The Patch (bar)
Encyclopedia
The Patch was a LGBT
bar formerly located in the Los Angeles
suburb of Wilmington, California. The Patch, along with the Black Cat Tavern
, played a pivotal role in the gay rights movement, when, in August 1968, it was one of the first sites where there was open resistance to the constant police harassment of gay establishments and meeting places in Southern California.
circuit.
Glaze had been warned repeatedly by the police department (LAPD) that in order for him to stay open for business he must prohibit drag acts, instances of groping, physical contact, male-male dancing, and not allow more than one person at a time in the restrooms.
Glaze initially tried to comply with police demands, but this caused his business to begin to fail. Glaze decided to covertly reject the police orders and would instead warn the patrons that under-cover police were in the bar by putting the song "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN" on the juke box. The patrons would know to comply with the police rules, until Glaze would indicate the coast was clear.
One weekend in August 1968, the bar was packed with gay men and women when vice squad officers burst in, followed by a phalanx of six LAPD officers, demanding IDs and making several arbitrary arrests. For Lee, that was several arrests too many.
Outraged, Glaze impulsively leapt on stage, grabbed the microphone and yelled "It's not against the law to be homosexual and its not a crime to be in a gay bar!" That was the spark that changed another police raid into a political rally. Glaze called for the patrons to chant, "Fight for you rights" and "We are Americans too!" at the police. He told the crowd that he and The Patch management would underwrite the cost to bail anyone arrested out of jail and pay their attorney fees.
Glaze led the crowd to the flower shop up the street and he bought out all the flowers (excluding pansies) and gave them out to all the demonstrators before he led them on a 3:00am "flower power style" demonstration at the Harbor Division Police Station.
The officers behind the desk were caught off guard and called for reinforcements to fend off the growing crowd of gay demonstrators and thereby keep them outside until the men who had been arrested made bail and were released.
The raids on The Patch and the Black Cat Tavern
affected Rev. Troy Perry, a Gay Pentecostal Minster from rural Tennessee
. Rev. Perry was present at the raid on The Patch with his boyfriend Tony Valdez. Tony was one of the men arrested and held in jail by the LAPD. Upon his release, after spending the night in jail, he said to Rev. Perry "God doesn't care about us." Rev. Perry's empathy for the inconsolable Valdez stirred him to the realization that he should form "a church for all of us who are outcasts".
In October 1968, Rev. Troy Perry formed the Metropolitan Community Church
with the first congregation consisting of just twelve men and women gathered in his living room. The congregation today has grown to over 43,000 members.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
bar formerly located in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
suburb of Wilmington, California. The Patch, along with the Black Cat Tavern
Black Cat Tavern
The Black Cat Tavern was an LGBT bar formerly located at 3909 W. Sunset Blvd. in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles, California.-History:The bar was established in November of 1966. Two months later, on the night of New Year's 1967, several plain-clothes police officers infiltrated the Black Cat...
, played a pivotal role in the gay rights movement, when, in August 1968, it was one of the first sites where there was open resistance to the constant police harassment of gay establishments and meeting places in Southern California.
History
The Patch was managed and owned by comedian Lee Glaze, who was known in the gay scene by his club name "The Blond Darling". The Patch had a clientele of gay men and women that included many women from the local roller derbyRoller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
circuit.
Glaze had been warned repeatedly by the police department (LAPD) that in order for him to stay open for business he must prohibit drag acts, instances of groping, physical contact, male-male dancing, and not allow more than one person at a time in the restrooms.
Glaze initially tried to comply with police demands, but this caused his business to begin to fail. Glaze decided to covertly reject the police orders and would instead warn the patrons that under-cover police were in the bar by putting the song "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN" on the juke box. The patrons would know to comply with the police rules, until Glaze would indicate the coast was clear.
One weekend in August 1968, the bar was packed with gay men and women when vice squad officers burst in, followed by a phalanx of six LAPD officers, demanding IDs and making several arbitrary arrests. For Lee, that was several arrests too many.
Outraged, Glaze impulsively leapt on stage, grabbed the microphone and yelled "It's not against the law to be homosexual and its not a crime to be in a gay bar!" That was the spark that changed another police raid into a political rally. Glaze called for the patrons to chant, "Fight for you rights" and "We are Americans too!" at the police. He told the crowd that he and The Patch management would underwrite the cost to bail anyone arrested out of jail and pay their attorney fees.
Glaze led the crowd to the flower shop up the street and he bought out all the flowers (excluding pansies) and gave them out to all the demonstrators before he led them on a 3:00am "flower power style" demonstration at the Harbor Division Police Station.
The officers behind the desk were caught off guard and called for reinforcements to fend off the growing crowd of gay demonstrators and thereby keep them outside until the men who had been arrested made bail and were released.
The raids on The Patch and the Black Cat Tavern
Black Cat Tavern
The Black Cat Tavern was an LGBT bar formerly located at 3909 W. Sunset Blvd. in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles, California.-History:The bar was established in November of 1966. Two months later, on the night of New Year's 1967, several plain-clothes police officers infiltrated the Black Cat...
affected Rev. Troy Perry, a Gay Pentecostal Minster from rural Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Rev. Perry was present at the raid on The Patch with his boyfriend Tony Valdez. Tony was one of the men arrested and held in jail by the LAPD. Upon his release, after spending the night in jail, he said to Rev. Perry "God doesn't care about us." Rev. Perry's empathy for the inconsolable Valdez stirred him to the realization that he should form "a church for all of us who are outcasts".
In October 1968, Rev. Troy Perry formed the Metropolitan Community Church
Metropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
with the first congregation consisting of just twelve men and women gathered in his living room. The congregation today has grown to over 43,000 members.