If no arrangement is made, AGVA's rules permit it to bar all AGVA acts from. 'To me, that's what we were taught when you were younger, is that America is this place where you can be what you want to be … but you find these limitations as you get older … so when you find a place like that lives up to that belief that everyone is equal, it's awesome. I think that's why it's been around for 30 years.'īerlin has outlived most other bars in Boystown. Schuman thinks the venue's longevity hinges on its 'safe zone' atmosphere, where different people can feel accepted and no one is making judgments.
'Gay people can there with their straight friends, and their straight friends didn't feel uncomfortable. People unsure of their sexuality can feel safe and not embarrassed to have other people see them there. People bring their parents,' Schuman said. 'The safe place for people really is sort of the essence of Berlin. … allows people to be free to express themselves in a comfortable environment without being weird or different or goofy or whatever because being goofy is just fine.
