When Hughes and Solomon got together, neither had experience in the nightclub business as anything other than as patrons. When people come in here you pretty much know everybody's names from security to the host to the bartender.
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"Lambda to me means family," says Hughes. "It was kind of like a secret fraternity during that time, which was really dope to me," says Solomon. Hughes and Solomon wanted to reach back further and they discovered the history of the Lambda symbol during the immediate post-Stonewall era to signify gay liberation. But for me it was, OK I'm out."Īnd so the Greek Lambda symbol is important to them because they felt that "Rainbow" was a little on the nose. Unfortunately not a lot of people get to experience that. "I had the kind of mom who was like, 'OK, he's wearing my heels.' When I finally went to her with it she said, 'Listen, I've just been waiting for you to say something.' My father is a Jehovah's Witness so it was a little rocky with our relationship, there came the whole 'abomination' thing, and by the time he came around it was really too late, so I don't really have a relationship with my father, it's just me and my mother.
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Solomon, a New Yorker, had it a little easier with his family. Solomon was the first man he brought home to meet them. Hughes grew up in the South and struggled to hide his sexuality from his family. Even today, when Hughes and Solomon go out to other establishments it is clear the venue is tolerating them for the night - and that's spaces are important for both Hughes and Solomon. But this leaves even less opportunities for Black queer folks to party in public.