TWIGGY’S PLACE

This graphic tee is a recent addition to the archive, so of course we had to do a deep dive into ‘Twiggy’s Place’… 

 

Ran by drag queen Twiggy Morgan, ‘Twiggy’s Place’ was a gay bar, disco and nightclub opened in 1973 in downtown Cleveland. The bar was host to many balls and a safehaven for young members of the LGBTQ+ community, and was one of the first bars in the area that welcomed men and women, in what one bartender at the time referred to as a “true melting pot of all sexual orientations”, where everyone could feel comfortable. 

 

In the early 1970s same-sex activity was outlawed in Ohio, as was appearing in public in “dress not belonging to your sex”  and both laws were often used as a tool to police and undermine these communities. Despite the risk, Twiggy Morgan and many performers and patrons at ‘Twiggy’s Place’ found safety, visibility and joy.

 

Sadly, Twiggy Morgan passed away in 2024, but her legacy lives on in Cleveland’s vibrant LGBT scene, and she and the bar is forever immortalised on this amazing T-shirt!