In the second episode of this two-part series, we look back at local gay rights history in Hampton Roads.

Listen: Part 1 | Part 2 

By the mid-1970s, white flight was ravaging Norfolk. As businesses and residents moved to the suburbs, the city’s LGBTQ community took notice. A series of bars and businesses which courted gay clientele moved in to downtown. Ghent became a safe haven with a large LGBTQ community.

Norfolk’s gay community was brought into the national spotlight in 1977 when Anita Bryant brought her infamously anti-gay campaign, “Save the Children,” to the Scope. Local gay activists took seats in the arena and on cue, when she began to discuss homosexuality, they stood and walked out in protest. Later, as Bryant was discussing her Norfolk experience at a Des Moines, Iowa Press Conference, she was infamously hit with a pie by a gay rights activist.

As the 80’s ticked by, public opinion began to shift and the gay community saw huge gains and an overall “blending” into society. What was once outlawed, began to be celebrated. Many of the veterans who launched the gay rights movement following the 1969 Stonewall Riots say they never dreamed they would see the degree of acceptance and support that exists today.

The vets of the movement still celebrate those moments of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s not just in June, but monthly in the Prime Timers Club. The club is a group of older gay men who meet monthly for social events. Club president Joe Davis says, “There’s a certain isolation involved with gay men when they get to a certain age and the club is a way to keep the conversation going.”

Some of the veterans of the early days say it’s good to remember the battles and fights that secured today’s gay pride. However, one veteran of the 1970s, Joe Amos says, “There are things we have to keep fighting.”

Listen to the full story.