Julie Casper Roth

Gay spaces - neighborhoods, bars, clubs, shops, etc.- have changed significantly as they've negotiated terms of acceptance and cultural viability within American society. Spaces that were once hidden, secret meeting spaces gradually gained visibility. Such gains have also resulted in losses. Gay businesses struggle to compete with mainstream forces and gay enclaves increasingly lose elements of their identity as gentrification takes hold.

The Main is a case study of one bar and its existance relative to these changing cultural forces both within and outside of the queer community.

The Main Club opened in 1983 as the first openly gay bar in the Twin Ports of Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota. This event followed the dismissal of the bar's owner, Bob Jansen, as a professor at a local college. This dismissal was challenged, in part, as an act of discrimination based on Mr. Jansen's sexual orientation.



This in-production documentary follows the life of Bob Jansen and his bar, The Main Club. It details the historical significance of the bar and its present struggle to maintain its relevance and existance.

Donate!

The histories of GLBT persons in small communities often go unrecorded or unrecognized due to lack of funds, resources, and support from the general population. The Main seeks to give light to an important, though invisible history. Your support of this project will: help preserve a vital local history, educate local and national audiences, encourage the preservation of GLBT history in small communities, and create an awareness of the challenges that face GLBT communities, social groups, and businesses.

Tax-deductible donations can be made through The Main project's fiscal sponsor, the Center for Independent Documentary.