As we reach the end of our 50 short tributes to the Bay Area Reporter's five decades, let's take a moment to talk about sex, particularly the B.A.R.'s coverage of it, in abundance.
For decades, our publication included nude (mostly male) imagery and adult film and video reviews. While we no longer publish full-frontal nudes, and Nob Hill Theatre porn performers can't be interviewed since the strip club closed, discussions of sexuality continue, albeit in a different context.
Timed with the annual Up Your Alley Street Fair, our BARtab section of the July 25, 2019 issue published two sex-themed features; Race Bannon's leather column on events that weekend included meetings, kink-themed nightclub events, and the naughty street fair itself.
Bannon noted the expansion of related events since the fair's early days:
"When each Fair had only a few surrounding events, it was easy to figure out what one wanted to do. Go to the big dance, or the play party, or the big bar event. Now it takes some planning, and in some cases hard choices to make."
The news of the Market Street Brewcade being renamed 'Detour' riled many fans of the original Detour bar located further west on Market Street from 1982 to 2005. This inspired our BARchive columnist Michael Flanagan to dig into the saucy —and quite cruisy— history of the Detour. One tidbit:
"The sexual atmosphere was not just for show. Karl Stewart recounted in his 'My Knights In Leather' column in the B.A.R. on Dec. 23, 1982:
'The Detour has attracted a hot crowd of Castro toughs and leathermen alike. What a stunning group! It's funny, maybe because no one knows me there, but I've never left the Detour without a trick — and the pick of the Detour are always gorgeous.'"
Read Race Bannon's "Up Your Alley weekend's packin'" at www.ebar.com/bartab/nightlife//279316 (warning; photos of butts!)
Read Michael Flanagan's BARchive feature, "Taking the Detour: Fond remembrances of a sexy cruise bar," at www.ebar.com/bartab/barchive//279317
Read the full issue at issuu.com/bayareareporter/docs/july-25-2019
And enjoy our B.A.R. Talks panel, 'That's (Adult) Entertainment,' about our decades of sexuality coverage, with writer Cornelius Washington, former editor and porn writer John F. Karr, and Arts & Nightlife Editor Jim Provenzano at www.youtube.com/c/bayareareportersf
Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.