Tea gay
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In the late 60s, LGBTQ people were flocking to Fire Island/Cherry Grove where Michael Fesco ran a bar called The Ice Palace.
When it comes to serving up tea, verbal prowess is often more important than the gossip that one chooses to convey. This eventually became a new way of dancing that is still practiced today. Indeed, it temporarily became a running joke to repeat Chanikwa’s response whenever the question was asked.
Tea is thus the information at the heart of potential gossip regardless of whether or not the information is ever revealed.
In an attempt to hide from the police, Coco (who was small) hid under the couch cushions as Chanikwa unlocked the door.
The concept of the tearoom has a long history in gay culture. Abolition, temperance, and suffrage are all political movements that can be linked to women organizing around the tea table.
There are other historical examples of tea as a form of protest.
Regardless, it is the way in which the gossip is transmitted that turns everyday news into tea worthy of being served to a queen.
Charlotte Hollandsis an illustrator, artist, and ethnographer who is fascinated with the power of hand-drawn images to reveal and describe complex truths. The use of “her” to refer to Coco out of drag was a flagrant insult, suggesting that Coco was unable to pass as a man.
She is developing new ways to use illustration within social science research and is currently completing her first graphic non-fiction book, written by Alisse Waterston.
Spilling The Tea: Musings on LGBTQIA+ Tea History
Happy Pride, today and everyday, from the Tea Fam!
THE AGONY (OR DANCE) OF THE LEAF
Something I learned about while researching for this blog is the poetic phrase “the agony of the leaf" (sometimes referred to as the “dance of the leaf").
As with spilling tea, both types of pouring tea convey a lack of restraint. There were laws in place across the United States and Europe that effectively outlawed gay bars from operating. Experience this sapphire brew as a calming tonic or for a little extra magic as a simple syrup added to lemonade (watch as the indigo blue transforms to a bright magenta!)
Today, some LGBTQ millennials want more inclusive spaces that don’t involve alcohol or a dance floor, while others are bringing back queer nightlife as iconic queer spaces close in major cities.
Three years before the Stonewall Riots on June 28 and 29, 1969, gay New Yorkers were finally allowed to drink in the bars, but with a catch: Bars could lose their liquor licenses if they were found to be hosting gay people drinking, dancing, kissing members of the same sex and even taking someone home, behavior that was lumped into the criminal charge “disorderly conduct.”
The necessity of creating an alternative safe community space—and paying the rent—was the spark that first created the gay tea dance.
However, Chanikwa was able to serve up this bit of tea in a way that made it the talk of the town. This Sunday tradition is all about putting the cell phone down and getting up on the dance floor.
The description that struck me the most was from a queer tea shop owner in Kentucky, Austen Smith :“The transformation that tea undergoes in the process releases the true essence of the plant and frees the leaves from the contortions of humanity.
Lady Bunny, an iconic drag queen and DJ known for her oversized blond bouffant, spins disco records from 6 till 10 PM, whooping it up with attendees ranging from their mid-20s to late 50s.
“I search for the best DJs I can find to bring them onboard and drag entertainment and we serve a dinner and we’re out until 10 PM,” says Fesco.
Phrases like “what’s the tea?”, “spill the tea,” and “that is tea” became inventive new ways for queer folks to communicate with one another.
Inspired by the tea dances of previous centuries, queer people hosted “gay tea dances.” Since tea service traditionally took place in the afternoon, there was less chance of police raids.