In honor of Pride Month, this special edition of the EUG Planning Newsletter delves into the history of the LGBTQIA+ community in Eugene, Oregon.

This article highlights some of the key locations in Eugene's LGBTQIA+ history, bridging the gap between Historical Preservation Month in May and Pride Month in June. Drawing on research conducted by Christopher L. Ruiz and Heather V. Butler at the University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History & State Museum of Anthropology, funded with a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in partnership with the City of Eugene's Historic Review Board for a Preliminary Historic Context Statement on LGBTQIA+ History in Eugene Lane County, Oregon, we share a few of the documented LGBTQIA+ local establishments that shaped Eugene’s landscape.

Eugene emerged as a trailblazing community for gay acceptance and inclusion in the late 1960s, with the establishment of the Gay People's Alliance at the University of Oregon, now known as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Ally Alliance (LGBTQA). In the late 1960s through the 1980s, Eugene's LGBTQIA+ community flourished, with lesbian women playing a particularly influential role by championing legal challenges, and spearheading advancements in employment, housing, adoption rights, and marriage equality. This paved the way for institutional change and protecting the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, both within the University of Oregon and the wider Eugene community.

The earliest social space known to be associated with Eugene’s LGBTQIA+ community was the "Room 13 Lounge" in the basement of the old Osburn Hotel at 191 E. 8th Ave (at the corner of 8th Ave. and Pearl St.). The Osburn was Eugene’s main hostelry from its opening in 1910 until the Eugene Hotel opened in 1925. Its meeting rooms appear to have been frequented by gay men and lesbian women from the earliest years. Patronage by the LGBTQIA+ community through the 1960s is attested to by an entry for the lounge in the 1964 International Guild Guide (a LGBTQ guidebook of the Stonewall era), compiled just before the hotel was demolished in 1963 (it was razed to make way for a new City Hall—which was itself demolished in 2014).

Another early establishment was the Hunter Room at 959 Pearl St., which was listed in the 1967 International Guild Guide as part of the former Trailways Bus depot, and which later became the Greyhound Bus depot. Today, the main depot building at the corner of Pearl St. and E. 10th Ave. is numbered 957 Pearl St. and is vacant. The attached building south of the main building across the loading bay and housed the Hunter Room, Perry’s on Pearl, Perry’s Irongate, Club Arena, and Diablo’s Downtown Lounge. Perry’s opened in 1981 and Club Arena (ca. 1983 - ca. 1993) occupied the space underneath. Club Arena was known as the “Studio 54 of Eugene” in the ’80s and ’90s and was one of the first venues in the city to cater to a LGBTQIA+ clientele.

An important early business in the organic and natural foods movement was Starflower Natural Foods Co-op. Its various locations included 385 Lawrence St. and 885 McKinley St. (ca. 1981); earlier locations were at W. 18th Ave. & Willamette St., and near the Fifth Street Public Market at 296 E. 5th Ave. The co-op was founded in 1972 by two married couples, Margaret and Tom Cormier and Charles and Debbie Glass. Later, each founder except for Charles Glass came out as gay or lesbian. Tom Cormier and his business—and possibly personal—partner Joe Brown ran a related company called Starflower Herb Company. Linda Phelps was involved as well. Starflower was not only important to the distribution of natural foods, it was a major employer of those who had moved to Eugene as part of the counterculture. Many lesbians worked there in non-traditional jobs, such as warehouse work and long-haul trucking (Eugene Lesbian History Project 2021). Starflower shut down in 1986.

Women’s collectives opened a number of restaurants in Eugene beginning in the mid-1970s. Among the most important of these was Gertrude’s Café (at 370 W. 6th Ave. and 1161 Lincoln St.). The café was founded in 1975 to provide space for lesbians to gather and to support a Women's Center. Gertrude’s hosted live music, poetry readings, other performances, and visual art exhibits. In 1976, another leftist collective called the “Coalition” bought the 6th Ave. where Gertrude’s was, but the Coalition and Gertrude’s were unable to come to a satisfactory agreement and Gertrude's was evicted. Gertrude’s relocated to Lincoln St. but could not survive financially. Around 1979, Gertrude’s came under new ownership. The name and format were somewhat changed, though the new Wild Iris Restaurant was also a lesbian-oriented space. It was open until ca. 1985.

The above examples are just a few of the businesses and organizations that were an important part of Eugene’s LGBTQIA+ community, many of which were formed in the late 1960’s and 70’s. For more examples, list of sources, and to learn more about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community in Eugene, check out the following resources:

• Outliers and Outlaws The Eugene Lesbian History Project
• Preliminary Historic Context Statement LGBTQIA+ History in Eugene Lane County, Oregon

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