![]() ![]() But what does it mean in Northampton, where progressive thinking is already a way of life? Is Diva’s ahead of the curve, or behind it? And what will it take to draw crowds once again? Come share our space.”Īcross the country, historically gay clubs like Diva’s are pondering this task. So we have to merge with the community and say: You’re welcome. A lot of gay and lesbian clubs all over the country have closed. “You can’t be the same club you were five years ago. “We have to be ahead of the game and see that things are changing,” Conte says. Separatism is for losers … Gay is not enough anymore.” In order to survive, Diva’s needs to take this mantra to heart. ![]() In May, one month before the Supreme Court resolved to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples, author and filmmaker John Waters used his commencement speech at the Rhode Island School of Design as a call for graduates to “refuse to isolate yourself. But fresh questions and uncertainties arise. Overall, 33 percent of Americans surveyed said they are not 100 percent heterosexual.įor the most part, cultural barriers are dissolved more often than they’re erected. According to the 2015 study, 24 percent of people ages 30 to 44 said that they’re somewhere on the scale of bisexuality, while only 8 percent or fewer of people over age 45 did. A couple of recent online surveys conducted by YouGov have found that young people are identifying themselves as heterosexual less than older generations. ![]() The labels and terms that Americans use to describe themselves, including their romantic and sexual identities, is shifting at high speed. That’s a challenge for clubs, bars, and businesses that have historically attracted customers based, at least in part, on gender and sexual orientation. Some friends of the club kept returning after that, but many of the beloved DJ’s followers dispersed.Ĭonte, who founded Diva’s in 2000 as nightclub for the LGBT community, was left with a challenge and an opportunity: rebooting the business to appeal to a new generation of patrons. That happened in large part after October 2013, when local nightlife icon and house DJ Otis Sears, Jr. Over the last few years, attendance has fallen at Diva’s. These are the nights that Lori Conte, the owner of Diva’s, loves most.īut they’re not all good nights, especially lately. On a good night, you get lost in the lights, and the house beat in your chest is a physical force. After 15 years, it’s still one of the only spots in the Valley to get the true dance hall experience. If you’re not a denizen of the club scene (or if it’s been a few decades), glance at the faces and free-flowing forms of the dancers we photographed on a recent Saturday night at Diva’s nightclub in Northampton. Surrounded by bodies, soaked in sweat and blasted with music, it’s easy to let go and just dance. ![]()
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