Gay clubs in charlotte

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As a young gay bloke in Charlotte of the 1980s, I managed to snag a fake ID that was realistic enough to convince bar owners I was five years older than I actually was. The fact that I was over six feet tall came in handy, too. There’s something about height that implies age.

Beginning at the age of 16, I was able to gain entree into a number of Charlotte’s gay bars.

My first experience came at a center city nightspot recognizable as The Odyssey, At the time it was located at the corner of Morehead and Tryon Sts. in what had previously been a restaurant and its regional corporate headquarters.

It wasn’t all that large, really, but sizable enough to offer three separate bars and a dance floor. Downstairs was another gay bar famous as the Brass Rail.

Standing outside and waiting in a line to the stairs that took you to where The Odyssey was, I heard other young gay men referring to the Brass Rail as “The Wrinkle Room,” indicating it was a place where mostly older gays congregated. Even then I thought their review seemed crass and flippant, but I was initially so nervous I just stood in the line quietly.

I can still recall making my wa

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