The costumers could really do what they wanted without fear of being judged.
Quicky, it became the 'temple' of “ kinky sex” or simply of the non-traditional sex. Transvestites or transsexuals were not allowed. Usually, the customers wore leather, cowboy clothing, motorcycle wear, workers gear or uniforms like those of the police. The men who frequented the Mineshaft were hyper-masculine in the body, in the type of sex, and in the dresscode. During the week, however, people arrived early and went away quite early too. Over the weekend only a few people came before 2am: the local became 'full' around 5 am. The Mineshaft was also attended by many celebrities like the filmmakers Vincente Minnelli ('An American in Paris'), Rainer Werner Fassbinder ('Querelle'), Rock Hudson ('Giant'), the artists Tom of Finland and Keith Haring, the above mentioned photographer Mapplethorpe, and more. Both of them can be found in the movie Cruising, at numbers 394 and 400 West 14TH Street. Many gay bars, also leather and fetish, were in this area of New York, called Meatpacking District.Īmong them the most well-know was probably the Ramrod and the most hard was (as you can guess from the name) the The Toilet. It was in Washington Street 835, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. The Mineshaft opend as private cluab on come club October 8th, 1976.
