Walking tour highlights LGBTQ gathering spots from decades ago in Portsmouth

COMMUNITY ONCE GATHERED, SOMETIMES IN SECRECY, AND WE’RE OFF AND WE’RE OFF AND RUNNING. IT’S THE GAY OLD WALKING TOUR, THE GAY OLD TIMES WALKING TOURS. TOM STARTED THESE TOURS THREE YEARS AGO. FIRST STOP A PRIVATE WOMEN’S GAY CLUB FROM THE 1980S WITH A SECRET ENTRANCE. WE’RE AT THE IRIS CLUB. IT WAS THE WOMEN’S CLUB FROM 1980 TO 1988, AND THE WAY TO GET IN WAS THROUGH THE BACK DOOR HERE. HAD TO WALK DOWN THESE STAIRS AND GO IN THE BACK DOOR, A SECRET DOOR. IT’S A SECRET DOOR? YEAH. IT’S, UH, YOU HAD TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CLUB TO ENTER THE CLUB A FEW BLOCKS AWAY, ABOVE THE OLD PRESS ROOM WAS WHERE GAY MEN HAD THEIR PRIVATE CLUB. THIS IS WHERE THE SAGAMORE CLUB WAS. AND THE FIRST FLOOR WAS A BAR. AND THE SECOND FLOOR WAS A DANCE FLOOR. AND PEOPLE SAID WHEN THEY DANCED THERE, THE FLOOR KIND OF WENT UP AND DOWN. SO YOU HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL. THE BARS AND CLUBS HERE WERE OFTEN PRIVATE AND SECRET FOR A REASON. IN TOLERANCE LEADS US TO OUR NEXT STOP, WHICH IS A BENCH FOR CHARLIE HOWARD. CHARLIE WAS A PORTSMOUTH NATIVE WHO WAS PICKED ON IN HIGH SCHOOL. HE MOVED TO BANGOR IN 1984 AND FOUND A MORE ACCEPTING COMMUNITY. BUT THEN WHEN I IN JULY, THREE TEENAGERS THREW HIM OFF A BRIDGE AND CHASED HIM DOWN AND THREW HIM OFF A BRIDGE, AND THEY FOUND HIS BODY THE NEXT MORNING. SO. AND WHAT WAS THE MOTIVE THERE? UM, IT WAS PURELY A HATE CRIME. UM, BECAUSE HE WAS GAY. TOM SAYS THAT IS WHY THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY WAS SO CAREFUL AND SECRETIVE BACK THEN. YEAH, IN THE 70S AND 80S, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT BEING OUT PRETTY MUCH INTO THE 90S AS WELL. MOVING ON WITH OUR TOUR, PORTSMOUTH IS KNOWN FOR ITS MANY RESTAURANTS, AND TOM SAYS THIS IS WHERE IT ALL STARTED. OUR NEXT STOP IS THE BLUE STRAWBERRY, WHICH WAS HERE WHERE THE BLACK TRUMPET IS. JAMES TAYLOR, WHO IS GAY, AND HIS TWO GAY FRIENDS OPENED THE BLUE STRAWBERRY HERE IN PORTSMOUTH. THEY DIDN’T KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS, BUT IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AND THEY REALLY CREDITED WITH STARTING THE RESTAURANT RENAISSANCE IN PORTSMOUTH. YOU CAN TAKE TOM’S 90 MINUTE TOURS ON THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH, WITH EXTRA TOURS IN JUNE. THE MOTTO OF THE CITY IS THE CITY OF THE OPEN DOOR, AND WE’VE REALLY COME A LONG WAY. WE HAVE A PRIDE NOW. EMAIL YOU THIS. WELCOME EVERYBODY. HERE YOU CAN FIND ALL THE INFORMATION ON THE PORTSMOUTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S WE