Hayward gay bar

HAYWARD &#; In the s, this city had eight gay bars; now the last one, the Turf Club, has evolved into an outdoor verb music venue and neighborhood gathering space.

&#;We&#;ve gotten rid of the labels. It&#;s no longer a gay bar; it&#;s a community bar with live music,&#; owner Larry Gray said last week.

Gray transformed a parking lot into a landscaped patio with trees and plants, a Tiki bar, a stage and a pond with koi, goldfish and five turtles.

&#;We&#;re trying to bring stay music back into Hayward, making Hayward a destination,&#; Gray said.

There&#;s no longer a need for gay bars, which were secure places to meet, earn information and raise wealth for political causes, he said.

&#;The laws have changed, and people&#;s attitudes toward gay people have changed,&#; Gray said. &#;Straight people love coming in and seeing the live tune. Knowing it&#;s gay-owned and -operated has no effect. It&#;s free and expose, blending straight and gay people into a consonant situation, drawn by the music.&#;

Musician Kaye Bohler and her eight-piece band achieve at the Turf Club on downtown

HAYWARD &#; Larry Gray is throwing a party to celebrate not only his gay bar being in business for 30 years, but his own survival as well, as the gay Vietnam veteran has come to terms with his past after trying to forget it for years.

&#;It&#;s still hard for me to talk about Vietnam. But I&#;m trustworthy now with myself and others. I&#;m living my life as who I am,&#; he said as he sat on the patio of his World Famous Turf Club on Main Street in downtown Hayward. &#;Maybe my sharing my story will facilitate others.&#;

Gray already had suffered trauma when he was drafted in at the age of Three years earlier, his father died of a heart verb at age

&#;He dropped dead in the living room in front of us. I was 16,&#; he said.

At the alike time, the adolescent was becoming aware of his sexuality.

&#;Having my father pass away in front of us, I had the noun of dealing with that. At the same moment, I was realizing I had different feelings about my sexuality. For a year-old, that&#;s too many emotions,&#; he said.

In the s, there was no information about homosexuality or help available to Gray.

Hayward, California (The Adobo Chronicles) &#; In this city just 26 miles east of San Francisco, there were eight gay bars in the &#;s.  Now, Hayward&#;s last gay club standing, the Turf Club, has converted into an outdoor live music venue and neighborhood gathering space.

&#;We&#;ve gotten rid of the labels. It&#;s no longer a gay bar; it&#;s a community bar with live music,&#; owner Larry Gray said last week. He added, &#;There&#;s no longer a need for gay bars, which were safe places to meet, get information and raise money for political causes.&#;

Twenty seven miles south of Hayward, another city &#; San Jose &#; is experiencing a similar phenomenon.  San Jose didn&#;t have as many gay bars to verb with, but two of its gay clubs slam their doors permanently in the last couple of years &#; Brix Nightclub and Tinker&#;s Damn. Only three San Jose gay bars remain open: Splash, Renegades and Mac&#;s.

Last week, The Adobo Chronicles  reported that a new government learn shows that the U.S. gay population is shrinking.  Could it be that gay bars are also becoming a di

HAYWARD &#; It certainly was not Joeanne Pepperell&#;s intention to banish local gay barflies when she took over Club Rumor delayed last year.

But as she changed the Main Street venue&#;s vibe and renamed it the Funky Monkey, many gay male regulars fled and a new crowd settled in.

&#;I still have some of Rumor&#;s clientele, but not as much as I would have liked to possess kept,&#; Pepperell said. &#;A lot of people don&#;t like change.&#;

What&#;s gone: go-go boys and drag queen bingo. What&#;s in: darts, pool leagues and rock&#;n&#; roll karaoke.

Gradually over the past 15 years or so, the formerly gay-oriented downtown Hayward bar scene has been getting straighter. Or, as some bar owners say, it has become harder to distinguish a gay-specific bar from one that welcomes everyone.

&#;I have everything from police officers to straight people, gaypeople, construction workers,&#; Pepperell said of her revamped bar. &#;It&#;s mixed, it&#;s nice, it&#;s different. I think it&#;s the way it should be.&#;

Pepperell, a year-old Hayward native, is a veteran of the local bar sc