User:SlimJim/sandbox/Shelly's Leg

Shelly's Leg was the first openly gay bar operated in Seattle, opening in 13 November 1973. It remained in business until sometime between 1977-79.

Shelly Bauman
Shelly Bauman was born in Chicago on 23 July 1947. She studied classical dance as a young girl. Her parents divorced when she was 16 and she was subsequently kicked out of the house. She performed striptease in Chicago, Hawaii, and Florida, moving to Rainier Valley, Seattle in 1968 to continue her profession. She died in her home in Bremerton, Washington on 18 November 2010.

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On 14 July 1970, at the Seattle Bastille Day parade in Pioneer Square, Seattle, Bauman was among the crowd viewing the parade. At 10pm a parade consisting of a Dixieland band, two cars, and an old fire engine exited the Sinking Ship to begin a performance. The water cannon on the fire engine was set up to fire confetti. The cannon was fired, and somehow it did not shoot confetti, but rather a ball of wet paper which hit Bauman. Bauman's lower abdomen was separated from her body and she lost her leg.

When Bauman recovered, she pursued a lawsuit against the cannon operator, the parade organizers, and the city of Seattle. Her case settled with her receiving US$330,000. She used this money to found a nightclub which she named "Shelly's Leg".

Nightclub
Bauman purchased a hotel in Pioneer Square, Seattle and in 1973 converted it into a gay bar and nightclub. Bauman would attend parties there in her wheelchair. Sometime between 1977-79 the club was closed, perhaps temporarily at first then definitely by 1979, for problems including failure to meet tax reporting standards.

The sign from the nightclub is now an exhibit at Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI).