Little Village LGBT bar stirs controversy

[Shana A]

Little Village LGBT bar stirs controversy
by Sam Worley
2010-09-01

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=28254

Some community activists are calling for the closure of La Cueva, a Little Village bar that attracts a large gay and transgender clientele. La Cueva, which has been open since 1972, hosts drag shows Thursday through Sunday, and has been recognized for providing a welcoming space for Latino LGBT people.

Opponents, though, say that the bar is a site of illegal activity in a neighborhood that is home to many families. They say that La Cueva, a nondescript façade on a busy commercial stretch of West 26th Street, sells alcohol to minors, allows drug dealing on its premises and encourages prostitution in the neighborhood.

"It's causing a lot of havoc and dismay to the residents of the area," said Raul Montes, Jr., who organized a protest and press conference outside of La Cueva Aug. 17. On nights that the bar is open, he said, there are "transsexuals and ->-bleeped-<-s on every corner," with "young kids picking them up."