Did you know that South Bend, IN had a law against "same sex" dancing up until 1974? Gloria Frankel took the city to court and with her community the law was overturned, Frankel opened for the first openly gay dance club.
The Seahorse was not just a gay bar. The Seahorse was a cutting edge gathering place for everyone type of person deemed an outside by Indiana culture. Way ahead of its time, The Seahorse was designed as a Vegas show bar and provided a place for artist to cut their teeth. Frankel hosted national drag pageants, brought in nation wide talent to work alongside local artists. People would travel from Michigan, Chicago and Fort Wayne to gather at The Seahorse.
In the 1970's many gay people were in the closet, Frankel posted her picture and identity in The Seahorse ads, so that others would follow. In the 1980's when AIDS hit and stuck the South Bend community, Frankel supported early AIDS activism by hosting fundraisers, allowing education and testing to be done at her bar.
The party ended on a summer evening in 2007 when Frankel, suffering from Lupus could no longer endure the pain. Her lived her life and ended her life on her own terms.
Why does this story need to be told?
South Bend has been a stand out city in the State of Indiana, especially with LGBT rights. Those roots started in 1974 at The Seahorse and reshaped South Bend's identity. Frankel united a community, each evening she would close the bar playing "United We Stand/Divided We Fall". In 2012, the city wrote LGBT protection into the city's human right ordinance, changing the psychology and culture of the city. However the roots started at The Seahorse.
Recently, Indiana Gov. Pence introduced discriminatory legislation into the State of Indiana, which was widely covered in the press. However, South Bend's Mayor rejected Pence's legislation and gathered up many business owners who also refused to reject anyone from the LGBT community.
This is our campaign to raise funds for
production costs and festival fees.
By funding "The Seahorse" you will be preserving the early beginnings
of the GLBT rights movement in the South Bend Indiana and how that
shaped the city today.
Thank you for watching and supporting!
