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“Number one the tone of voice their build, and on one occasion at the San Antonio Country, at the proper placement of penis on the body, there was a stiffness and of the fondling on the couch, there was definitely an erection and I feel, definitely, that this one particular individual was definitely a male, sir.”Īnother witness reports that on May 19, 1973, there were “numerous females kissing and hugging and dancing with each other. In one instance, a military policeman is asked how he could be sure that patrons who were embracing on a couch and dressed as women were indeed men. Sometimes, the testimony given by these witnesses bordered on the ridiculous. Goldstein.ĭuring the hearings, military police officers were questioned about visits they made to the Country. Sam Houston, and the Country’s lawyer, Gerald H. The participants included military brass from local Air Force bases and Ft. The hearing itself spanned several sessions.
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Gene Elder, archivist for the Happy Foundation and one-time manager of the Country, recalls Veltman, who died in 1988, saved the transcripts in hopes that one day they would be made into a play.
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The transcript from the military’s hearing is the primary source material for the reading at Jump-Start. The military police were particularly interested in identifying gay soldiers and airmen who would be arrested and eventually drummed out of the service. For a time, Veltman also owned a motel next door to the bar, the Rio Lado, that offered the Country’s patrons a place to take their one-night stands.Īt the time the Country opened, military police and SAPD used to make visits to the city’s gay bars mostly to intimidate patrons, who are described in the transcript as “suspected homosexuals.” It had several large rooms including a disco and a game room with pool tables. Veltman’s Country operated out of a one-story stone building situated along the San Antonio River. After the Country closed, Veltman opened the Bonham Exchange which is still a popular nightclub today. The Country was owned by attorney and entrepreneur Arthur “Hap” Veltman, an openly gay man who was a downtown real-estate developer, restaurant and nightlife impresario, arts advocate, and historical conservationist. It was in business until 1981 when the property was sold to Valero Energy Corporation, which went on to build their corporate headquarters on the site. The San Antonio Country opened just in time for Fiesta in 1973 at 1122 North St.
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The hearing was one of several convened to determine whether the San Antonio Country, a local gay bar at the time, should be ruled off-limits to military personnel because it “catered to homosexuals.” Kimberly's expert tip: There's never a cover.The Jump-Start Performance Company on November 13 will present “Off Limits,” a staged reading of a play based on the transcript from a military hearing held at Brooks Air Force Base in June of 1973. Recommended for Gay Clubs because: Kockout is the newest bar to open up on the strip, and therefore is the new hot place to hangout. In the evening, they open up the Backroom Bar, where the real fun is said to be had.
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When you get nibbley, you can nosh on a yummy snack from their full kitchen or opt for a handmade pizza from Pup's Pizza, which is located right inside Knockout. Knockout invites guests to come in, enjoy the music, drink the cocktails and get great service from some of San Antonio's best bartenders. They have brand new pool tables, dart boards and even a punching bag, for working out that post-work aggression. it may be the first official gay sports bar in San Antonio, where you can watch games on one of their big screens or over 15 flat screen TVs. One of the newest additions to the LGBT nightlife is Knockout, located along the San Antonio strip, also known as Main Avenue.