Controversial gay bar opens in Winooski
WINOOSKI - Vermont's first gay bar in over a decade welcomed a steady stream of customers when it opened its doors Friday night, despite sparking controversy over the establishment's new name.
"All of the bars in Burlington have been really welcoming, but there hasn't been a place for us to call our own," owner Craig McGaughan said Friday evening, about half an hour after he opened Mister Sister for the first time. He added he was proud to be able to offer that place to the community and said the bar means "everything" to him.
He declined to comment further on the controversy regarding the name. Some have criticized the choice because they see the term as a slur against the transgender community.
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The Pride Center of Vermont held a "trans town hall" to hear from the transgender community last week. After the meeting, the center issued a statement rebuking the name and calling it "hate speech." The statement was written by board member Bridget Barhight, who was identified as a transgender woman.
"We condemn the use of hate speech in promotional materials and especially on signage," Barhight wrote.
Last month, after the bar's name was announced, Burlington resident Wiley Reading, who identifies as a transgender man, told the Burlington Free Press the phrase historically has been used to denigrate transgender women.
Several patrons at the bar Friday said the controversy didn't dampen their excitement.
"Us older gay males used to think of gay bars as our home away from home, our safe haven," said Lucy Bell LeMay, who described himself as a performing male drag queen. He said the establishment's name didn't bother him.
His friend Craig Hilliard agreed, saying the positives of having a community spot outweighed the negatives.
"It was a very small number of people," he said. "I think it was blown out of proportion."
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Lynn Vera, from South Burlington, said she's always thought of Mister Sister as a friendly gay male way of talking about drag queens.
"But I don't share the pain of that," she said about the trans experience. She said she had been educated this week. She urged unity, rather than a boycott, adding that she hoped there could be a process where the community could work together.
She said she hoped the bar could bring older members of the community together with a newer generation of activists.
Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @jess_aloe.