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For years, decades even, the biggest VIP in the gay scene of New York nightlife has been a straight, Swiss-born woman.
That would be Susanne Bartsch, the legendary club queen who has presided over generations of queer party boys β and other children of the counterculture β in the City That Never Sleeps.
βYou know, Iβm not gay, but I love the community, and Iβve always felt that they need support because they seemed to be treated differently than the heteros,β Bartsch told The Post. βAnd I didnβt like that. People are people. β
Bartschβs longtime love affair with the LGBTQ community β which has gone from the AIDS crisis in the β80s to the βRuPaulβs Drag Raceβ era of today β continues on Saturday night, when her Boom! Pride bash will pump up NYC Pride Weekend atop the Standard, High Line in the Meatpacking District.
βYou know, the gays are just more fun,β said Bartsch. βThey know how to party.β
After moving to New York β where she has lived in the storied Chelsea Hotel since 1981 β Bartsch found her tribe in the gay underground.
βI wasnβt consciously planning to be like, βOh, let me, like, go and be into the gay community,β β she said. βIt was just me. I like color, like excitement β¦ To me, the creativity in the gay community is bigger than anything. Theyβre so incredibly inspiring, from the drag queen to the big gay [muscle] boy.β
But while Bartschβs new book βBartschland: Tales of New York Nightlifeβ shares the snaps and stories behind many a fabulous function, she is also taking a platform-heeled stand as the fiercest ally the gay scene has ever seen.
βMy philosophy of life, my understanding of whatβs right, is that everybody should be able to be what they want to be, and should not be criticized for it. And should definitely have the same rights.β
Here, Bartsch takes us behind the velvet rope of these iconic moments in her reign as New York Cityβs Queen of the Night.
Taking it to the streets
In the 2022 NYC Pride parade, Bartsch had the ultimate party bus sponsored by the Connecticut tourism site CTvisit.com. βThe whole bus was full of my community, the Bartschland crew β from Amanda Lepore to Kevin Aviance,β said Bartsch. βThat was a brilliant experience.β
Fleet Week fun with RuPaul
Long before βDrag Race,β RuPaul sashayed the night away with Fleet Week revelers during Bartschβs monthly party at the Copa, which began in 1987. βI hired him [as emcee],β said Bartsch of RuPaul, who wrote the foreword of βBartschland.β βHe was really witty, and his look was larger than life. And I said, βThatβs a star.β β
In βVogueβ with Madonna
Madonna struck a pose with her βVogueβ video dancers Jose and Luis Xtravaganza at Bartschβs Love Ball AIDS benefit at Roseland in 1989. Twirling into the β90s, Bartschβs parties helped revive New York nightlife in the wake of the AIDS crisis.
βI felt like, βThis is so scary, but I have to keep going and give a place that people can congregate and feel joy and feel safe,β β she said. βIt was really important, and it was focusing on doing looks [instead of] picking up.β
Malcolm Forbes revs up the Roxy
At one of Bartschβs legendary Halloween parties β held at the Chelsea mega-club the Roxy in 1989 β a 69-year-old Malcolm Forbes made a zooming entrance onto the dance floor just months before the tycoonβs death.
βThe Roxy had a ramp, so you could drive in,β Bartsch recalled. βHe drove in with his motorbike to the middle of the dance floor. It was so much fun. He was a really fun guy. I kind of [knew] he was gonna come, but I didnβt expect the motorbike.β
Trick or treat at the Palladium
In 1993, Bartsch celebrated Halloween with fellow nightlife legend Joey Arias (left), gym guru David Barton and a feathered friend at the Palladium. Bartsch married Barton in 1995 β a year after they welcomed son Bailey. βHe was getting people in shape in the day to come to the club at night and have a good time,β she said.
On Top with Adam Lambert
On Tuesday, Bartsch kicked off her NYC Pride WeekΒ by celebrating Adam Lambertβs upcoming EP βAftersβ at her On Top party, held at Le Bain. Sheβll return to theΒ Β Standard, High Line club β as well as the adjacent Boom Boom Room β for her Boom! Pride event on Saturday. βI take over the whole 18th floor!β said Bartsch. βItβs a really special thing.β