Cruising (2020)

ohma

CRUISING

By Lauren Instenes, 2020

Take a drive with Floyd Hook Jr. (JR) and current OHMA student Lauren Instenes as they explore queer places in Springfield, Ohio. JR opened Springfield’s oldest gay bar, Why Not, fifty years ago and it continues to be a safe haven for the queer community today. In this edited audio piece JR guides Lauren on a drive through a local park discussing the complex relationship between this space and the gay community. This interview is part of Lauren’s larger thesis project where she will explore the importance of different queer spaces in shaping the communities that gather(ed) there and in what ways those spaces hold communal memory.

 

Transcript

(Car door opens)

JR: Now what haven’t we covered? (Car door closes)

Lauren: Alright, let’s take a look. (pause. Seat-belt clicks, car starts driving) So were there specific places in Snyder Park that were more popular to –

JR: Yes, Peanut Pond was a very popular area.

Lauren: Peanut Pond.

JR: That’s what they call it, Peanut Pond. It was a kind of peanut shaped little pond there by the restrooms. Yeah.

Lauren: Do you want to check that place out?

JR: Oh yeah. Yeah.

Lauren: Where you want me to go?

JR: You’ll have to go down here and go west.

Lauren: Oh, I see it.

JR: It’s really funny because a lot of closet cases hung out at the parks. We used to call them Park Queens.

Lauren: Should I turn here?

JR: Yeah

Lauren: The other way?

JR: Yeah sorry. You’re want to go to the right. Okay now –

Lauren: What?

JR: You can’t turn there, but that’s the famous Peanut Pond.

Lauren: Legendary (laughs)

JR: Yeah it’s very legendary. Back in the day we’d all meet there and have a party. You know we’d bring beer and pop. But you don’t have beer back in those days either.

Lauren: So you’d sneak it in?

JR: Yeah.

Lauren: So this was a, this was a hook up spot right here?

JR: Oh yeah, oh yeah (Lauren laughing). You park your car here and you make people come up and park their car beside you. If you pull up and then someone walks over and says, “Got a light for a cigarette,” And the next – you know you talk – and the next thing you know one thing leads to another. But there has been some, whatcha call, busts where they act like they were gay to see if they could pick you up there. They always had to have two private detectives that picked you up, couldn’t be just – one just couldn’t say “well he was gay.” There had to, you know, be something, a touching or something you know, of that nature.

Lauren: But you could get arrested for that. For flirting?

JR: Mhm, yeah. If you just didn’t touch them you were okay, or you didn’t flash yourself you were okay.

Lauren: Did you know anybody who got arrested.

JR: Oh yeah. Several school-teachers.

Lauren: Oh really.

JR: Yeah. (pause) See we circled right back to where we’re going.

Lauren: Yup. We’re almost there.

JR: It’s been really pleasant.

Lauren: Yeah, thanks for showing me around! Was it making you think of any stories?

JR: Yeah, but we’re not going to talk about them!

(both laugh and laughter fades out to silence)