Memoirs — Evelyn Rogers

Reflections on the Good Old Days

Evelyn Rogers and her partner were early members of Regina’s Atropos Friendship Society and the Odyssey Club, the social centre it operated for lesbians and gays in the Queen City. Rogers served on the group’s board of directors in 1975 and 1976 and was one of those who signed the group’s original incorporation application in March 1975.

In 1997 Sensible Shoes News published Reflections on the Good Old Days, Rogers’ memories of coming out as a lesbian in Regina in the 1970s and of her early involvement in ‘The Club’. This version contains a number of small corrections made by Rogers in 2006.

1) Reflections on The Good Old Days
2) More Reflections on The Good Old Days

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MORE REFLECTIONS ON THE GOOD OLD DAYS
by Evelyn Rogers

After gathering in homes, or bars like The Old Gold or the Hotel Sask., for years, some of the fellows had loaned the money to buy an old house, on the 22 block of Smith St., for a club house for gays and lesbians. The house had been slated for demolition as had happened to the houses north of it. In order to make things “look good”, because this was a residential area, someone had to live in the house. The front bedrooms, at the top of the stairs, had been made into a suite. Diane lived there. I never was in her place but often thought how brave she was to live there alone.

In the light of day, this house didn’t look too foreboding on the outside but inside it was dark and dingy with no outside light coming in on the main floor. Old house noises like creaking floors and banging radiators were never heard on Saturday night but, when void of people, those same large rooms tended to be rather spooky in their emptiness.

Gradually Lilja & I became more and more involved in the Club. Both of us were on the board at different times. We “manned” the phones, we worked behind the bar, we donated furniture, we cleaned, painted and above all we made long lasting friends.

It was OUR CLUB and we loved the place!

It grew to be a very active club. During the week we would have various activities from guest speakers on homosexuality and religion, to gay rights and the law. There were training sessions before going on the phone lines. There were “coffee house” nights. There were movie nights. We published a newsletter, “The Odyssey News”. We were family!
Men and women working harmoniously for a common cause.

Gradually undercurrents began to come to the surface. Those of us who liked to dance to “old time music” had to plead with the music jockey. When, and if, he would play a polka or an old time waltz chances are there would be 3 or 4 in a row and that was it. If you pooped out and had to sit down, or if you were upstairs in the line for the bathroom, too bad!
The rest of the night the wild music the young guys wanted was all that was played.

Even though, I believe, the number of women members was about the same as the number of male members our voices were often, purposely, not heard.

Then, under the guise of being good for public relations, the decree came that our club was going to be open for anyone to come in. One night, shortly after, a group of “young punks” appeared. I don’t know if I was more mad or frightened but as they stood there, in our club, making rude remarks, I felt something liked caged animals must feel as people invade their limited space to stare at them and make comments on their activities.

It was then I decided I wasn’t paying a membership fee for this! Straight people have the whole world open to them. I wanted to keep this space, which was ours, just for us.

By this time two other factors contributed to lessen our involvement in the club. I had quit drinking (drunks are only fun if you’re one of them!) and activities more to our liking were happening away from the Club.

Eventually we quit going to the Club, altogether.