The Back Door (Madison, Wisconsin Gay Bar/70's to 80's) Size:S PA (1970s–1990s)

PA (1970s–1990s)

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Emerging in the late 1960s and ’70s as a rallying cry within the growing gay liberation movement

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sipping cocktails in the piano bar

The Back Door (Madison, Wisconsin Gay Bar/70's to 80's) Size:S PA (1970s–1990s)The Back Door, Madisons first openly gay bar, located at 46 N. Park Street. Opened in 1972 by Rodney Scheel, it boldly claimed its nameand its identityat a time when few LGBTQ spaces could do so openly. More than a nightlife venue, The Back Door was a community hearthevolving through phases as a bar, restaurant, piano bar, dance club, and refuge for recently liberated queer people and their allies. Patrons entered through its literal "back door," a