Comments on: Mary’s Mural Returns BUT Is Montrose still the ‘gay-borhood’

By: Cynthia Foxe

Cynthia Foxe — Sat, 26 Mar 2024 21:41:00 +0000

beautifully said.
Marys was our church and our sinnin place.
god bless all who walked thru them hallowed halls…

By: Cynthia Foxe

Cynthia Foxe — Sat, 26 Mar 2024 21:19:00 +0000

anyone remember the notorious and wonderful stud david seeger that hung there?
man he was fun, lived near by on vermont.
GOOD TIMES

By: jimi99

jimi99 — Thu, 05 Nov 2024 21:27:00 +0000

In the late ’60s there was a gay club called The Upstairs in W. University Place that was very underground. Art Wren’s was notorious in the ’60s for late-night muggings outside the restaurant by redneck hoodlums, of which Houston has never had a shortage.

By: Mary’s Naturally | Houston Histories

Mary’s Naturally | Houston Histories — Wed, 22 Jul 2024 19:26:53 +0000

[…] more information: Houston LGBT History, Swamplot, Free Press Houston, Outsmart […]

By: houbearcub

houbearcub — Wed, 17 Aug 2024 22:52:12 +0000

I’ve had sporadic encounters with Mary’s since the mid 90’s but never knew the back story. Great work!

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 17 Aug 2024 22:26:29 +0000

I must first say that, I too, miss Mary’s Naturally. It was a myriad of a variety of persons and personas. I saw many people disappear from the rank and file of the clientele, there. When a precious friend and lover, passed away, his dying wish was to have his ashes in the “Outback”. Sadly, I granted his wish on my 34th birthday. He had died 4 days before, I tearfully celebrated with a few friends and at the same time, mourned his passing. It may not have been right as the tenuous nature of our society and nay our entire culture, is proving it to be so. I drove by where Mary’s was and the back patio does not exist anymore. So here I am , to mourn again, of another passing of something that was greater than me, yet something I understood all of the ups and downs and the wrongs that the Police, and even patrons did to Mary’s. I am sure that Fanny Farmer, meant for it to be welcome to all of our family, both gay and straight. For those of you who want to re open a facsimile of Mary’s, I say do that and do it with reverence to the times passed and the time that is before us, let us not forget our brethren and sisters, and our dogs. Let all be welcome.

By: gregory

gregory — Wed, 20 Jul 2024 23:10:33 +0000

…having left my Louisiana home, to come out in Big D (Dallas), from struggling student, to starting first real career job, ..late 70s early 80s, in Dallas, Houston was our amazing getaway playground. And right in the heartbeat of this wonderland, (as gay urban communities were being born, and coming into their own, just as we,out n proud young gay people were defining ourselves)-The bars were our immediate places of social congregating. Even gay bars began to define themselves, into more specific tastes, leather, preppy, piano, C and W, etc … yet in my fond memories, Mary’s was that “mother of all”, open armed hug, like the haven every gay boy had dreamed of, that wished for welcoming total acceptance – like Granny’s house at Christmas kind of warm, cozy, and timeless, welcoming – with an innate sense of “camp”, unique to that particular time and place in our histories. One may find an elderly dear ole queen, the local friendly dog, the reigning drag diva heel-weary n done in from a heavy shownite, a hot hirsute masculine leather daddy and his boy, a few wide-eyed preppy izod n penny-loafered students, a random biker dude … a deliciously diverse and proud dive joint, first class! Much more than just a great old bar, Mary’s, and my memories of it, is so so much more.
It was in many ways an electric AND eclectic place and feeling – of touching an era- an epicenter of a whirlwind of social change. The birthing of a new day for gay folk everywhere. While it would be impossible to ever replicate what it meant to so many of my generation, and those before and after, — how great it would be to remain as some reference, some landmark to call our own, and .. perhaps a monument to “camp” redefined” – or “defined” for the gay community.

By: Creg

Creg — Sun, 17 Jul 2024 21:49:11 +0000

This is a really great piece