Making friends at the Matador
1985
Inge started going to ‘The Matador’ (where new Bullring market is now). Lesbian Line fundraiser discos were held on the 2nd and 4th Friday and the third Saturday each month, during the period from around 1985 to 91/92. (Lesbian Line was then separate to the Switchboard). “We had to remember which nights it was on, there was no email then!” “The Matador is knocked down now, it was an old market traders’ pub, on two floors, quite rough, lesbians used to rent the top floor which had a dance floor, we had to run up the stairs as people shouted ‘Bloody lesbians’ and we always had to have women on the door to stop men coming in”. Fantastic dance music, Tina Turner, Motown, reggae. Pam, Ellen and Ju were the DJs – they had to lug their records up the stairs. The bar staff were alright, not gay. The bar was on the left, you could see the Rotunda out the door. They went on till after midnight. “I met lots of people and made lots of friends, it felt like I’d found home.”
Contributed by: Inge Thornton, 46