“Based on all those things, we felt like we did not have a voice, so we started our own gay club.”Īfter Hunter and Baker, who’ll celebrate 30 years as a couple in December, moved to Dallas from Oklahoma City in 1987, Hunter would become one of the original employees of the Metro, a gay black nightclub on Elm Street nestled between downtown and Deep Ellum. “That was pretty much customary in Dallas - you had to have three IDs,” Baker said. Other times, black patrons were required to have multiple forms of ID or were subject to cover charges that didn’t apply to whites. Glenn Hunter and Ricky Baker said they’re old enough to recall the discrimination black patrons once faced at gay bars in Dallas.ĭuring one visit from their native Oklahoma in the 1980s, Hunter and Baker said they were accompanied by an American Indian friend who could pass for white.Īlthough everyone in their party had Oklahoma driver’s licenses, the American Indian friend was allowed into a gay bar on Cedar Springs, while the others were told they needed Texas IDs. They will celebrate 30 years as a couple in December. PARTNERS IN BUSINESS, LIFE | Co-owners Ricky Baker, left, and Glenn Hunter, stand behind the bar at the Elm & Pearl.
