The Dover Fox, Kansas City

The first gay bar I ever went into was The Dover Fox bar, located at 4334 Main St, in Kansas City MO, 64111. It was 1979 and I was 20 years old, so I was underage. The legal age to enter bars was 21. I was attending college at the UMKC Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, MO, and had recently come out while in college. My friends said that I didn't need a fake ID to get into the bar. All I needed to do was go in the door with this group of friends (so we all went in together), and be very affectionate with the doorman so he would remember you. I did as instructed and cozied up to the doorman, and pretended to be interested in him. I remember him being about 50 years old and icky, but I remember kissing him anyway, either on the way in or the way out, and remember that it was gross but that is what I needed to do to get into the bar because I wasn't supposed to be allowed in. The whole place was small - the bar was to the left when you immediately went inside, which led to the small dance floor. Around the dance floor was a raised platform, like a bar rail, where you could sit or stand and watch the dancers on the dance floor. I just remember having a really good time there. It was 1979 and disco was the rage, and the whole emphasis was on dancing. I had given up trying to change and "be straight", which I tried to do during high school, so it was a time to learn about the real me and to celebrate who I was with my new gay friends, all while slowing exploring what it mean to be a sexual gay man. I also lost my virginity when I was 20, but that's another story! — Randy H