While old-schoolers may whine that the Bonham doesn't feel as gay as it once did, the club's open-door policy has undoubtedly contributed to its remarkable staying power as a safe space for all to enjoy.
Within LGBTQ+ circles of a certain age, everyone has a legendary story set in the iconic locale - whether it's dipping into a fishbowl of complimentary ecstasy (which was legal until 1985) or catching a live performance by one of the many acts that have graced the Bonham stage, from punk pioneers the Ramones to the Queen of Drag herself, RuPaul. Ninety years after opening its doors, it transformed into a wildly different type of club at the hands of visionary San Antonio developer and gay nightlife instigator Arthur 'Happy' Veltman. For starters, the downtown landmark is housed in a late 19th-century structure first used as a German athletic club. The Bonham Exchange, however, undeniably deserves those terms.
Superlatives like 'legendary' and 'iconic' get tossed around far too often these days to describe people, places and things that arguably fall short of extraordinary.
