Notorious doorkeeper Marc Beneke evaluates the line of anxious guests - Studio 54 [3/3] :
Studio 54 was a place where the broke and marginalized could rub shoulders (and probably more) with the rich and famous, the club's ethos being that money didn't matter but personality, outlook, style and - above all - enthusiasm for life did. Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Harry, Grace Jones, Michael Jackson, Calvin Klein, Elton John, Rick James, Truman Capote, Freddie Mercury, Ric Flair, Lou Reed, Al Pacino, Cher, David Bowie, Salvador Dalí, Robin Williams and Jackie Kennedy Onassis were all regulars, and that doesn't even put a dent in the list. Studio 54 was viewed as a safe haven by trans people. At a time when members of the LGBT community risked being beaten up or killed on the streets of Hell's Kitchen, the atmosphere inside the club was one free of judgment or prejudice. Many people saw their first gay kiss on the dance floor at Studio 54. Getting in wasn't easy as Steve Rubell ruled with an iron fist at the door to decide who was allowed entry and who was not.
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