Elaine Romagnoli
Born(1942-04-22)April 22, 1942
Englewood, New Jersey
DiedOctober 28, 2021(2021-10-28) (aged 79)
New York City
Occupation(s)Businesswoman, community leader
Years active1972-2004

Elaine Lillian Romagnoli (April 22, 1942 – October 28, 2021) was an American businesswoman and community leader. She founded and ran successful restaurants and lesbian bars, including Bonnie & Clyde's, The Cubby Hole, and Crazy Nanny's in New York City.

Early life

Romagnoli was born in Englewood, New Jersey, the daughter of August (Gus) Romagnoli and Claire Ines Fiorina Romagnoli, and raised in nearby Palisades Park.[1][2]

Career

Romagnoli became a well-known figure in New York's West Village neighborhood in 1972 as hostess of Bonnie & Clyde's, a lesbian bar owned by Louis Corso;[3] she welcomed a celebrity clientele including Gloria Steinem and Yoko Ono, and held fundraisers and other community events. After Bonnie & Clyde's closed, she opened the Cubby Hole in 1983; Stormé DeLarverie was the Cubby Hole's bouncer for a time.[4] She also ran a restaurant, Bonnie's by the Bay, in New Suffolk, and a tapas bar called Sunset Strip. In 1991, all of her 1980s businesses had ended,[5] and she opened another bar, Crazy Nanny's.[6] She sold Crazy Nanny's in 2004, just before she retired.[1]

Romagnoli was active in the North Fork Women for Women Fund on the East End of Long Island, NY; during her term as its president in 2000, the organization held North Fork's first Gay Pride Dance at a vineyard, Castello de Borghese.[7]

Personal life

Romagnoli died in 2021,[8] aged 79 years, at her home in New York City.[1] Her memorial service was held at the Stonewall Inn.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Carmel, Julia (2021-11-08). "Elaine Romagnoli, Longtime Fixture of Lesbian Nightlife, Dies at 79". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  2. ↑ "Romagnoli". The Record. 2009-11-10. pp. L5. Retrieved 2022-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Crawford, Phillip Jr. (2022-04-07). "Elaine Romagnoli Apparently Was Not the Owner of New York City Lesbian Bar Bonnie and Clyde". Medium. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  4. ↑ Sparacino, Gia (2021-12-09). "Lesbian Bar Legend Elaine Romagnoli Passes, Queer Spaces Die With Her". Medium. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  5. ↑ Reyes, Nina (December 26, 1990). "Landmark Lesbian Bar Shuts Its Doors for Good". OutWeek: 18 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ↑ "Crazy Nanny's". NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  7. ↑ Weisman, Leslie Kanes (2014-04-09). "History of the North Fork Women For Women Fund". North Fork Women. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  8. ↑ Wolfe, Kathi (2021-12-30). "In memoriam: Remembering queer lives lost in 2021". Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  9. ↑ Recchio, Tom (2021-11-18). "Elaine Romagnoli, a Queer Pioneer and Legend, 79". The Provincetown Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  • Gwendolyn Stegall, A Spatial History of Lesbian Bars in New York City (master's thesis, Columbia University, May 2019).
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