Boots (Wichita, Kansas Gay Leather Bar/70's and 80's)

Boots — Wichita, Kansas Gay Bar Tee

Boots was part of Wichita's old-school gay nightlife, when a neighborhood bar could be a gathering place, a cruising spot, and a little refuge from the outside world all at once.

And the name couldn't have been more appropriate. Boots, denim, cowboy shirts, leather, and mustaches were all part of the masculine gay aesthetic that flourished during the 1970s and '80s. In Kansas, where actual cowboys were hardly a novelty, the overlap between Western culture and gay culture was particularly wonderful.

Wichita had a queer nightlife scene very much its own. Gay bars and clubs provided places for locals, visitors, and people from smaller surrounding towns to meet one another, often in a social climate where being openly gay still carried serious consequences.

These establishments were more than places to drink. They were where people found friends, lovers, community organizations, and information about what was happening in a world that rarely advertised itself openly. A familiar bartender and a room full of regulars could make an enormous difference.