Quick Summary: The Alley Cat in Iowa City has closed and is now Studio 13. An article published in the Daily Iowan said that the ownership of the new bar wanted to distance themselves from the gay image, and several comments in the article were viewed as inflammatory by many members of the lesbigay community. This site was created promoting the idea of a protest night (going anywhere but the Alley Cat on Saturday, December 14th). The management of the Cage readily agreed to host lesbigay refugees that night, indicating that they appreciate diversity in their clientele. Then the Iowa City Gazette published an article which, quite probably in response to this site, made it clear that Studio 13 will definitely be a gay bar, and an Iowa City Press-Citizen article followed suit with even more assurances about how very gay and community-supportive the new bar will be. Clearly this site, which was referenced in the Press-Citizen article, served its purpose -- not to lead a charge against the Alley Cat or Studio 13 out of animosity, but rather to express an honest reaction to the Daily Iowan article (definitely worth a read -- link below) and to get necessary reassurance in a similarly public manner (another newspaper article).

So there's no cause for a boycott at this point, and we still have our gay bar, BUT the fact that the Cage was ready to greet the lesbigaytrans (and friends!) community with open arms and agreed to accept this printable coupon for $1 off cover that night (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) still counts for something. If you want to check out a new local bar in the company of other lesbigays, there will never be a better time to visit the Cage; in bigger cities there are groups that organize this kind of thing all the time -- picking a bar that isn't necessarily gay and arriving in numbers.

If this piques your curiousity, print off the coupon and we'll see you at the Cage on Saturday, December 14th, 10:30pm-ish -- that's at 222 E. Washington St. in downtown Iowa City. Also, don't forget -- the first annual Mr. Midwest Drag King Competition at Club Basix is certain to be a show worth seeing if Cedar Rapids is calling your name! And last but not least, Iowa City's still-so-gay newly-renamed Studio 13 will be having its first Club Elation that night. It's a wide open playing field, make the most of it!

The Story in Greater Detail: An article appeared recently in the Daily Iowan regarding the closing of the Alley Cat (Iowa City's only gay bar for the last three and a half years) and the opening of Studio 13 in its place. In the article Terry Fincher stated that "We don't want to be known as the gay bar" and referred to the stigma attached to the image of the Alley Cat as a gay bar which "scares a lot of patrons away." These comments combined with phrases in the article and headline like "shak[ing] off the reputation of being the local gay bar" and "dancing away from gay rep" plus cancellation of male strippers and fewer drag shows made it easy to overlook statements like "We want the bar to be a place where anyone can dance seven nights a week" and "We just want to widen the demographic a little, draw a larger crowd..." Many people were left with the impression that Studio 13 was opening as a straight bar, and regardless of whether it was going to be a gay or straight bar a lot of people were offended and felt like the lesbigay community was being insulted and rejected by a place that we've kept in business for years.

The initial protest site was created to give a voice to that perspective, complete with discussion forum and the proposal of a protest night -- a one-night boycott of Studio 13 on Saturday, December 14th. The manager of another new bar in town, the Cage, readily agreed to host anyone and everyone (that night or any other) regardless of orientation because they are "all about the love." (As stated above, in appreciation for their great attitude, LesBiGay Welcome Night at the Cage is still a go!!!)

Then on December 11th, a week after the Daily Iowan article, the Iowa City Gazette published their own article on the subject. In that article, new owner Brett Thomas was quoted as saying "This is a great location and Iowa City needs an alternative lifestyles bar." In reference to the new name, Terry Fincher said "Nationally, gay bars use the title of Studio plus the address." He continued "It is still a gay bar. This is a fabulous town to be gay in, but we also want the straight community to feel welcome." Then on December 12 an article in the Iowa City Press-Citizen went even further in elaborating on Studio 13's gay, gay, gay status. What does this mean? We've been heard, the management of Studio 13 has answered, and all is well.