In the 1996 British romantic comedy, "Beautiful Thing," a teenage gay couple visits a bustling gay pub in London, their first visit to a gay bar. They are greeted by a drag queen leading the whole bar in the singing of a Jewish folk song, the Hava Nagila. The song translates into "let us rejoice," and conveyed to the two teens that they hadn’t found just a place to go, but a sense of community.
In real life, the real gay pub depicted in the film closed its doors in 2006.
Similarly in the U.S., hundreds of gay bars have shut down in recent decades, something that inspired Oberlin sociology professor Greggor Mattson to travel across the country to learn why. His new book called, "Who Needs Gay Bars?" also looks at the larger cultural and historical significance of LGBTQ+ spaces, and their relevance today.
On Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas," we'll talk to Mattson about his book.
Later in this hour, we'll discuss reporting from The Marshall Project Cleveland about barriers formerly incarcerated people face when seeking jobs, housing and educational opportunities.
Guests:
-Greggor Mattson, Ph.D., Sociology Professor, Oberlin College & Author, “Who Needs Gay Bars?”
-Stan Donaldson Jr., Staff Writer, The Marshall Project
