He’s danced in them, had sex in them, drank and moved through gay bars with his “companion, the Famous Blue Raincoat,” and anonymously, and with friends-not-friends. Some bars were carved out of a backroom or basement, or a place that used to be something else, maybe another bar.

They’re cavernous or they’re small and packed with men dancing or doing more or they’re thick with bachelorette parties and tourists, to the annoyance of the gay men who’ve claimed that bar. Those usurpers don’t know the legacy of feeling gay, but “t goes pretty deep.” Some bars have opened just for the night. Others were raided once upon a time, or will close before a month has passed.