Young Man Reflects on State of the Gay Strip: ‘It’s Been a Ghost Town’

April 6, 2020 - San Antonio

By Jade Esteban Estrada - Staff Writer, San Antonio Sentinel

It’s an eerily quiet Thursday afternoon and I’m standing (distantly) across from Jason Lopez, an employee at Pup’s Pizza on North Main Avenue. The establishment adjoins Knockout Sports Bar, which is adjacent to Sparky’s Pub and Ouch Apparel and a stone’s throw from Heat Nightclub, a splashy club conglomerate known to most locals as the gay strip. On March 17, Randy Cunniff, the owner of the four LGBTQ-friendly outfits, announced that he would be closing each “non-essential” business until further notice amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has now claimed the lives of a dozen residents.

On March 23, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff issued their joint Stay Home, Work Safe order, which allows restaurants to remain operational through take-out, drive-through and delivery service. As I look around the vacated block, the slicery and Luther’s Cafe across the street are the only enduring representations of the once-bustling cynosure of San Antonio’s LGBTQ social life.

Lopez, 24, has been working at the pizza parlor for nearly a year. When I comment on the morose atmosphere, he says, “Oh, yeah. This is really crazy. I’ve never experienced anything like this. Actually, it’s been a ghost town.”

My attention is drawn to the tattoo on his right arm that reads “Faith,” in cursive. Underneath the word are what appear to be thirteen seagulls flying toward his wrist. 

“I mean, we get people, here and there,” he says. “Mostly originals.” By “originals,” I assume he means individuals who have patronized San Antonio’s gayborhood clubs since the days of the Paper Moon, perhaps even before then. Lopez says that he now only sees about 20 to 30 customers per day. This would explain why he appears to be the only one at the helm.

“They used to get 20 to 30 a minute!” says an older man sitting behind me. 

“Literally,” Lopez says, nodding his head in agreement. Earlier, the two men were engaged in a casual conversation. I wager that this man is one of the “originals.”

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Before the pandemic, Lopez says that the pizzeria served more than fifty regulars over the course of an hour. “It was nonstop,” he recalls with enthusiasm. “As you can see, we’re connected to a bar so we [had] daily people.”

When I ask him how long he thinks the emergency declaration will last, he heaves a deep sigh.

“I’m praying...I’m hoping until the middle of April,” he replies.

On Monday, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported 456 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bexar County. I ask him if he thinks mid-April is a realistic projection.

“Not really,” he says with a forlorn smile. “I’m just going by what everyone’s saying. You know what I mean?”

It could be argued that the mandated social distancing measures have, in many ways, impaired the lifestyle of the LGBTQ community.

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“Oh, yes,” Lopez says wholeheartedly. “I mean, [the gay strip] is our community. This is where we feel free. This is where we get to come out and explore and have fun with our friends and family. But now, with [social distancing protocols] happening, of course, it’s affecting us.” 

Thoughtfully, he pauses, then says, “I mean, it’s affecting everyone.”

Jade Esteban Estrada is a staff writer at the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers LGBTQ issues. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.