Going to the Steering Wheel
1995
"I went to gay clubs through 1995 - 2001 and later intermittently to a gay bar. I first started going to gay pubs around my eighteenth birthday - my first experience was at the Steering Wheel, which used to be on Hurst Street just opposite the main entrance to the Arcadian Centre. It was a regular Friday night called SLAG, promoted by two people, one who was quite prominent within the gay community, a big colourful character called Pat. It was the first time I'd ever seen a drag queen, a character called Twiggy, who was on the door. As a straight lad who hadn't had much experience, I wasn't shocked or scared, but a bit curious about what was going to be inside this club if this person is on the door!"
"We'd gone (to SLAG at Steering Wheel) purely because we'd been on a Saturday which was straight, and we thought we'd try it on a Friday. We ended up going every Friday for virtually three years afterwards. We met various people there, all different sexualities. Even though it was named SLAG, (straight, lesbian and gay), there was probably a higher percentage of straight people, though there was a strong gay presence. That was the first time I consciously spoke to people who were gay."
Contributed by: Mark1, 30