Talking To Adam 13 - Part 2
Cruising In Hong Kong In The 1980s
An Oral Gay History Of Hong Kong
Written in 2016 For The First Time
A GWM in his mid-60s remembers:
NOTE: We do not encourage any form of public indecency or illegal behaviour. We are simply reporting one person's recollections from 1985.
4. 1985: Gay Guys Cruising In Hong Kong.....Where..?
1. Don't think for one moment that, just because gay sex in Hong Kong was illegal in 1985, it would somehow stop gay guys from cruising around town. That's garbage. Both the local Chinese and the whites living here knew exactly where to go.
2. Moreover, the European and American tourists also knew the same spots because they were reading it in Bruno Gmunder's Spartacus Gay Guide. This was a thick little directory of gay bars, saunas, toilets and cruising areas around the world. It was published annually, so the cruising information about Hong Kong was up to date.
5. Hong Kong 1985: The Cruisy Gay Bars
(1) Disco Disco, Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong
This place opened around 1979 and was set up by an openly in-your-face gay white guy. This place put Lan Kwai Fong on the map before Alan Zeman did. I remember when it first opened - it caused a sensation around town. The early days of this club were amazing. It was NOT billed as an exclusively gay disco, but out of nowhere the gay guys, both local Chinese and whites, showed up. There were tons of str8s too plus actors, celebs and singers from the US and UK would show up. Even if the were str8, they were very gay friendly. The place would be packed and the gay guys would be dancing shirtless. Their door policy was really cool....if they felt there were too many str8 people inside, they would give priority to gay guys and vice versa. I just loved it.
The Police hated the place and raided it for drugs. From the time it opened, we knew they were watching. By 1985 the club scene in Lan Kwai Fong was developing and Disco Disco closed around 1986.
I'll never forget that place. It made such a statement for gay men in Hong Kong.
(2) Dateline, Wellington Street, Lan Kwai Fong / Central, Hong Kong
In 1985, this place was on the Ground Floor of an old building (now demolished) and was notorious as an exclusively gay bar. It was on the corner of Wellington Street and Wyndham Street *** just down the hill from Aero's Gym - which I mentioned earlier was very gay - and 3 or 4 minutes downhill from Disco Disco.
This place was really, really cruisy especially on Fridays and Saturday nights very late - and dangerously so because of older white guys and very young local Chinese guys, some of whom were money boys. Everybody who showed up at Dateline knew they were taking a huge risk - even if they were just by themselves. There were some very well known white professionals working in Hong Kong who showed up there - including some working in the media. There were also white tourist guys in their 20s who had found out about this place from halfway around the world. Remember, there was no internet then.
Not only was it very cruisy, but you never knew if there were undercover cops in there, or lurking nearby around the corner. If I wanted to hook up with someone, I would make an agreement that one of us would leave the bar first and head towards Star Ferry; and the other would leave later by a different route and head towards the Hilton Hotel***
At some point near Statue Square, we would meet up. I would casually hand him a scrap of paper with my address on it and we'd take 2 separate taxis to my place. That's how careful we had to be. I can't remember when Dateline closed but I think it was the late 1980s or early 1990s.
(3) Waltzing Matilda, Cornwall Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
This was a very cruisy narrow little bar that would get absolutely packed on Saturday nights.***
This bar would attract all sorts of guys of all different ages. It was so fuckin' tiny and cramped, you could just barely get in the door. It was hugely popular with Flight Attendants and you could meet some really hot guys from all over the world. On Saturday nites, guys would be making out with each other at the bar or in the booths. It would be so crowded, you would be getting groped by strangers - assuming you were hot.
It had one tiny, tiny toilet right at the back of the bar that was quite dilapidated. If you made eye contact with someone, they would follow you into the little toilet for a little JO or suck action. Everybody knew what was going on. Occasionally it would get raided by the Police but none of the customers gave a damn and the place was consistently packed out on weekends.
COMING UP IN PART 3:
6. Hong Kong 1985: Cruising The Streets Of Central
7. Hong Kong 1985: Cruising Harbour City And Tsim Sha Tsui
© Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved
1. Don't think for one moment that, just because gay sex in Hong Kong was illegal in 1985, it would somehow stop gay guys from cruising around town. That's garbage. Both the local Chinese and the whites living here knew exactly where to go.
2. Moreover, the European and American tourists also knew the same spots because they were reading it in Bruno Gmunder's Spartacus Gay Guide. This was a thick little directory of gay bars, saunas, toilets and cruising areas around the world. It was published annually, so the cruising information about Hong Kong was up to date.
5. Hong Kong 1985: The Cruisy Gay Bars
(1) Disco Disco, Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong
This place opened around 1979 and was set up by an openly in-your-face gay white guy. This place put Lan Kwai Fong on the map before Alan Zeman did. I remember when it first opened - it caused a sensation around town. The early days of this club were amazing. It was NOT billed as an exclusively gay disco, but out of nowhere the gay guys, both local Chinese and whites, showed up. There were tons of str8s too plus actors, celebs and singers from the US and UK would show up. Even if the were str8, they were very gay friendly. The place would be packed and the gay guys would be dancing shirtless. Their door policy was really cool....if they felt there were too many str8 people inside, they would give priority to gay guys and vice versa. I just loved it.
The Police hated the place and raided it for drugs. From the time it opened, we knew they were watching. By 1985 the club scene in Lan Kwai Fong was developing and Disco Disco closed around 1986.
I'll never forget that place. It made such a statement for gay men in Hong Kong.
(2) Dateline, Wellington Street, Lan Kwai Fong / Central, Hong Kong
In 1985, this place was on the Ground Floor of an old building (now demolished) and was notorious as an exclusively gay bar. It was on the corner of Wellington Street and Wyndham Street *** just down the hill from Aero's Gym - which I mentioned earlier was very gay - and 3 or 4 minutes downhill from Disco Disco.
*** FuelMix says:
As at February 2016, this is the present location of Standard Chartered Bank. Before that, it was the Central location for the very gay California Fitness Gym which occupied several floors and looked out over Wellington Street. They moved to L Place on Queen's Road Central.
This place was really, really cruisy especially on Fridays and Saturday nights very late - and dangerously so because of older white guys and very young local Chinese guys, some of whom were money boys. Everybody who showed up at Dateline knew they were taking a huge risk - even if they were just by themselves. There were some very well known white professionals working in Hong Kong who showed up there - including some working in the media. There were also white tourist guys in their 20s who had found out about this place from halfway around the world. Remember, there was no internet then.
Not only was it very cruisy, but you never knew if there were undercover cops in there, or lurking nearby around the corner. If I wanted to hook up with someone, I would make an agreement that one of us would leave the bar first and head towards Star Ferry; and the other would leave later by a different route and head towards the Hilton Hotel***
*** FuelMix says:
Now the site of Cheung Kong Centre on the corner of Garden Road and Des Voeux Road
At some point near Statue Square, we would meet up. I would casually hand him a scrap of paper with my address on it and we'd take 2 separate taxis to my place. That's how careful we had to be. I can't remember when Dateline closed but I think it was the late 1980s or early 1990s.
(3) Waltzing Matilda, Cornwall Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
This was a very cruisy narrow little bar that would get absolutely packed on Saturday nights.***
*** FuelMix says:
The original Waltzing Matilda no longer exists and neither does Cornwall Avenue. The entire street, consisting of old low rise buildings was demolished. It is now part of the pedestrian access under K11 / Hyatt Hotel, directly opposite the Holiday Inn Golden Mile on Mody Road.
The bar then moved to Humphrey's Avenue, across from ABC sauna, and was re-named Wally Matt Lounge. It is now located near the corner of Austin Avenue and Cox's Road and is a very popular gay venue especially on Saturday nights.
This bar would attract all sorts of guys of all different ages. It was so fuckin' tiny and cramped, you could just barely get in the door. It was hugely popular with Flight Attendants and you could meet some really hot guys from all over the world. On Saturday nites, guys would be making out with each other at the bar or in the booths. It would be so crowded, you would be getting groped by strangers - assuming you were hot.
It had one tiny, tiny toilet right at the back of the bar that was quite dilapidated. If you made eye contact with someone, they would follow you into the little toilet for a little JO or suck action. Everybody knew what was going on. Occasionally it would get raided by the Police but none of the customers gave a damn and the place was consistently packed out on weekends.
COMING UP IN PART 3:
6. Hong Kong 1985: Cruising The Streets Of Central
7. Hong Kong 1985: Cruising Harbour City And Tsim Sha Tsui
© Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved
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