lly described this in her book, noting that there were groups of women who were readily identifiable as lesbians, coupled up in sort of a butch/femme fashion (although she herself did not have that language to describe it).
Kennedy and Davis (1993) discussed the making of one of those communities in their book, which focused on the growth and development of the lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. It should be made clear that this is not the only community of its sort that developed. Instead, this was typical of the kinds of communities of women that developed in many cities.
The communities were comprised of women who were readily identifiable as lesbian, or at least the butch half of the group was identifiable as such. Kennedy and Davis (1993) indicated that most of the communities constellated around bars and house parties, with women meeting each other in various ways often in the bars themselves and coming together as small groups of friends and family that persevered over long periods of time and many changes.
This was the case for both lesbians and gay men (and to some extent transvestites) until well into the 1960s. Before Stonewall, the bars and house parties were still the primary means for individuals to meet others like them and to develop some semblance of community. Even after Stonewall, it took several years for the agencies, organizations, clubs, and groups that characterize the community today to develop and become visible.
In other words, the community was centered on the bar. It was the hear
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