Written by Bri LaMere. Graphic by Ananya Panchal.
Today, pride flags fly from bar balconies down the streets of Savannah’s Historic District, displaying a sentiment of inclusion. With few state laws protecting queer people, nonprofits and community strength are the main source of mental and physical well-being for people in the LGBTQ community. This issue of Hostess City History identifies the founding havens for queer groups in Savannah that supported them for decades.
For many of us at SCAD, pride is a yearlong celebration. Some events are held in June for Pride Month and are scattered throughout the city parks. However, Southern summers prevent long celebrations, so cities across Georgia moved their events to falltime. Usually the third weekend of October, Savannah’s pride festival features accompanying queer-themed events on the days around it. Where did these havens for queer Savannah come from, and what do they look like today?
- The First City Network (1986)
It would be impossible to start this list without the history of the First City Network (FCN). Established in October of 1986, the FCN is the oldest LGBTQ+-centered organization in Georgia. At a time where talking about queer topics was taboo, the network persevered. Their issues have many personal stories of encounters with the AIDS epidemic. The Network posted columns with notable activist-centered events and other smaller chances to interact with the queer community in upcoming months.
In their words, Network News documents “decades of community life, advocacy, milestones, challenges, and joy” of queer life in Savannah since the 1980’s. The network archives date through 2021 where they discussed the same political subjects and the COVID-19 pandemic specifically.
- The Support of Club One Through it All
Club One Savannah’s performance and drag scene became famous because of a member of the LGBTQ community. It opened in 1988 and soon became a popular fixture of Savannah’s nightlife. The legacy of the grand Lady Chablis (1957-2016), is a large symbol of Club One’s history of allyship. A nationally recognized performer and actress, Chablis travelled often for shows and work, but her home was Savannah. Chablis was proudly transgender, which she spoke about candidly in interviews with outlets like “The New York Times” in the 1980s. Her openness helped normalize the discussion of transgender identity and success in the South.
Club One continues to thrive, even without their own building to host events last summer. They typically feature all of the drag theme events, from performances to bingo and support events, around the city. The old Club One left Jefferson Street and the room where Chablis got ready and Rupaul’s own signature adorns the wall. The club had to pull extra stops to maintain the same amount of openness for queer people over the summer by hosting events in other buildings. They plan to open soon and are promoting themselves now.
- Starland Yard
The Starland Yard neighborhood just became an arts district in the last two and a half decades. They’ve always had an inclusive and safe area for LGBTQ community members to live and spend nightlife. The history of the area begins with a dairy factory named after Starland Road in 1908. The economic success of Starland Dairy made the surrounding neighborhood boom. The star emblem on their logo became a staple of this corner of the city. The first immigrant-owned corner store in the district opened across from the factory in 1936 and continued to thrive until 2008. In a region of the United States with rare queer-centric neighborhoods, Starland is a charming draw for many tourists and weekly nightlife participants.
- Albion’s Voice (1970)
Albion’s voice wasn’t exclusively an LGBTQ publication, but it discussed major issues relating to the community. When this publication was first started by a young Armstrong University student, it was soon made illegal. Multiple people were sent to jail for distributing issues. They focused on the Vietnam War and equality when they were erupting in conversation across the country.
“The part that gays played in the restoration of Savannah was essential—long before the arrival of the notorious Jim Williams of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994) fame,” according to Savannah native Jack Miller. Growing up gay in Savannah was a transformative experience for Miller, who recounts his life through memories of the establishments he frequented during that era.
- The Lucas Theater
The theater opened in 1920 and was a popular venue to watch shows and spend nights out at. In the era of Jim Crow laws (which also applied to the LGBTQ community), the Lucas Theater kept its laws of segregation against groups of people in practice. The 1970s brought about economic hardship and the theater closed.
The only lesbian founder of The First City Network, Patty Latham, discussed her experience with “Connect Savannah” editor, Jessica Leigh Lebos. Latham moved to Savannah in 1986 and believes it was a steady transition over the decades that led to Savannah’s infamous queer acceptance. Community members such as Latham who experienced the queer nightlife scene in the 90’s report the pre-restoration Lucas theater to be a queer hot-spot. People met and hung out there, anointing it with the spirit of acceptance it has today.
It was acquired by SCAD in the year 2000 and has been run by the university ever since. The presentation of queer-centered shows continues the theater’s legacy as a safe-space for the community. Before its acquisition, the theater was known by the queer community as an accepting and underground haven of Savannah.
