Swasarnt Nerf's
Gay Guides for 1949

This 172-page volume was lovingly published in 2010 by Hugh Hagius, who used several sources
trying to capture a bit of gay culture through the 1950s. The Damron Guides did not begin until 1964,
so the Guide information included here are rare privately circulated listings of bars, cruise areas,
and much more, fresh off the mimeograph machines, and passed hand to hand to its audience.

These were published by Swasarnt Nerf, whose real identity is unknown, but of course the name
was supposed to be a play on the French for sixty-nine. Volumes were done in 1949, 1950 and one
in the mid-50s. Very telling of the times is that each volume was entitled A Gay Girl's Guide, with the
use of ''girl" as "vocative, synonymous with darling, loosely by homosexuals with reference to
themselves and their friends." These guides did not include photos, but the editor was able to
intersperse private photos of gay New York's beaches and city scenes from that time period,
making this a more interesting read.

I have copy-and-pasted just the snippets with gay references in Texas below

So...for Texas (1954)

Dallas:
Zila's Band Box
Blue Bonnet
Holiday
Night Bomber
Horseshoe

Fort Worth:
The Longhorn

Galveston:
Omay Khyhams

Houston:
Tonga
Desert Room
Pink Elephant (which was the same as Effie's)