A New Gay Bar

[Proud Mary 1980]

Ok I know people are going to want to know where it is and when is it open..... hmmmmmmmmmm good question. Ok a suggestion was made or it was discussed in another topuc about the need for a new gay bar in Cork. Somebody mentioned that his/her friend had a gay bar in Waterford, where is it. Yes I agree there is a need for a new gay bar to be opened in the city centre. It hast to be wheelchair friendily and have toilet facilities for people with disabilities.

[amnesiac]

Carlsberg don't make third gay bars in Cork.... but if they did...

OK, I would base Cork's Third Gay Bar on Dublin's GUBU. Cosy but not crmaped. Stylish venue yet fairly relaxed. Any time I've beent here the satff have been professional and friendly. Like GUBU, I'd hope Cork's gay bar would have a good guy/girl mix. Good music that doesn't burst your eardrums. The toilets in GUBU are downstairs Mary... but the Cork version would deffo be wheelchair friendly!

On a serious note, is such a venture viable? I'm not great economically so I really don't know. Until then I guess I'll have to make do with the Bodega as my kinda-queer alternative to Loafers and Taboo...
[;)]

[LeBaron]

Roundy went for only €1M, could have been done easily.... pity a missed opportunity

[Slayer]

Yeah if we all put in a tenner we could have bargained with the sellers.

[redbulljunkie]

so we've a 100,000 queers in cork now? hmmm.

[solice]

with a population of just over 400,000. i tought it was just one in ten

[LeBaron]

100,000 queers Christ, they'll never all fit in De Bendy !

[scenelife]

the other place are making more than enough money out of all of us every weekend...so i'm sure they have enough money to open a decent gay bar in the city centre. it'd be perfect. it would even be a great success if they made the upsatirs of the other place an open-plan bar for during the day...and take that awkward shape bar away from the centre and put it against a wall. so much could be done with a bit of effort.

[amnesiac]

The money The Other Place makes goes back into the gay community and funds various projects. Obtaining a bar licence and establishing a new venue requires erious investment.

[solice]

plus, why should it be left to the owners of the other place to open a new gay bar.

[amnesiac]

We, the gay community in Cork, ARE the owners of the Other Place.

[LeBaron]

How do you make that one out Amnesiac ?

[amnesiac]

Without gay patrons there is no club.
The profits are directed back into the gay community.
It's queer socialism baby.

[damien]

Or is it Queer Communism Comrade Amnesiac ?

[amnesiac]

Communism was queer socialism.
Anyway I think as member's we are invited to vote on the committee who run the club or something? It's not a private business anyway... I'm not big on business and economic matters... someone else explain it

[redbulljunkie]

jasus, damien I didn't expect you to be all "oh no, socialism sounds like communism!".

remember when you download mp3s off the internet, you're downloading communism!

[LeBaron]

Hey Amnesiac, I never knew that the membership gave anything other than a grubby plastic coated card, do they actualy hold membership meetings, AGMs and other dangerous and radical stuff ?

[shoegirl]

Originally posted by amnesiac
We, the gay community in Cork, ARE the owners of the Other Place.

So if this is "my bar", how come it doesn't cater for me?

I really resent the suggestion that the Other Place is inclusive. Its totally inaccesible, totally boy-centred, and is overpriced. As for the suggestion that the money is pumped back into the community - eh hello? Into what?

I don't want to sound miserable, but I have found that the commercial scene in other cities I've lived in managed to cater for me in some way or another. The Other Place is truly awful. Not least for the fact that it has totally inadequate seating space and is incredibly dull.

[KTS]

There used to be a bar called The George on your way to Loafers (I'm hopeless at street names), I always thought it would be kind of cool to re-name it The George 2 and have it as a gay bar! Mind you this was back when I was 16! Anyhow, it's changed it's name to The Quay or something like that, red bar, across the bridge from Morrison's Islands ... God, I really need to buy a map of Cork and learn it off by heart. Whenever I'm at work, there's always people coming in asking for directions, and I never know where they're on about!

[damien]

It would be good indeed to enquire into the running of the club and whether this community does have an agm. The thing is you can be a member but not have voting rights. There are some places that have non-voting members.

[LeBaron]

It would be great if we had a forum to give input, that may not only help ti improve things but would encourage people to contribute rather than crib

[damien]

It'd be good if the management came on here and gave all the facts and figures about how it was run and what money it makes. I'm sure if people were shown and not told where the money they pay in on a weekend actually goes.

As paying customers I think people are entitled to give feedback and critical feedback too. Crib away.

[sent]

where the money goes, frankly I don't give a shite. But what pisses me off more than anything else are the extortionate prices charged. I mean, ok, if I paid €12 to get into the half moon or other club I wouldn't really mind but to pay €10 to go to the Other place for a shitty, dingy, dull hole where there's a bloody pole in the middle of the dance floor and the whole of downstairs stinks of piss... I have a likkle problem with that. I don't mind paying as long as I get value for money.

[northsider]

The place does stink of piss!
But at least they try to cover it up nicely with bleach.

[sent]

you mean jeyes fluid!

[Bootyzilla]

The last time I was in the Club it didn't stink of piss or Jeyes...

While we're discussing clubs I notice a lot of people complain that Taboo and The Other Place are boy-centred... surely this is not something these venues can change? I mean, how does one attract more lesbians and older gay men to a venue?

[redbulljunkie]

you can't, you just need more choice of pubs. I mean it's not like you can make Gorby's cater more for older people.

[damien]

Exactly, you already have market fragmentation and certain demographics are not being catered for. Bring in more varities and they might just find a waterhole for themselves.

[LeBaron]

I think there is definatly room for another pub, but given the financial pressures that would go with opening one whoever was going to do it would need to try to attract the maximun amount of customers - of all demographics- in order to make it work.
I know as I was quite close to making the move myself

[markinmanc]

its not pubs that put off older gay men, lesbians going into them imho, its the looks that (we -im 36, which is near dead in gay years)certain people give when you go in these places. not everyone can brush off the prissy/bitchy types that inhabit every bar.

gets me onto me soapbox about how the gay scene objectifies youth, but depends on older people to make money - without actually making them feel welcome.

as for the other place i guess the dont have the cash to make it truely flash.

why not just pick a pub, start going there on a certqin night - word will spread, the owners wont knock back the cash i bet.

[Bootyzilla]

Surely if gay men & women over the age of 30 can't handle the bitchy queens' stares, then that says more about them then the damfool queens staring at them in the first place? I'm under 25 and I've never had a LTR with anyone younger than 32. Chickens and Queens are fucking boring.

[LeBaron]

Well said..... The bit of experience should teach you how to handle the heat

[Bootyzilla]

The bit of experience provides for better conversation and acerbic deconstructions of what the damnfool queens (thank you ex #3) are like beneath it all -)

[markinmanc]

of course i always thought peope went out to have fun, not to be fun for quick witted shallow children. no doubt taboo, like many pubs has its little clique that makes others feel uncomfortable, those that dont fall within there scheme of what is in or out.

sad queens i think they are called.

going into a gay pub for the first time, even if you have been out for a long time can still be slightly unnerving

yous, swimming in the shallow end

[damien]

Originally posted by Bootyzilla
The bit of experience provides for better conversation and acerbic deconstructions of what the damnfool queens (thank you ex #3) are like beneath it all -)
Didn't realise battle tactics were required before going into gay bars now. Isn't character assasinating the queens as bad as them ? Or is it okay if they started it first ?

[LeBaron]

Ah, a touch of the ole George Bush " First Strike Retaliation "

[solice]

im sure that people could say that this board has quite a clique to it too. its all dependent on you perspective, different people like different things, different people like different ways of communicating. if you automatically dont fit into a group it is very easy to say "ah they know eachother for years and they are all very cliquey". i think thats a cop out

[LeBaron]

In fairness to all here Solice when I first came up here, not so long ago, I never got the impression that there was a clique here.
Everyone seems to be quite friendly and open to other ppls views

[solice]

but thats my point, you got into it straight away, i know of people who come on here and make one post and leave. just look at the members and look how many people have signed up and said nothing. a clique is dependent on how you percieve a group dynamic. its all relative

there are almost 270 people who have never posted!!! why have they never posted?

[bo_selecta]

Originally posted by solice
there are almost 270 people who have never posted!!! why have they never posted?

Maybe because they feel that they have nothing more to add? Perhaps the previous posters have aired the views that they feel already?

A lot of people view web-boards but never actually contribute.

[LeBaron]

I know that in a group you will always have talkers and listeners but I wonder is there anything we can do to encourage more ppl to join in the fun ?

[damien]

Solice, do you really want me to write a 14 page post on online group dynamics and the complex reasoning behind the number of regular posters versus the number of signed up posters on a community discussion forum ? Have a look at some of the fascinating scientific papers on terranova.

If you Look at other websites out there like boards.ie, there are literally thousands of members who never post but by viewing the browsing stats the boards admins know they actually view posts and come back frequently.

An online clique and a clique in a bar are totally different and an online clique is far easier to overcome and people generally wouldn't feel overwhelmed by one as they, like the rest are hiding behind their computer.

Its like getting someone to give a speech in public and see how they cope and then getting them to wear sunglasses when they give the speech. People find it far far easier to be outgoing in a group of strangers if that group can't make eye contact with them.

It can be nerve wracking to walk into a gaybar where you don't know anyone and be looked up and down by people. Its probably more intimidating in a tiny place like Taboo where theres not a lot of free space on many nights. It might seem that when you walk in you're the centre of attention and for a short spell you are as the various people check out the fresh meat.

[LeBaron]

Anyway.... I started a thread for the shy and quiet out there !

[solice]

thanks damien for the insightful input, god!!!! didnt realise that i was that ignorant!!!!!!

ok i was talking to 2 friends last night after the debate in UCC, both made only 1 or 2 posts. both are not lurkers, both said that they find it difficult to make an input. i totally understand where they are coming from. there is a hardcore group of posters, around 10 people, it is these 10 people that keep this forum operating, but it can be offputting for anybody else to try to make a breakthrough

i like your idea baron, good one

[LeBaron]

I thought so too Solice, but guess what ..... so far no one has plucked up the courage to post, although 45 people have read it ..... lets give it a while longer I guess

[redbulljunkie]

right that's it, I'm banning everyone who's not in the top 10 posters list. see how you all like that...

[LeBaron]

Ah RBJ.... Direct and decisive action !!! I like it

[LeBaron]

Hey.... Got I reply.... yea