recently shone a spotlight on the first “alcohol-free gay bar,” which is not a proper bar but a monthly evening called Queers Without Beers, held in a café space, that offers patrons baked goods and alcohol-free beverages.Īs BuzzFeed U.K.
Meanwhile, across the pond in London-where, as NBC News reported, over half of LGBT pubs and nightclubs have shut down over the last 10 years- BuzzFeed U.K. It also helps that the food is apparently delicious, although I wouldn’t know because I tend to avoid New York City for the same reason I’m not the biggest fan of bars: It is very loud and has too many people. Gay bars have been closing across Brooklyn in recent years but MeMe’s has apparently become something of a sensation.Īs Eater noted, its not just the fact that MeMe’s is queer-owned that makes it appealing but also the institution of “specific policies” like asking staffers to use gender-neutral language and not questioning transgender people who might have a name on their credit card that doesn’t match their gender. MeMe’s Diner in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, made a big splash this month, as Eater reported, after the queer owners called it a “very, very gay restaurant” in an interview. There are promising and recent signs that my dream could become a bona fide trend. The world needs more welcoming businesses that are not centered around alcohol consumption where queer people can simply feel at home. So, whenever I hear the persistent drumbeat of news stories about gay bars in major metropolises shutting down-like San Francisco’s oldest gay bar, which closed just last month-a piece of me does mourn their loss.īut I also hope that the next generation of LGBT city dwellers can create more spaces like Rachael’s, whether alongside gay bars or, as necessary, in their stead. Rachael’s Café was, to quote Tom Hanks’ character in You’ve Got Mail, a “goddamn piazza,” a place “where people mingle and mix and be.” I could sit at a big table with a hot tea and do my work during the day or I could come listen to live music at night. There were scratch-made sweet and savory treats, gender-neutral restrooms, and a transgender owner-the eponymous Rachael-whose very presence behind the counter was a powerful statement of inclusivity.
GAY BAR NEW ORLEANS VIEWING PARTY RUPAUL FULL
Whether it’s dancing with my wife in the labyrinthine Twist nightclub on Miami Beach, goofing off with my friends to the beat of “Anaconda” at New Beginnings in East Tennessee, or watching a drag show full of New Orleans queens at Wonderlust in Jackson, Mississippi, on a sultry summer night, there’s nothing quite like the liberating feeling of letting loose among fellow LGBT people.Īnd yet, when I think about where I have felt the most comfortable as a queer woman, it’s not a gay bar that leaps to mind but rather a queer café: the now-closed Rachael’s in Bloomington, Indiana. Some of the most memorable nights of my life have been spent in gay bars.