I had birthday parties where I had cakes with fountains and bridges...they looked like wedding cakes. And people would come in and say, 'Who's getting married?' (laughs)*
*But there was one New Year's Eve party we were all scared because, you know, we were always told that in the year 2000 the lights were going to go out. The world was gonna end.*
*And we all fed into that. So we all came together and did the countdown that year. And before the end of it, we said, well, you know, we don't know what's going on, but we're glad we're together. *
*So, all of us that hung out together, all of us, were in that one spot."*
Outside of Soakie's, Taylor has made a huge impact on the local Black LGBTQ+ scene, winning Miss Gay Kansas City America in 1995 and founding Kansas City's annual Black Pride in 1999.
It is with great honor that I welcome her collection to {B/qKC}.
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/298198449_5543407832389577_7133921237823116720_n-1-768x1024.jpg)
*The "Tisha Taylor Collection" is one of the inaugural collections digitized and donated to {B/qKC}. The Tisha Taylor Collection consists of various photos from Taylor's time at Soakie's and Kansas City's Black Pride in 1999. *
*Audiences will be able to view the entire Tisha Taylor Collection through {B/qKC}'s digital archival database later in 2024. [Learn more here. >](http://www.kansascitydefender.com/bqkc/#expansion)*
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/12508970_1000454773351595_1614195398890465538_n-165x300.jpg)
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/10949719_871167916280282_1699987416939178786_n.jpg)
Top Left: Tisha Taylor and Jerry Colston at Kansas City's inaugural Black Gay Pride in 1999 (ca. Sept. 3-5, 1999. *Tisha Taylor's Facebook*).
Bottom Left: Tisha Taylor as Miss Gay Kansas City America 2005 (ca. 2005. *Tisha Taylor's Facebook*).
Bottom Right: Professional shot of Tisha Taylor (ca. 1999 -- 2004. *Tisha Taylor's Facebook*).
### **Gary Carrington **| Emcee, Performer\
Donor of the "Gary Carrington Collection" to {B/qKC}
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/OrlandoHamilton001_BannisterMall_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-1024x707.jpeg)
Gary Carrington, left, poses alongside Nikita Carrington, right inside a photo booth at the Bannister Mall *([Photograph of Gary Carrington and Orlando]. Ca. 1994-2004. Digitized as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC})*.
Gary Carrington, alongside Tisha Taylor, was instrumental in helping manage the bar. Carrington initially started out as security, checking ID's at the door, but his role expanded during Jerry's recovery. Taylor credits Carrington with creating the Mr. and Miss Soakie's Pageant--and specifically creating a culture that allowed men to compete in pageant competitions similar to their drag queen counterparts. 
Carrington was also one of the first men to entertain in the bar through emceeing Soakie's competitions, though his introduction to the task was accidental. When Tisha Taylor changed costumes, she would task Carrington with entertaining the crowd. But he became enamored with the act:
*"It's a bar full of people, listening to my every word while I hold the microphone. I loved it."*
Taylor, who still texts Carrington every morning to check on him, had this to say:
*"Gary was one of the first ones that started entertaining as far as emceeing. I was originally emcee, and then Gary started taking over as emcee.*
*And I always, you know, I pat myself on the back for Gary all the time because he was a product of me. (laughs)*
*But, Gary is himself. Gary is original. If I were to have something, he would be the first one I would call to emcee that because he's very entertaining. I don't even want to stand up next to him anymore. He puts me to shame. I go back to those days often."*
Similar to Taylor's sentiments, Carrington was not only instrumental in providing the photos and ephemera to make this article possible but a powerful link to other Black LGBTQ+ folks who used to attend Soakie's.
It is with great honor that I welcome his collection to {B/qKC}.
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GaryCarrington003_Home_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-699x1024.jpeg)
*The "Gary Carrington Collection" is one of the inaugural collections digitized and donated to {B/qKC}. The Gary Carrington Collection consists of various photos from Carrington's time at Soakie's, as well as clippings from KC Exposures. *
*Audiences will be able to view the entire Gary Carrington Collection through {B/qKC}'s digital archival database later in 2024. [Learn more here. >](http://www.kansascitydefender.com/bqkc/#expansion)*
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GaryCarrington002_Soakies_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-1024x677.jpeg)
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GaryCarrington001_Soakies_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-1024x708.jpeg)
Top Left: Gary Carrington poses for a photo at the Snooty Fox, a former "after-hours" spot in Kansas City (ca. 1994 -- 2004. *Licensed for use as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Bottom Left: Gary Carrington emcees for a show at Soakie's. His nametag reads "Promoter" (ca. 1999-2004. *Licensed for use as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Bottom Right: Gary Carrington performing at Soakie's (ca. 1999-2004. *Licensed for use as part of the Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*).
**Closing Shift: Gentrification of Downtown Kansas City**
---------------------------------------------------------
![Black masculine lesbian poses with cup that says "HER" at Soakie's](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Kev002_LordsLadiesPageant2003_Soakies_StarlaCarrCollection_BqKC.jpeg-677x1024.jpeg)
Starla Carr's friend, and a winner of Glamour's Lifestyles of Lord and Ladies 2003 Pageant, Bad Ass Yellow Boy (Photograph by Starla Carr. 2003. *Licensed for use as part of the Starla Carr Collection of {B/qKC}*).
Much of the reason Soakie's no longer exists today was outside the control of its Black audience.
Around 2002, founder Salvatore Rinaldo died under mysterious circumstances---ruled a suicide, officially, by carbon monoxide poisoning. 
After Rinaldo's death, his nephew and niece, Jimmy and Sue, took over the bar, which led to a temporary break in Soakie's as a nightclub. 
Although they were successful in keeping the bar afloat, they faced a new challenge with the downtown Kansas City Power & Light (P&L) development project beginning in 2004--headed by the Cordish Company, an out-of-state, privately-held development organization responsible for the $850 million dollar development project. Cordish Company is responsible for the third- and fourth-wave gentrification that pushed out Black and low-income people to make way for P&L as we know it today.[10](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#0e862217-a24b-4901-89af-701f0ffb37a8) This is also not the first time Cordish Companies has come under fire from the local queer community, having been met with protests in 2008 when Show Me Pride, LLC (the for-profit organization that commodified pride, created by the aforementioned John Koop) moved the annual Pride parade to P&L.[11](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#13e6f508-7648-4993-a350-6d83fe5d06b9)
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/29503_446305851616_763406616_5657969_5615765_n1-1.webp)
Photo from a protest at Power & Light in 2010. The protest, according to a local blog, was meant to expose Power & Light's financial corruption and their hosting of Pride that year as nothing more than rainbow capitalism. (The Prideful Pony. "Big Gay Scandals: Pride and Its High Dollar Pony." Queer Kansas City, June 22, 2010.)
According to several interviewees, the City of Kansas City had initially offered to buy out Soakie's, but Jimmy and Sue refused their offer in hopes they would come back with something larger. To their dismay, however, the City expounded on Jimmy's criminal background and served Jimmy an eviction notice after he was caught serving alcohol---unknowingly to Tisha Taylor.[12](https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/remembering-soakies-kansas-citys-former-black-gay-bar-from-the-y2k-era/#52163418-7b5f-4fe5-8444-f198d12fed11)
The night before the bar closed, a Sunday, there was one last large party. Around 9:00am later that day, Jimmy called Taylor and informed her the bar had been shut down, and he had already liquidated most of its belongings---thus, ending the sandwich bar and Black gay safehaven.
**Conclusion**
--------------
The LGBTQ+ community is suffering from a decline in Black gay bars and dedicated spaces for queer people of color. Though a bar may seem insignificant to some, Soakie's demonstrates that the bar was more than just a place to have a drink. It was a nexus point. It was where people began to fully realize their identity. And, towards the end, it became a piece of political and economic organizing power against a development company. 
Next year marks 30 years since Soakie's was founded, and 20 years since it was shut down. I only pray that it does not take decades to build a Black queer sanctuary once again.
![](https://kansascitydefender.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GroupPhoto002_Soakies_GaryCarringtonCollection_BqKC-671x1024.jpeg)
A group of attendees and performers pose outside of Soakie's and its sign.
- Top Row (L-R): Nykizha Iman, Tracy Carrington, Tremaine Scott, Nikita Carrington, Mocha Collins, Dovee Love
- Middle Row: (L-R): Destiny Luv, China Collins, Treshawn Seymour, Lord Biskitt Carrington
- Crouchers (Top to Bottom): Precious Seymour, Lady Kiesha, Lester
- *Photograph by Gary Carrington. Ca. 1994-2004. Licensed for use as part of Gary Carrington Collection of {B/qKC}*.
### Footnotes
[^1]: Greggor Mattson. “Are Gay Bars Closing? Using Business Listings to Infer Rates of Gay Bar Closure in the United States, 1977–2019.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World 5 (December 2019): 237802311989483. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023119894832. ↩︎
[^2]: millerswiller. “Yup. Do you remember this nearby bar/’restaurant.’ Reddit. August, 10, 2016. https://www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/comments/4x0ze1/comment/d6byps2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 ↩︎
[^3]: Dory DeAngelo. MAIN STREET. 1999. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO. https://kchistory.org/image/main-street-7?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=4124fac5de772c67db87&amp;solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&amp;solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=0. ↩︎
[^4]: David W. Jackson. “Kansas City’s LGBTQIA Bar Census.” Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, LaBudde Special Collections, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2016. ↩︎
[^5]: Craig Lovingood (also known as Drag Queen Tisha Taylor), in a private interview about Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023. ↩︎
[^6]: bahua. “Closed Bars and Restaurants.” Web log. KCRag Forum (blog). phpBB Forum Software, January 23, 2003. https://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?t=10070&amp;start=60. ↩︎
[^7]: Nasir A. Montalvo. “Men of All Colors Together: Fighting Racism amidst Gay Men in the 80’s.” Kansas City Defender, July 28, 2023. https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/men-of-all-colors-together/. ↩︎
[^8]: Jerry Colston and Eric Robinson (founders of Soakie’s as a Black gay bar), in a private interview about Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023. ↩︎
[^9]: Lovingood, interview. ↩︎
[^10]: Amy Thompson, “GENTRIFICATION THROUGH THE EYES (AND LENSES) OF KANSAS CITY RESIDENTS ,” University of Missouri (dissertation, 2011), https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/14577/research.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y. ↩︎
[^11]: The Prideful Pony. “Big Gay Scandals: Pride and its High Dollar Pony.” Queer Kansas City (blog), June 22, 2010. https://queerkc.wordpress.com/category/big-gay-scandals/. ↩︎
[^12]: It is unclear whether Jimmy was convicted of a violent or non-violent criminal offense; Kansas City has had specific restrictions and jurisdictions around the handling of alcohol if a convicted felon. Small, Karra. “New Kansas City Ordinance Allows Some Ex-Felons to Serve Liquor More Easily.” FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports, December 7, 2018. https://fox4kc.com/news/new-kc-city-council-ordinance-allows-some-ex-felons-to-serve-liquor-more-easily/. ↩︎
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Colston, Jerry and Robinson, Eric (founders of Soakie’s as a Black gay bar), in private interview on Soakie’s, Kansas City, MO, 2023.
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https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/14577/research.pdf?sequence=2&amp;isAllowed=y.