Iowa City Night Life Alternatives

Iowa City's Gay Night Life -- Going, Going, Gone?

According to a recent article in the Daily Iowan (use the email address [email protected] for access), the owners of the Alley Cat no longer want to run a gay bar so they are changing the name of the club to Studio 13 and reaching out to attract more straight people -- but not the kind of straight people we're used to seeing there. They're reaching out to the kind of straight people who wouldn't want to be seen in a gay bar. It appears that either they'd rather have those people than have us, or they'd like to keep our business and take our money (thinking we have nowhere else to go), but sweep us under the carpet -- back in the closet? -- so that people who are less tolerant and/or secure can enjoy the bar.

Who wants to support that kind of attitude, after we've kept them in business for three years? Would you like to respond somehow? How successful would their business be if lesbigays, friends, etc. didn't go there?
Visit the discussion forum and share your opinion.

The Proposal

Let's make a point by taking our business somewhere else. In particular, the manager of The Cage (a new dance bar one block away from the Alley Cat on Washington St. just across from the Englert) has said it is the kind of place where everyone can go and have a good time, adding "We're all about the love." They've already been tossing around the idea of hosting drag shows now and then, so their attitude is inclusive -- and the place is big, with some seriously high tech dance lighting. It's also smoke-free, which may be a problem for some, but hopefully everyone can at least come by and check it out. If we all aim for the same night it will have more impact at the by-then-renamed Alley Cat because they won't have the whole LesBiGay crowd paying their bills, plus the Cage will feel a lot more comfortable if we're there in numbers. The target, which should give people plenty of time to get the word out, is Saturday, December 14, 10:30pm-ish at the Cage. Tell all your friends!!

Another possibility is Club Basix in Cedar Rapids -- their support for the gay community has never been in doubt, they've got a new big screen TV playing videos throughout the night, they regularly host drag shows, and on the night in question they are holding the first annual Mr. Midwest Drag King Competition. Definitely worth checking out!

Of course, if you don't want to go to either of these places but still want to make your point, find somewhere else, or stay home and rent a video or something, but the Cage should be a good time for those who want to boogie here in Iowa City, and Basix for a no-holds barred gay bar experience.

This isn't a proposal for putting the Alley Cat (soon Studio 13) out of business, but rather a way of making it clear that we don't want to go where we aren't wanted, and that there are alternatives if our presence isn't appreciated.