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what do people think of the new bar?
Having worked at many of the gay bars in this city over the years, I have seen many come and go from lack of community support and that is all the community.Yes ,drink prices and cover charges are a contributing part of the problem. Who can afford theses day to go out pay from 5 to 10 dollars just to get thru the door for the priviledge to buy booze in that establishment. I have vast knowledge on how much it cost to put booze in a bar and the taxes that must be paid before you even can sell it to the customer ,, but come on now when you are looking at 200 to 300 percent mark up for profit, that is a bit much. We all realize that the owners are there to make a living from the establishment from the pockets of the patrons whether they be gay straight, green or purple. What has always eurked me is the fact that no matter what is done or how well the place is staffed and maintained, there are always those that think it is not good enough or not ever enough being done for them, to cater to their nitch in life whether it being , Drag , leather , for women, ect. It is very difficult to be everything to everyone in a bar, as it is that way in all things in life. As for a drag queen free bar,,, it is truely amazing to me that some ppl are so very willing to condemn a group that has raised money for so many different charities over the years. and the fact that if it was not for many of the older queens here in this city that have paved the way so you as a gay person can walk down the street with out the fear of being bashed,, we have come along way in this city but have a long way to go yet and is always a growing process. Drag queens, Drugs and Dramma,,,well there are always those that surrive and live for the dramma and drugs whether they are drag queens or not in our community ,, I am discusted at the fact that you can not go into any gay bar here in this city that you are not bombarded with the stench of drugs and seeing it freely used in the bar's , while the staff and owners sit back and turn a blind eye to it. Where has the morals of our community gone.I see far to many of the new queens walk out with coke up there noses and think they are stars,,to begin with if you have tallent and are meant to be a performer maybe try to do it with out the snow up your noses. it sickens me to think that this is exceptable in any setting ,, don't get me wrong , what you do at home is your business or do it discretely out side the bars , not everybody who goes to the bars like the smell or even do drugs. In closing for all those who are quick to pass their openions on the queens , leather men and the bars as well as what is not being done for our so called community, I would like you to sit back and ask yourself this questions ,,,,,,, What have I as a gay person done to make our community ,bars and gay life better in this city for yourself and others around you, how much time are you willing to give to raise money to help out the charities in our community, what am I willing to do to be a better person.
BaraCuda writes: I had the opportunity to check out Evolutions on it's opening night and my first impressions were very good! It drew a fair crowd the first evening, everyone seemed to be excited about the new space and it translated into a really good night out. The bar was very open & airy with lots of room to mingle. DJ Eleven hit the mark with the tunes, playing one good song after another. I went with a group of friends and most of the night we were on the dancefloor, it was most fun. The sound system was pumpin' the lights were jamin'..The Staff was very friendly & Helpful. Hats off Peter, Charles, Patt, Top40, Marcus, Peter, JP, Sheri, John, Billy & the rest of yas involved with bar.. good job. I hope the coming weeks brings more people into the bar. It would be nice to see both levels of the bar jam packed. I'll certainly go again and again!. Best of Luck.
JuicyFruit: OMG, the bar rocks. Love the environment, especially that nice big stage and dance floor : Wishing you all the best, just hope more gays will go here now,
I totally agree.
Would be even better WITHOUT the drag queens/drag kings *Would be even better without self-hatting faggots who write drama like this shithead, LMAO Why?
Why? For the same reason Men'z Bar is fun - no drama and politics.
drag queens and fun don't mix *people who dont put their name to what they write and fun dont mix
It would be cool if evolution was a cabaret for leather guys1!! it would be cool if leathermen went back to being of the old guard, and kept to themselves.
I agree 100% that Drag Queens should be bared from this new Cabaret, but I don't think the owner/managers have the balls to do it, eventhough it would be the right thing to do! *I agree 100% that assholes who have nothing else better to do than bash other members of thier own community should be barred from breathing, although no one has the balls to do it, even though it would be the right thing to do
LOL... the owner doesn't have to balls to do it because most of the staff from NRG, which he also owns, are drag queens. Wait... isn't his current b/f one too? Of course drunken queens are pretty much paying his rent nowadays so that leaves the other non-fuck-ups clients to frequent Menz Bar in peace.
Doesn't Peter realize that there are many in the gay community whom like to go to a drag queen free Bar/Club/Cabaret? Peter need to wake up and shake the head on his shoulders and not the little head in his pants!!! *Doesn't anyone realize that not all drag queens are nasty drug addicts? no? then pull your head out of your asses and grow the fuck up already.
"it would be cool if leathermen went back to being of the old guard, and kept to themselves."
Where the hell did that line of thinking come from? Some people need to do a bit of research and you'd find out that leathermen are partly responsable to the rights we (as in gay) have these days. There were other community sectors involved as well but you can't deny that the leathermen played a big part in gay history.
As for old guard - I'm all game for that way of life but keeping to themselves was not part of their history. The leathermen were/are an active part of most gay communities, the reason most don't bother with Halifax stuff anymore is that the politics of gay life in Hfx has taken the fun out of being out and about. So the last people you should expect to "hide in a closet" are the people who hold the leather lifestyle close to their hearts. Perhaps going back to the old guard beliefs might be a good thing as the new guard hasn't done a lot of good, especially here in Halifax.
If people want to know more about leather and its history as a respected part of gay communities then perhaps reading Larry Townsend's The Leatherman's Handbook would be a good start. You'll quickly discover that there is a big difference between the people who have adopted the leather lifestyle and its beliefs and those who wear leather because they look pretty in it.
http://www.cuirmale.nl/mainpage.htm a very interesting take on leather fetish and lifestyle. They even mention Mr Townsend's handbook as being a "North AMerican" book, and find it to be a bit "odd" but still this website is a fantastic read into the leather fetish subculture and lifestyle.
BillElliott writes: I don't understand the talk here..I haven't been to this new Cabaret that has just open up it doors. Someday soon I'm planning to take time from my busy life and experience the thrill of going and to have a good time. We are a community here. Instead of pointing fingers like some heteros do,why not try and appreciate each other and get along .
Bill your comments make sense but one thing I'd like to mention is that the hetero community in itself is more open-minded and friendly than many gay communities and at least you know where you stand when dealing with straight folks in a gay/straight or straight/straight friendship. Many in the gay community simply live to cause drama and get really upset when someone disagrees with an opinion whereas a straight person is likely to get over it and put it behind them in a more professional manner and not snub a person because of a differing opinion. I'm not saying all gays fall into that group but its a damn large percentage in Halifax for sure.
Jean-Claude Theriault
LadySchapeau writes: Hi Jean-Claude, first of all the hetero community in itself is NOT as open-minded, heterosexual persons (yes not all but certainly MOST) are very ignorant and have an "Archie Bunker" way of looking at gay people - not exactly meaning to hurt others but still f-ing ignorant nontheless. Second NO not many in the gay community live to cause shit. Third, it IS mostly straights who get upset when someone disagrees with their ignorant views/opinions whereas the majority of LGBT persons are the ones to "get over it" quickly. That's because straights have been the majority since the beginning of time and dont like that being challenged. But i do agree with you on one thing: "not all gays fall into that group but its a damn large percentage in Halifax for sure" But then again are you only looking at peopel who frequent the bars, gay.com and the Gay Wikki? A lot of gays in this city seem to have a proplem with other people within their own community, like drag queens as it seems, who, being drag queens, force others to question their crap definition of "normal" I know you'll disagree with me but that's fine, I'm only speaking on experience. I work in the QEII and come across more ethnicities, sexualities, genders, groups, kids, adults and religions than anyone else on this planet (with the exception of nurses of course, lol) Believe me, it's very easy to see people when you look at everyone, and i do mean everyone, from "outside the box".
Hi JC. You are right. When I reflect on my work placement. I agree with you. In Gay/ Straight relations. I get a long fine and have no problems at all. If there are things that need to be talked about its ok to talk about it. We have come a long ways eh. I appreciate your comment. Bill
RougeFatale: I like the new bar. its been fun in and out of drag. i wish peter and all the staff the best.
We can all due WITHOUT the Drama and the Drag Queens!!!
It seems to me that the only one causing drama here is you not the queens, if you dont like queens then open your own bar and dont let them in, it's just that simple until then stop your crying and suck it up before YOUR makeup runs.
its funny that every time any new bar opens people go on that queens should not be alowed in
Anyway, Peter just uses the Drag Queens for his own sexual fantisies,and to get a job there you have to give him sexual favours!
LOL that is sooooooooo true !!!
NOV26/05 I worked for peter and never had sex with him and i don't think he has had sex with any of the woman that work there either. Why is it so hard for people in this city to accept each other, i'm not into piss and fisting but you don't see me saying these people should stay home in thier bathroom. We are GAY and that includes queens, leather(i've met some nelly leather men), and guys who are into just beening guys. Its all about dressing up wether it is in a dress, leather, or overly tight clothes.
This talk about Queens!!! I use to dress up. I always remember the fun times at the ol Rumours. You can't have a gay bar without the Queens. If you need a fundraiser. There are always Drag Shows. For example..look at all the work MissVicki has done for charity and yet she brought people in. Those Rumours Days the shows there were always big and way over the top. Those days were a thrill to me. This is where MissKelly or some called her Miss Marmestien did her first number. Its great to see this new place open up. Hope it brings great memories and fun times to our community. Bye for now BillElliott
"Anyway, Peter just uses the Drag Queens for his own sexual fantisies,and to get a job there you have to give him sexual favours!" To the person who wrote that, I have worked for Peter twice now..and never once had to perform any sexual favours. Nor did I have to sleep with anyone else on staff, contrary to the other old rumour about how to get a job at NRG. Peter is a very smart business man and knows what he is doing. As for most of the staff at Evolutions being Drag Queens, so fucking what???? Do you see most of us in drag every Fri and Sat nights???? NO!!!! Drag Queens are not the only group in the gay community that cause Drama people. And there are more then a few Drag Queens who despise drama as much as other people do. Do we have the balls to stand up for ourselves when people attack us - FUCK YES! And little lesson people, Drag Queens and effeminate gay men have been the two biggest groups to fight for gay rights.
people are people opinions are like assholes everyones got one and thats a good thing because its very interesting to see what goes on in the heads of others
try to get along people and if not, just go out and enjoy yourself at whatever bar you love going to without creating conflict. it accomplishes nothing/.
Yes, discrimination is always the right thing to do. Lets discriminate against the guy who wears leather, and that fairy drag queen, lets bar that lesbian because of the way she looks and who she sleeps with, and that closet guy because of his attitude. Let bar people from places that we don't want them in because they look think or act DIFFERENTLY from us. Yep. That's what we've been fighting for all these years...to live without discrimination from society only to spend our time discriminating against each other. Bigotry? Racism? Sterotyping? Prejudice? It's all pretty disgusting people --- get off the cheap drugs.
AmberWayves writes: I am deeply disturbed about the comments made here about Drag Queens. First of all, in every gay bar establishment, there are at least one drag queen, that's a given. It's been that way for many, many years, world wide. You don't want to see drag queens, don't go to the gay bars, it's that simple. The comment made about Peter using drag queens for his own sexual pleasure, that is just personal opinion, which has no merrit. The fact that someone would post such comment, assuming that drag queens (all) have or would do such a thing is wrong. Personally I have never 'nor would ever be with Peter, in or out of drag. If you have such a personal opinion about shit like this, take it to the source. Keep your nasty fucking comments off of Gay Halifax. People do not want to come to Gay Halifax to read up on people's personal opinion of a particular group, or personal opinion about one person. Keep it to yourself!
There is NOT a drag queen in every gay bar establishment (as you would call them) i have been to many bars where queens dont go, at least not in drag. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Evolution is going to stay open, it will not be closing for good, sorry haters.
Good. Some place for the bad drag queens to go. Menz bar is full of twinks and fish since Evolution and NRG closed. LOL
I don't get it, I've been going to NRG for 5 years, and never once have I had a problem with Peter, his staff (the bar tenders rock), or any of the regular patrons. Or anyone for that matter anyone including the queens. I recently had opportunity to visit a gay bar in another city, and guess what?? Its a gay bar same as NRG is with queens, twinks, older guys, leather guys, and so on and so on...I like this site, but would love to see these "Lets Bitch" pages eliminated. This forum and gay.com do as much damage to our community as it does good. One question tho, how much is Menz bar paying you guys to run NRG into the ground, you sound like a Burger King lets bash McDonalds? commercial.
But bitching is what we're so good at. We're just bitter because the weather's been so crappy. LOL
Speaking as a patron of Menz Bar I find it offensive that someone would suggest that Doug or David would be "paying" customers to put down the competition. Menz is a well run gay business owned by people who support community groups in Halifax. If NRG/Evolution was losing customers then its obvious the competition was running a business in a way that attracted patrons. Doug and David are professional businessmen and that in itself gets my backing as you always know where you stand in their books instead of hearing it through unfounded gossip.
I've had my differences with Peter and a few of the bar staff at his establishments but that was settled long ago with the exception of one bartender who tried to stir shit as things got resolved. Why would I want to frequent and support a bar when the one serving you would be that one shit disturber? I'm happy Menz opened and am quite pleased that many in the community have embraced the efforts put forth by Doug, David and their staff members.
Its quite simple - if you don't like a certain place then don't go. The people who are frequenting that same place will likely find it more enoyable without your negative presence anyway. Those are my views on this whole issue.
Jean-Claude Theriault
LadySchapeau writes: "if you don't like a certain place then don't go. The people who are frequenting that same place will likely find it more enoyable without your negative presence" - JC you took the words right outta my mouth lol
I'm not saying that the staff of Menz Bar are being paid to bash NRG/Evolution but when you walk into Menz Bar and see Chad making snide comments about NRG/Evolution, then it looks like people are being paid to do such even though they are not
Chad was always making those comments, even when he worked for NRG.
Maybe that's because Chad had a bad working experience where someone(s) might have/have not fucked him over or screwed him around. Get over it already, LMAO
People in Halifax hate it when someone like Chad dares to speak the truth. Apparently they'd rather he (or others) would say lies instead? Give me a fucking break already, this city is fucked beyond belief.
Jean-Claude Theriault
well JC, it's this way, my experience with Chad is he is the type of person that says something one day and the next day is a totally different tune. Chad doesn't speak the truth, Chad repeats and twists what he hears to suit him, unfortunately many others in Halifax do the same thing. It's funny how Chad was going around saying that one of his cheques bounced when in reality, he lost the cheque.
Care to put your name to this comment?
If you hate this city so much then move, i'm sure there must be a city out there that will reach your standards.
I have no intention of moving out of this city as I have small business to run and a few close gay friends (not to mention several great straight friends) which is fine for me. Its not so much about standards, its more about a community that would be more fun if there wasn't so much bitching, gossiping and the outright lies that people seem to thrive on.
Jean-Claude
who is the new owner? There is no new owner of Evolution. Peter still runs it.
What a Dump.
All dragqueens should be run over with a lawnmower and i for one would gladly do the honours, and lulu lapuke better watch her fucking back, i saw whast you wrote about me on your website, you ugly fucking bitch - thechuck28 and yes i really did type this here so come and hate me
Who is the chuck28, and what is lulus site? See TheChuck? and http://www.lulularude.com
Good Ole Gay Halifax... no one can ever get alog well with others nor be happy for others .. Queens and non Queens .. Just be happy with what you have and stay out of others business... Now go out and have drink and say something nice about someone!
I have to agree with Jean-Claude....certainly the only reason I'm here is because of family and friends..and I don't think I should have to move..but it's tempting. Believe me, if it weren't for my committments, I wouldn't be here.
Now re. the above paragraph re. LuLu vs. theChuck28..um...I'M theChuck (my name is Chuck for those of you who haven't clued in hehe)...the above paragraph almost sounds like something I wrote..but the truth is..I didn't. I haven't even looked at LuLu's page since the "incident" at reflections, where she did as she always does and used someone (this time it was me) to fill in some time by saying this and that blah blah blah...
The fact is, it doesn't affect me in the slightest..as I am not a part of this "community"..and seeing how the "lulus" of the world are so unimportant..why would I get upset? Of all the people who hate me in this city because of my opinions..I only heard about that act twice. Once from Troy Ward...and once from his side kick Annie the dragqueen...who ofcourse twisted the story to be something completely different. Which by the way helps to Illustrate why I tend to dislike dragqueens so!!
Anyway for the record...the paragraph in question wasn't written by me.
I can only hope that Halifax becomes a better place in the years to come. It would be nice to be able to walk into a gay bar without feeling sick.
AnitaMann writes: First of all I signed my name. Secondly having Drag Queens pretty much pay the bars rent. What do you guys do to help? Bitching doesn't pay the bills. You people always bitching about Drag Queens and this and that...if you have that many problems open your own bar, have it members only and shut the hell up. I know, I am another drag queen with a loud mouth but I get my point across instead of writing paragraph after paragraph of nonsense like is viewed above.
July 7, 2006: someone writes: Evolution Cabaret is done, closed, finished, the locks have been changed, it's all over for peter.
Guess you could say it Petered out :)
Peronsally I think this city lost a great gay bar when Evolution closed its doors, the staff was friendly and did everything they could to make it a fun place to drink and party. Its a shame the gay community decided not to support the bar and its staff.
I'm sure that JP will get a job at blue moon or the menz bar after all he has been a part of the gay bar life in Halifax for as long as i can remember
I think doug and david are much smarter than to risk hiring some staff members who are the reason some in the gay community didn't support Evolution. Menz/Mollyz has a good thing going in Halifax and I can't see the owners doing anything risky.
Another reason that many didn't support Evolution was simply because of who owned it. If people don't support a business there is a reason for it and the business owner simply failed to change his ways of dealing with customer issues or concerns. Ripping off the fetish ball a couple of years ago (taking 50% of the door revenue was not the original agreement) trickled through the community when groups who were going to benefit from these funds received 50% less than they should have, and it was simply caused by greed. I'm sure it didn't help his popularity.
But scroll up a few paragraphs and AnitaMann said that drag queens pretty much pay bars rent, apparently they didn't support Evolution enough eh? And Menz/Mollyz is doing quite well without a lot of them around, at least they get the classier ones as customers when dq's show up.
Menz is doing wonderful. That's great. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the next "new and improved" gay bar opens up in the city. It just seems to me that everytime a new one opens up it's at the expense of the previous one.
However, if Doug can keep some sort of focus on the type of clientel he wants/has/maintains...he may be able to continue to do great things. I don't goto the gay bars much...nor am I neccessarily a supporter of any paticular entity in the "community/empire"...but it is good to see a bar making a decent go of it. It brings a sense of hope that maybe someday, this community/empire we've got going on up in here in such a chaotic manner, may not be so chaotic.
Dragqueens : They say this, they say that, they say something else...but at the end of the day, I believe that if every single one of them just sort of "dropped" off the face of the peninsula never to be seen again, the effects would be minimal. There would be a small (very small) group of people in the city that would be absolutely lost...but I've been here for a lot of years and honestly, I've never heard anyone actually say "thank god for them dragqueens". The fact that Evolutions didn't survive on dragqueens alone is testiment to this (as stated above) PS. For those dragqueens (most are now retired or dead) who have actually done something with someone other than yourselves in mind...we thank-you.
For those bar hopping, e-popping indeterminate little twits who have decided to put a wig on, become instantly fabulous and declare a permanent holiday...why don't you just fuck off and stop spending your time attacking everyone who either doesn't agree with you, or provides a good topic at the next Five Minutes of Fame. Alternatively, if you really want to "do something for this community" as so many of you constantly preach..perhaps you could think about starting some new trends..like..oh I dunno...Drug Free Partying...or employment/education programs for gay people...or why don't you work with the city and try to stop the cops from harassing everyone who happens to be in a park while gay? Those things are what this community REALLY needs. Not 5 minutes of fame, not these mysterious AIDS benefits attended by people just looking for another dragshow, not your little gossip dramas (this isn't another world...although it's starting to feel like it). Give it some thought darlings. I know if you let it sink in long enough it'll start to make sense.
Thank-you :)
So what have you done for the gay community lately, besides sucking dick in a park.
That's just the response I expected...some lame ass one liner from someone who knows I'm correct and doesn't deal well with reality. And PS..I don't recal saying anything about sucking dick in a park.
Bars come and go. That's always been the way here in the city, I have lived here for 20 some odd years. Peter didn't make a go of it down at Evolution because yes he has pissed off many community groups and big players here in the city. I don't go to the bars much either but I am proud to say I have been to every gay bar in this city since the old Turret days, which I miss something terrible. Sure, people fought just like they always have and always will but there were some great memories.
I'm not a big fan of any of the bars here in the city right now - I'm too old for Reflections, I'm too young at heart for the Mens Bar, I don't like the location of Blue Bistro and Evolution same as the first one.
I think it's a shame there isn't a quiet relaxing place for people to sit and have a drink in peace without being surrounded by car parts, bright lights or sticks in the mud. Drinking at home with friends is the only surefire way you're going to like everyone all who's around.
I may be old but I can give you all one word of friendly advice, If you like gay bars never get too comfortable or demanding. Bar owners will keep their customers the way they want to and that will either be the success or failure of a business.
Evolution closed because the owner didn't advertise properly or do anything to get people in the seats so he could then get those people interested about going to his new bar. I never did see drag queens there but I can tell you they aren't never going to carry a bar I'll tell you that. Neither will any small "segment" of the community like the ones at Mens Bar or ladies for that matter if we had a bar. It's a small city after all. There are always going to be bars with people you don't like in them, that's why I stay home with a nice cold one. You can't have everything you want in a bar or hangout, especially in the gay community here thats for sure. You have to be thankful for what you do have and try to have a positive attitude. It keeps you young. No word of a lie.
M. Frost
Evolution actually did advertise a great deal in the beginning. And if you didn't see drag queens there when you went you must not have been looking lol They were there alot. Not saying that is a bad thing cause I like a lot of them. I will miss Evolution Cabaret.