Gay and lesbian Atlantans say they felt a jumble of terror, outrage and determined reaffirmation of pride after Friday night's bombing of the Otherside Lounge.
The blast at the Piedmont Road nightclub, whose clientele is predominantly lesbian, frightened gay and lesbian business owners who have enjoyed the diverse, open-minded culture of Midtown Atlanta.
"It makes me feel terrified, " said Jill Cohen, owner of Revolution, a mostly lesbian nightclub on Piedmont Avenue. "It was really comfortable owning a gay establishment in Midtown. There was no reason to think anybody would persecute us."
Revolution and other gay nightclubs in Midtown, including Backstreet and March, toughened their security measures Saturday night. No backpacks were allowed, club managers said, and large purses were checked.
"That's something we've never done before, " Cohen said.
'You never know'
Security always has been tight at Outwrite Bookstore and Coffeehouse at Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street, which specializes in gay and lesbian literature, said owner Philip Rafshoon.
"As gays and lesbians, you never know when someone is going to attack you, " Rafshoon said.
But he added he isn't yet convinced the Otherside bombing can be called a hate crime against homosexuals, echoing club owner Beverly McMahon's statement Saturday.
McMahon said the strategic placement and timing of the second explosive device, seemingly aimed at injuring law enforcement personnel, indicated to her the bombing wasn't specifically directed against gays and lesbians.
Searching for links
Cohen said she was glad, ironically, to learn federal investigators are exploring the possibility that Friday's incident is linked to the January bombing of a Sandy Springs abortion clinic. As at the Otherside, two bombs were planted, but at the Otherside, one was detonated by a bomb squad. At the clinic bombing, the second device fired, injuring seven people.
"It's actually comforting to hear that it's so similar to the other bombs, because then it's not so random, " Cohen said.
A hate crime?
Larry Pellegrini, a lobbyist for the Georgia Equality Project, disagrees, saying the bombing clearly targeted gays and lesbians.
"The location is well-known as a lesbian and gay bar, and this was not a drive-by crime, not an impulse crime, " Pellegrini said. "It was planned. We feel quite clearly that it was a hate crime."
In addition to heightening fears of future attacks against the metro gay community, the Otherside bombing also may have damaged the feeling of security gays and lesbians have enjoyed in certain local establishments, Rafshoon said.
"There are always people there who are not totally out of the closet, " he said. "The bars and clubs are real important places for us; they're vital to the community. Now there's the fear that they're going to get injured, and that somebody's going to find out they're gay at the same time."
Regardless of the anxiety the bombing has aroused in local gays and lesbians, however, they say they can only be careful - not cowardly.
"They can plant bombs at every gay establishment in the city, but we're not going away, " Rafshoon said.
"We won't be intimidated, " Pellegrini said.
About the Author
