įinocchio's was 'off limits' during World War II, not due to the entertainment, but rather for selling liquor to the military outside the authorized hours of sales. įinocchio's often featured traditional drag, with performers in gowns singing or lip-synching to top 40 ballads. In the days before gay liberation, female impersonator clubs provided semi-public social spaces for sexual minorities to congregate. The acts included varying ethnic-inspired performances such as geisha-style performances, which may have helped encourage tourists and contributed to the diverse, often racially diverse crowds, which was unusual during this time of segregation.
Both gay and straight performers worked there. The club was not advertised as a gay club it was advertised as a place for entertainment and fun. Joseph 'Joe' Finocchio, the creator of the club, had the idea of a nightclub with female impersonators in costumes when a patron jokingly went on the stage of his club and did a routine that the crowd enjoyed. The term finocchio is Italian for fennel, but is often a negative term for homosexual.
Finocchio are described as young male prostitutes, often underage, working at brothels. In New York City, the Italian word finocchio was common derogatory slang meaning fairy, or homosexual.
