Mineshaft (gay club): Difference between revisions

The '''Mineshaft''' was a members-only [[BDSM]] gay[[leather subculture|leather]] bar and [[sex club]] for [[gay men]] located at 835 [[Washington Street (Manhattan)|Washington Street]], at Little West 12th Street, in [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]], in the [[Meatpacking District, Manhattan|Meatpacking District]], [[West Village]], and [[Greenwich Village]] sections.<ref>Patrick Moore, ''Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality'', Beacon Press, 2004, {{ISBN|0807079561}}, p. 19.</ref>

==DescriptionHistory==

The Mineshaft attracted a wide range of patrons, some famous. Among those who frequented the Mineshaftclub were author [[Jack Fritscher]] (who was present at its opening night and attended hundreds of times),<ref>Jack Fritscher, "The Mineshaft", introduction, written 2002, to reprint of article first published in ''[[Drummer Magazine (leather)|Drummer]]'', 19, December 1977, http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Drummer/Vol%201/33_Mineshaft_Mar2008_PWeb.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006093950/http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Drummer/Vol%201/33_Mineshaft_Mar2008_PWeb.pdf |date=2014-10-06 }}, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref> Fritscher's lover [[Robert Mapplethorpe]] (who took many pictures of the Mineshaft and, was at one point its official photographer, ...and once said, "After dinner I go to the Mineshaft."),<ref>William E. Jones, ''"True Homosexual Experiences" Boyd McDonald and "Straight to Hell"'', Los Angeles, We Heard You Like Books, 2016, {{ISBN|9780996421812}}, p. 75.</ref><ref>Jack Fritscher, ''Robert Mapplethorpe: Assault with a Deadly Camera'', pp. 189-190.</ref><ref>Mapplethorpe's membership card for the Mineshaft can be seen in the 2016 documentary ''Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures'' (http://www.mapplethorpefilm.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111135636/http://www.mapplethorpefilm.com/ |date=2016-11-11 }}, retrieved April 22, 2016).</ref> gay [[Erotic art|erotic artist]] [[Rex (artist)|Rex]],<ref>Fritscher pp. 502-505 and 509.</ref> and [[Annie Sprinkle]], who saidclaimed she was one of three women ever allowed in.<ref>"Keith Hennessy asks Annie Sprinkle Ten Questions about the Old Days", ''Dance Theatre Journal'', 2013, reprinted at http://tessawills.com/when-sex-performance-came-together/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006072230/http://tessawills.com/when-sex-performance-came-together/ |date=2014-10-06 }}, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref><ref>"Annie Sprinkle's Kinky NYC 1975-1995", http://anniesprinkle.org/2008-events {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825133718/http://anniesprinkle.org/2008-events/ |date=2014-08-25 }}, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref> One[[Freddie ofMercury]], the[[Vincente otherMinnelli]], women[[Rainer wasWerner Fassbinder]], [[Rock Hudson]], [[Michel Foucault]], and [[Camille O'Grady]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bernadicou |first1=August |title=Camille O'Grady |url=https://www.augustnation.com/camille-ogrady |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329035520/https://www.augustnation.com/camille-ogrady |archive-date=29 March 2020 |access-date=29 March 2020 |website=August Nation |publisher=The LGBTQ History Project}}</ref><ref>Jack Fritscher, introduction to reprint of "The Mineshaft" from ''Drummer'' 19, December, 1977, ''Gay San Francisco: Eyewitness Drummer'', San Francisco, Palm Drive Publishing, 2008, {{ISBN|1890834386}}, pp. 471, 474, and 510, http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Drummer/Vol%201/33_Mineshaft_Mar2008_PWeb.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006093950/http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Drummer/Vol%201/33_Mineshaft_Mar2008_PWeb.pdf|date=2014-10-06}}, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref> are also known to have visited.<ref>Fritscher, pp. 479 and 510.</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Villarreal |first=Daniel |date=2022-11-12 |title=Step inside New York’s legendary Mafia-owned leather bar The Mineshaft |url=https://www.queerty.com/step-inside-new-yorks-legendary-mafia-owned-leather-bar-mineshaft-20221112 |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Queerty}}</ref> Manager Wally Wallace (born James Wallace) said that he turnedonce awayrefused entry to [[Mick Jagger]], and a bouncer turned away [[Rudolf Nureyev]].<ref>Fritscher, p. 479.</ref> [[Vincente Minnelli]], [[Rainer Werner Fassbinder]], [[Rock Hudson]], and [[Michel Foucault]] got in.<ref>Fritscher, pp. 479 and 510.</ref>

There was no sign on the entrance; the exterior has been described as "grimy".<ref>Patrick Moore, ''Beyond Shame. Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality'', Boston, Beacon Press, 2004, {{ISBN|0807079561}}, p. 178.</ref> The location had previously been used by a [[gay bar]], Zodiac.<ref>Paul L. Montgomery, "[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE3DE1E3FE63ABC4152DFB166838A669EDE Raids Close 9 After-Hours Bars Linked to Mafia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508212516/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE3DE1E3FE63ABC4152DFB166838A669EDE |date=2016-05-08 }}", ''New York Times'', July 19, 1971, p. 1.</ref> The entrance to the club was up a flight of stairs, on the second floor. The door was mannedstaffed by someone who rejected anyone wearing [[Preppy|preppie clothes]] or cologne, and this was a widely known part of what made the bar influential. Originally the Mineshaft wasoccupied ononly thatthe onesecond floor; (and with a [[Coprophilia|scat]] room, which was soon abandoned as too extreme).<ref name=":2">Moore, p. 23.</ref> Itthe club soon expanded tointo the first floor beneathbelow, usingaccessed backby stairs to access a recreation of a jail cell,in the back of a truck, dungeons, and a room containing spotlighted bathtubs in which men could let other men urinate on them.<ref name="back2stonewall.com">Will Kohler, "LGBT History Month: Remembering the Mineshaft - 835 Washington St. NYC, NY (1976-1985)", http://www.back2stonewall.com/2012/10/disappearing-gay-history-mineshaft-835.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006082951/http://www.back2stonewall.com/2012/10/disappearing-gay-history-mineshaft-835.html |date=2014-10-06 }}, October 4, 2012, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref><ref name=":3">Jack Fritscher, "Pissing in the Wind", ''Drummer'', 19, December 1977, reprinted with introduction by Jack Fritscher, http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Drummer/Vol%201/33_Mineshaft_Mar2008_PWeb.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705011149/https://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Drummer/Vol |date=2021-07-05 }}, retrieved September 29, 2014, also reprinted as "Wet Dreams, Golden Showers" in ''Corporal in Charge of Taking care of Captain O'Malley And Other Canonical Stories'', San Francisco, Gay Sunshine Press, 1984, {{ISBN|0917342453}}, pp. 193-202, reprinted at http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Corporal/Wet%20Dreams.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705011134/https://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Corporal/Wet |date=2021-07-05 }}, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref> The upper floor or bar (no alcohol was sold, for legal reasons) had a roof deck.

The[[Promiscuity]] upperwas floorcelebrated at Mineshaft. Nudity or barminimal (noclothing alcoholwas encouraged, and a clothes check was soldprovided. Areas were configured to encourage sex, forincluding legalspaces reasons)designed hadto resemble a roofjail deckcell, dungeonsthe back of a truck, and dungeons; slings, and cans of [[Crisco]], (at the time popular among [[gay men]] as a [[sexual lubricant]] preceding modern [[personal lubricant]].); Nudityspotlighted orbathtubs minimalin clothingwhich wasmen encouraged,could andlet aother clothesmen check[[Urolagnia|urinate wason providedthem]];<ref name="back2stonewall.com" /><ref name=":3" /> a wall of [[Recreationalglory drughole use(sexual slang)|glory holes]]; and a [[Coprophilia|scat]] room, which was commonsoon insideabandoned theas clubtoo extreme.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> [[Fisting]] was commonplace.<ref name=":1" /> According to the ''Mineshaft Newsletter'', [[Fisting|Fist Fuckers]] of America held meetings there.<ref>''Mineshaft Newsletter'', February 1978, quoted by Jack Fritscher, http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Drummer/Vol%201/33_Mineshaft_Mar2008_PWeb.pdf, Also p. 508, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref> There was a wall of [[glory hole (sexual slang){{Webarchive|glory holes]].<ref>Will Kohler, "LGBT History Monthurl=https: Remembering the Mineshaft - 835 Washington St//web. NYC, NY (1976-1985)", archive.org/web/20141006093950/http://www.back2stonewalljackfritscher.com/2012PDF/10Drummer/disappearingVol%201/33_Mineshaft_Mar2008_PWeb.pdf |date=2014-gay10-history-mineshaft-835.html06 }}, OctoberAlso 4,p. 2012508, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref> <ref name="back2stonewall.com" /> [[PromiscuityRecreational drug use]] was celebratedalso common.

The images and posters for the club were created by the gay erotic artist [[Rex (artist)|Rex]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mineshaft – NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project |url=https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/mineshaft/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=www.nyclgbtsites.org}}</ref>

The Mineshaft operated from October 8, 1976, until it was closed by the [[New York City Department of Health]] on November 7, 1985, although tax problems played a significant role in its closing.<ref>Jay Bletcher, "Sex Club Owners: The <s>Fuck</s> <s>Suck</s> Buck Stops Here", in ''Policing Public Sex. Queer Politics and the Future of AIDS Activism'', Boston, South End Press, 1996, {{ISBN|0896085503}}, pp. 25-44, at p. 33.</ref> After it closed, six men, associated with both the Mineshaft and an affiliated heterosexual club, the [[Hellfire (club)|Hellfire]], were charged with a variety of crimes.<ref>Kirk Johnson, "[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/01/nyregion/6-tied-to-late-night-clubs-indicted-in-conspiracy-case.html 6 Tied to Late-Night Clubs Indicted in Conspiracy Case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503151206/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/01/nyregion/6-tied-to-late-night-clubs-indicted-in-conspiracy-case.html |date=2017-05-03 }}", ''New York Times'', March 1, 1986.</ref> Four pleaded guilty, former New York City police officer Richard Bell was convicted, and the sixth fled the country to escape prosecution.<ref>Associated Press, "[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/18/nyregion/ex-officer-is-convicted-in-sex-club-operation.html Ex-Officer Is Convicted In Sex-Club Operation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503151226/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/18/nyregion/ex-officer-is-convicted-in-sex-club-operation.html |date=2017-05-03 }}", ''New York Times'', November 18, 1986.</ref>

NOTE: The code was designed for particular men who compose the basic core of our club<ref>Posted on maleholeformale9.tumblr.com, https://36.media.tumblr.com/86db660b472aa578684e8abe8ef7c217/tumblr_nrke38O8L51tzk694o4_r1_1280.jpg {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024204703/http://36.media.tumblr.com/86db660b472aa578684e8abe8ef7c217/tumblr_nrke38O8L51tzk694o4_r1_1280.jpg |date=2015-10-24 }}, retrieved 7/25/2015. Typographically edited</ref></blockquote>

The Al Pacino movie ''[[Cruising (film)|Cruising]]'', starring [[Al Pacino]], was intended to depict gay [[cruising for sex|cruising]] as it existed at the Mineshaft, thoughbut the bar is not named in the movie.<ref>Unsigned, ''Was The Mineshaft A Mafia Joint?'', http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/2010/12/was-the-mineshaft-a-mafia-joint.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220164318/http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/2010/12/was-the-mineshaft-a-mafia-joint.html |date=2016-12-20 }}, December 29, 2010, retrieved September 29, 2014.</ref> Since the Mineshaft would not allow filming, scenes from the movie were filmed at the Hellfire Club, which was decorated to resemble the Mineshaft. Regulars from the Mineshaft appeared as extras.<ref name=":0">Jack Fritscher, p. 509.</ref> Scenes were shot in streets and other locations near the Mineshaft.<ref>Fritscher, p. 506.</ref> Pacino attended as part of researching his role. (A bar called the Mineshaft does not appear in the 1970 novel ''[[Cruising (novel)|Cruising]]'' by Gerald Walker, which, with substantial changes, was the inspiration for the 1980 film of the same name.)

According to Jack Fritscher, [[Jacques Morali]] drew his inspiration for the four archetypes of the [[Village People]] from the Mineshaft's dress code.<ref>Fritscher, p.name=":0" 509.</ref> [[Glenn Hughes (Village People)|Glenn Hughes]], the original leather biker of the Village People, frequently attended.<ref>Fritscher, p. 466.</ref>

[[Freddie Mercury]] wears a Mineshaft T-shirt in the official video for the [[Queen (band)|Queen]] song “[[Don't Stop Me Now]]“, as does [[Brooks Ashmanskas]]' character Stanley in Episode 5 of the [[Netflix]] series ''[[Uncoupled]]''.

* {{Cite journal|first=Ira|last=Tattelman|title=Staging Sex and Masculinity at the Mineshaft|workjournal=Men and Masculinities|volume=7|number=3|date=January 2005|pages=300–309|doi=10.1177/1097184X04272120 |s2cid=143813829 }}

{{Portal bar|LGBTLGBTQ|New York City|Human sexuality}}

[[Category:1976 establishments in New York (state)City]]