Experiencing the Past

With the Worcester Pride celebration scheduled for Sept. 7 on the Worcester Common, with a parade starting at 11 a.m. from Institute Park, it seems a good time to reflect on the often hidden and sometimes tragic history of queer life in the city, in order to understand why such high-profile festivities are both well-earned and necessary.

Last Saturday, the Worcester Historical Museum took to Main Street in a walking tour of Worcester’s historical LGBTQ+ locales in “When Main Street Was Gay.” The walking tour was lead by Worcester Polytechnic Institute history Professor Joseph Cullen, although the history presented was gathered by co-curators including Cullen, Professor Robert Tobin at Clark University, and Professor Stephanie Yuhl at the College of the Holy Cross. The tour will next be held again at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 5.

The tour was supposed to meet at the Worcester PopUp on Franklin Street. Instead, however, a small but eager crowd was awaiting across the street at one of City Hall’s side entrances. The participants were not only eager to learn, but also eager to share. Many of those present had lived through the history that would be discussed, so they helpfully chimed in throughout the tour. One attendee had served as a DJ at several LGBTQ+ bars, while another was a tireless saver of the newspaper clippings that have served as a source for the Historical Museum's exhibition. One contribution from attendees: 1989 was the first time the Pride flag was flown in Worcester.

Throughout the tour, Cullen talked about many sites: Salem Square was the site of the Coronato Hotel, which was home to the start of what was called "faggot suffrage." The present-day YMCA used to be a bar called the New Yorker, owned by two Irish sisters who didn’t know what to make of their LGBTQ+ clientele until they realized how much they were consuming. The current parking lot by the Beer Garden was where the Paris Cinema stood, an arthouse theater that showed erotic films.

Cullen noted that these streets were not always safe the LGBTQ+ community, citing an incident in which an activist and his partner narrowly escaped after being attacked by people with bats.

“Moving between these spaces always posed a risk,” said Cullen.

Cullen spent 45 minutes introducing the tour and the three aforementioned stops outside City Hall. From there, we walked to a crosswalk next to the Palladium with Cullen and attendees sharing sprinklings of history throughout the brief walk. We stopped just past the Palladium, near the site of the bar Isaiah’s, which catered to gay men. 

The walk down Main Street to the Palladium was relevant because it is part of the parade route for Worcester Pride. Since the 1990s, the Pride route started at Institute Park for celebrations and people walked to City Hall. Initially, Pride participants were not given a permit for the parade, so instead of walking on the street, they marched on the sidewalks.

“It’s all about claiming spaces, with or without the city’s permission,” Cullen said. “We will make our lives visible."

As a historian lending his services to the Worcester Historical Museum, Cullen’s job  “is to think about the way they can take advantage of new digital tools and techniques and digital interpretation to make their collections more accessible.”

The walking tour is only one piece of that and it raises important questions of the city’s future. Cullen addressed the title of the tour: If the tour is called "When Main Street Was Gay," does that mean it is no longer gay?

He said he chose the past tense because Main Street was the center of LGBTQ+ life in Worcester at one point, but not anymore. There used to be explicitly gay bars, but now there is only one left in the city. Although there have been attempts to create a gay neighborhood in the city, there are few visibly queer spaces in Worcester today.

Cullen pointed out that, according to the Human Rights Council, Worcester is a 100% LGBTQ+ friendly city because of city-wide anti-discrimination polices.

“But when you walk the city, you don’t feel that,” he said. Cullen was joined by several "yeahs" and nods from the audience. Despite the challenges, Cullen said he remains “amazed at the resilience" of the community and the ways it works together to overcome obstacles and "to care for one another.”

Worcester Pride Events

Worcester Pride Parade: 9 a.m. lineup, 11 a.m. start Sept. 7 at on Humboldt Street along Institute Park. Parade ends at noon on the Worcester Common.

Worcester Pride Festival: featuring Lady Sabrina, Myles Jeh, Taija New, Eve Tribal Belly Dancers, Serenity Jackson, Poise N'Envy, QEAM, Snowday, Mikita LeFemme, The Rafters and more, noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 7, Worcester Common Oval, 455 Main St, Worcester.

Joslyn Fox’s Pride Tea Dance: noon to 8 p.m. Sept. 7, The Pavilion at the Beer Garden, 66 Franklin St., Worcester. $5.

Pride Night at the Mansion: with music by DJ Patrick Allen and pop-up performances by Kandi Dishe, Lucifer Christmas, Bootz, Poise’N Envy, Victoria Obvious, Harley Queen, Aria FiftyOne, Ran-D Xtra Xtra, Robyn Millyonz, Brenda Cox and more, 6 p.m. Sept. 7, Bull Mansion, 55 Pearl St., Worcester. $5-$20.