Franklin Brooks Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
The marker was funded by the Metro Historical Commission and the H. 'This was a place that people went to because they didn't have anywhere else to go,' John Bridges said. The effort to erect the historical marker was led by John Bridges, a Nashville-based writer. The historical marker was erected on December 7, 2018, at the same location the establishments stood before they were demolished. While criminal charges could lead to a fine or time spent in jail, the arrests also threatened private lives and careers, as individuals were often “outed” as a result.īoth bars were torn down in 1983,along with the rest of the block during a street-widening project. In 1963, 27 men were arrested at Juanita’s for “disorderly conduct,” a charge widely used against the LGBTQ community during this time. Both The Jungle and Juantia’s were a popular place for gay men to meet from the 1960s to the 1980s this, however, also made the bars a target for police raids.
Juanita even helped bail out men who were arrested when they were seen being affectionate with each other with no expectation of repayment. Both owners were straight, but provided their clientele with protection and privacy. Warren Jet opened The Jungle in 1953 and Juanita Bruce Brazier opened Juanita’s next door in 1956.
