Garden of Allah (cabaret)

Gay cabaret in Seattle, Washington, US

For other uses, see Garden of Allah (disambiguation).

The Garden of Allah was a mid-20th century gay cabaret that opened in 1946[1][2] in the basement of the Victorian-era Arlington Hotel in Seattle's Pioneer Square. It was Seattle's most popular gay cabaret in the late 1940s and 1950s[3] and one of the first gay-owned gay bars in the United States.[1] Prior to becoming a cabaret, the space had been a speakeasy, during Prohibition, and then a tavern.

The Garden catered to all factions of the LGBT community, though heterosexual patrons, tourists and military personnel on leave also visited. Acts were primarily female impersonation, though some male impersonators also performed; the former sometimes included striptease. One act was the professional female-impersonation Jewel Box Revue,[4] though that act was largely geared to and supported by hetero people.[1]

Patrons report that the cabaret became like a "family" or "support group",[3] and Don Paulson, author of An Evening at the Garden of Allah: A Gay Cabaret in Seattle, noted that he believes the sense of community and group consciousness produced by the Garden was what made the gay rights movement of later decades possible.[1]

The Garden closed in 1956, when a combination of a rate raise from the musicians' union and a raise in city taxes on locales that provided both entertainment and alcohol put it out of business.[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Paulson, Don (1996). An evening at the Garden of Allah: a gay cabaret in Seattle. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231096980.
2. ^ Cohen, Steven (2005). Incongruous entertainment: camp, cultural value, and the MGM musical. Duke University Press. p. 12\. ISBN 0822387077.
3. ^ a b c Atkins, Gary (2003). Gay Seattle: stories of exile and belonging. University of Washington Press. pp. 62–. ISBN 9780295982984.
4. ^ Haggerty, George E. (2000). Gay histories and cultures: an encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 158\. ISBN 9780815318804.

## External links

[edit]

* Queer History in Seattle, Part 1: to 1967, Historylink.org
* A few photos and a small amount of other information, on the site of the Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society.
* Photograph of the Arlington Hotel, c. 1900, from the University of Washington collections
* Photograph of the Arlington Hotel, c. 1913, from the University of Washington collections

47°36′00″N 122°20′03″W﻿ / ﻿47.60000°N 122.33417°W﻿ / 47.60000; -122.33417

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Early LGBT rights advocacy in the United States (pre-Stonewall riots)

Organizations|

* Columbia Queer Alliance
* Council on Religion and the Homosexual
* Daughters of Bilitis
* ECHO
* Homophile Action League
* Janus Society
* Knights of the Clock
* Mattachine Midwest
* Mattachine Society
* Metropolitan Community Church
* NACHO
* ONE, Inc.
* PRIDE
* Society for Human Rights
* Student Homophile League
* Veterans Benevolent Association

Activists|

| Daughters of Bilitis|

* Lisa Ben
* Barbara Gittings
* Barbara Grier
* Kay Lahusen
* Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon
* Ruth Simpson
* Ada Bello

|

Mattachine Midwest|

* Bob Basker
* Pearl M. Hart
* Marie J. Kuda
* William B. Kelley
* Valerie Taylor

Mattachine Society|

* Hal Call
* Rudi Gernreich
* James Gruber
* Harry Hay
* Dale Jennings
* Frank Kameny
* Jack Nichols

Others|

* Merton Bird
* Reed Erickson
* Arthur Evans
* Charles Henri Ford
* Henry Gerber
* Morris Kight
* Aristide Laurent
* W. Dorr Legg
* Dick Leitsch
* Bob Mizer
* Troy Perry
* Clark Polak
* Craig Rodwell
* José Sarria
* Richard L. Schlegel
* Drew Shafer
* Parker Tyler
* Randy Wicker
* H. Lynn Womack

Publications|

* The Advocate
* Drum
* Focus: A Journal for Lesbians
* The Ladder
* The Phoenix: Midwest Homophile Voice
* Vice Versa

Events|

* Newport sex scandal (1919)
* Harvard Secret Court (1920)
* Pullman porter affair (1940)
* Hazel's Inn raid (1956)
* One, Inc. v. Olesen (1958)
* Cooper Do-nuts Riot (1959)
* MANual Enterprises v. Day (1962)
* Fun Lounge police raid (1964)
* Annual Reminder (1965–1969)
* Julius sip-in (1966)
* Compton's Cafeteria riot (1966)
* Bucks County Community College protest (1968)

Film/TV|

* The Rejected (1961)
* "The Homosexuals" (1967)

Related|

* Athletic Model Guild
* Black Cat Bar
* Black Cat Tavern
* DOB Australia
* Homophile movement
* Garden of Allah (cabaret)
* Julius (NYC bar)
* Henry Gerber House
* LGBTQ movements
* Minorities Research Group (UK)
* ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives
* Oscar Wilde Bookshop
* The Patch
* Tavern Guild
* LGBTQ rights in the United States

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LGBTQ culture in Seattle

Establishments|

* CC's Seattle
* Cuff Complex
* Diesel
* Julia's on Broadway
* Madison Pub
* Neighbours Nightclub
* Pony
* Pride Place
* Queer Bar
* Seattle Eagle
* Union Seattle
* The Wildrose

| Defunct|

* The Casino
* The Comeback Seattle
* The Double Header
* Garden of Allah
* Purr Cocktail Lounge
* R Place
* Shelly's Leg

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Events|

* Gays Eating Garlic Bread in the Park
* Seattle Pride
* Seattle Queer Film Festival
* Trans Pride Seattle

History|

* AIDS Memorial Pathway
* Capitol Hill
* History of the LGBTQ community
* Howell Park
* List of LGBTQ people
* Rainbow crossings

Organizations|

* GenPride
* Global LGBTQIA+ Employee & Allies at Microsoft
* Greater Seattle Business Association
* Seattle Men's Chorus
* Seattle Women's Chorus

Publications|

* Seattle Gay News

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