Joy is Queer Nightlife
Brayden Lillie
Brayden Lillie he/Him
Joy is Queer Nightlife
River and Potrero
Description: Nightlife is a special and celebrated tradition in queer communities and is a space of joy and connection. Overcoming injustice and violence are vital stories in queer history but the happiness and bliss of queer people deserves to be depicted just as frequently. Gay bars and lounges foster culture and are the origin of innovative music, dress, dance, and expression. Community spaces for people to relax from the outside world or find lovers and comrades just like them provide safety and a place to express and live queerness. Currently, The Neighbors Pub opened up in downtown Santa Cruz. In the 1970s, bars such as Mona’s Gorilla Lounge and the Dragon Moon were important locations for queer people to meet up.
Artist Bio: I am a first year college student at UC Santa Cruz double majoring in Studio Art and Politics. I grew up in San Diego and have been drawing since elementary school and formally painting since my junior year of high school. Art is everything to me. I live to share my art, especially if it can uplift my community, which is my greatest goal and fulfillment. Growing up, Santa Cruz was the getaway beach town my family loved. Now living in Santa Cruz, I ride the bus every day and enjoy watching the trees out the window. Watching the sun set behind the mountains have become a regular part of my life. The markets and live music around downtown and the surrounding areas have become my stomping ground, and Cowell’s Beach and Natural Bridges have become sacred to me.
Artist Sketch
My life is in every way connected to the queer community; my friends belong to the LGBTQ community, I surround myself with people who support the community, and I want nothing more than to uplift my community. We are a beautiful and eclectic group of people and I love to belong with them.
Historical Context: In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s there were various bars that catered to LGBTQ+ people across Santa Cruz County. The various bars included the Dragon Moon, Mona’s Gorilla Lounge, Dakota, Blue Lagoon, and others. The bars were the main places to meet other people in the 1980s - long before the Internet existed. One person’s memory from the Dragon Moon was that, “There was a DJ and two male servers who operated the place and the two male servers were famous for dancing in tandem to the song “Take Me to the River” each night. At Mona’s one former patron remembers, “It had a translucent, colorful lighted dance floor, like in Saturday Night Fever. I remember feeling so cosmopolitan.” The crowd on the weekend was always mixed – gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual – and all would enjoy the drinks, music and dancing. Many drag artists developed their skills in many of these bars. In addition, Norma Jean’s opened in Castroville in 2001 that included monthly drag shows and continues to operate today. The LGBTQ+ community was delighted when, in 2024, “The Neighbors Pub” opened in downtown Santa Cruz and creates community through events of many types — from classes, drag competitions, to live entertainment.