Akron gay life

A spot for music, dancing, and liquor violations, Hi-Hat Cafe (also known as High-Hat Bar or Hi-Hat Lounge) could be start on 31 North Howard Street between Cozy’s Document Shop and other notable bars such as Leafy Turtle Cafe. It was owned by Pat Locicero and N.A. Yocono from 1960-1967 and was linked with Wendell Kirk in 1968-1969. It featured many prominent musicians that visited “little Harlem”. Some of these musicians include Samson & Delilah, Bill Doggett & Toni Williams, Lou Donaldson and Sonny Stitt & Don Patterson who made a special appearance in June 1967. Musicians would play various songs from genres such as Jazz, Blues, Soul and more for excited crowds. According to Ron Ponder (who was once the desk clerk at the Matthews Hotel), musicians would retire to the Mathews Hotel at 77 North Howard Street after shows. This continued until the Mayflower Hotel allowed Ebony guests and many people migrated there. On the flip side, the exclude was cited for violations or crimes such as selling liquor to minors or assaults. The owner, Pat Locicero, was also arrested for possession of marijuana (a narcotic at the time) in May 1971.

The Hi-Hat Cafe also catered to an LGB

Gay Community Endowment Fund to host annual celebration June 6

April 15, 2025

Akron Self-acceptance Festival Steering Committee to be honored with the 2025 Paul Daum Award

Tickets are now available for the Gay Community Endowment Fund's 2025 annual celebration, "exhALE: Advancing Lived Equality." The event will grab place on Friday, June 6, at 6 p.m. at the Akron Civic Theatre. General admission tickets start at $75 and can be purchased online at akroncf.org/exhale.

This annual fundraising event celebrates the Lgbtq+ Community Endowment Fund's impact in the community and recognizes its most recent grant and scholarship recipients. Proceeds from the event support academic scholarships for LGBTQ+ students and allies in Greater Akron.

This year's celebration will feature remarks from Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro and kingly queen and activist Nina West. Guests may also purchase raffle tickets for the chance to defeat prizes donated by the Akron Art Museum, Akron Zoo, Cleveland Orchestra, Mountaineer Casino Resort and more.

The event will culminate with the presentation of the 2025 Paul Daum Award to the Akron Event Festival Steering Committee for its contributions to t

Gay Community Endowment Fund awards $80,500 in grants

  • Akron AIDS Collaborative, to support The Trans Leadership Program, a yearlong workshop for transgender juvenile adults to advance their leadership and communication skills, $2,000

  • Akron Children's, to help patients and their families through free patient kits, parent support groups, and other services, $3,000

  • Akron Civic Theatre, to support the Millennial Theatre Project, which engages underrepresented adolescent adults in theater productions, including those in the Gay community, $1,000

  • Akron Marathon, to expand outreach to LGBTQ+ individuals, $1,000

  • The Buckeye Flame, to publish three stories about inspiring LGBTQ+ individuals in Summit County, $3,000

  • CANAPI, to support the 2025 Akron Self-acceptance Festival, $3,000

  • CANAPI, to provide short-term rental, utility and transportation assistance to Diverse young adults experiencing housing instability, $10,000

  • Clapp for Art, to support The Groundhog Show, an annual pop-up art exhibition that broadens the reach and impact of LGBTQ+ artists, $3,000

  • GLSEN Northeast Ohio, to support an all-day conference that empowers and educates middle and sky-high sc

    akron gay life

    Akron, Ohio Gay Capital Guide

    Many think of Akron as the “Rubber Capital of the World” – and indeed, it is a bustling center of manufacturing and opportunity. Beyond that, however, Akron is also dwelling to a thriving music scene, a historic arts district, plenty of festivals, beautiful scenery and outdoor recreation opportunities a diverse, multicultural population, and a growing and thriving LGBTQ community that is welcoming to all.

    A Look at Akron’s History

    The capital of Akron was initially planned in 1825, and by 1841, it was named as the county seat of Summit County, Ohio. Many of Akron’s earliest residents were Irish migrants who were hired to help build the nearby Ohio and Erie canal. After the canal was completed, the town and its businesses continued to flourish, being further encouraged by the arrival of railroads in the area during the second half of the 1800s. Many manufacturers had established headquarters and plants in Akron by the rotate of the century, most famously The B.F. Goodrich Corporation and the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Akron remained an important hub of manufacturing throughout most of the 20th century, earning it the nicknam

    As gay bars own closed in recent decades, local author looks at cultural significance

    In the 1996 British romantic comedy, "Beautiful Thing," a teenage gay couple visits a bustling gay pub in London, their first see to a gay prevent. They are greeted by a drag queen head the whole bar in the singing of a Jewish folk song, the Hava Nagila. The tune translates into "let us rejoice," and conveyed to the two teens that they hadn’t found just a place to move, but a sense of community.

    In real life, the real gay pub depicted in the film closed its doors in 2006.

    Similarly in the U.S., hundreds of gay bars hold shut down in recent decades, something that inspired Oberlin sociology professor Greggor Mattson to travel across the country to study why. His new guide called, "Who Needs Male lover Bars?" also looks at the larger cultural and historical significance of Gay spaces, and their relevance today.

    On Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas," we'll talk to Mattson about his manual.

    Later in this hour, we'll discuss reporting from The Marshall Project Cleveland about barriers formerly incarcerated people face when searching jobs, housing and educational opportunities.

    Guests:
    -Greggor Mattson, Ph.