I had dated throughout high school, but to see everyone being themselves so openly, truly made me feel alive. People with dyed hair and piercings, guys that looked like cholos cuddled up in the corner, guys kissing and holding hands. I met a lot of characters that night, most of who focused on the Xs on my hands as if they were scarlet letters. Ozz had an expansive dance floor glistening under disco lights and an outdoor patio where I took a long drag from a cigarette that night to pretend to be cool. I didn’t realize it then, but I had found a group of people that I now consider community. Since this was my first visit to any nightclub, this was a foreign experience to me…one that became the norm until I finally became 21.Īs soon as the Ozz doors opened, I was mesmerized by the sounds and sites of groups of people, all genders, all shapes, all sizes. check prompted the bouncer to mark both my hands with big black Xs indicating that I was underage and I could not drink. A quick run across the street while dodging traffic got us laughing at the front door.
When my friends and I arrived on my first visit, we parked across the street at a Wells Fargo lot because I learned space was always limited.
