Gay New York: a gui to clubs, bars, drag shows and queer culture | New York holidays | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY BARS QUEENS: WHERE TO PARTY JACKSON HEIGHTS
• THE BEST QUEENS GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS QUEENS
• THE OLST GAY BAR QUEENS SECUR ITS FUTURE JACKSON HEIGHTS
• THE 30 BT GAY BARS NYC
• THE BT GAY HOOK-UP SPOTS NYC
• THE 15 BT GAY BARS NYC TO CHECK OUT
• THE 10 BEST NEW YORK CY GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS NEW YORK CY
• THE OLST GAY BAR QUEENS SECUR ITS FUTURE JACKSON HEIGHTS
• THE BT GAY HOOK-UP SPOTS NYC
• THE BEST JACKSON HEIGHTS GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS JACKSON HEIGHTS
• THE BT GAY CLUBS AMERI
•  NEW YORK LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS
• GAY NEW YORK: A GUI TO CLUBS, BARS, DRAG SHOWS AND QUEER CULTURE

GAY BARS QUEENS: WHERE TO PARTY JACKSON HEIGHTS

Gay bars Queens tend to be outsi the gipster strongholds of Astoria and Long Island Cy (those gays are close enough to Manhattan that they're willg to mute for nightlife).

Queens' gay bars are ncentrated slightly further out, the racially and culturally diverse neighborhood of Jackson Heights.

The fact that Manhattan is kd-of a schlep om here has led not jt to longevy for a uple bars, but to a fully thrivg scene centered on Roosevelt sptg distance of one another you’ll fd Te Colors, Club Evolutn, Bum Bum Bar and Queens’ olst gay bar Friends’ Tavern.

THE BEST QUEENS GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS QUEENS

The olst gay bar Queens, Friend’s Tavern, will rema Jackson Heights at 78-11 Roosevelt Avenue, near 79th Street.

Though was not immediately clear whether Friend’s was imment danger of closg whout purchasg the se, many gay bars have feared they wouldn’t be able to survive the panmic. While bathho, drag balls, and good ol’ “Screech Beach” (also known as the beach at Jab Riis Park) were all important s for queer gathergs, the cy’s queer muny pecially thrived s gay bars.

Bars allowed queer people to socialize whout a polil agenda and offered a space for them to celebrate their sexualy wh relative eedom—“relative” beg the key word, as homosexual solicatn was still illegal and police raids were mon. In New York’s gay bars, however, pri is a yearlong event—and for your nvenience, we’ve assembled a list of the bt LGBTQ bars the cy has to offer, om chic clubs to kky div to s-old queer strongholds. Gay Bars Near Me.

THE OLST GAY BAR QUEENS SECUR ITS FUTURE JACKSON HEIGHTS

Consistently ranked as one of NYC’s bt gay bars by New York Magaze and The Village Voice, Indtry is known for s sizeable high-ceilged dance floor and dtrial athetic. Another historic favore, Greenwich Village’s Juli’ holds the distctn of beg the olst ntually operatg gay bar New York Cy. In 1966, a full three years before the Stonewall Rts, Juli’ was also the se of the Mattache Society’s “sip-, ” a prott agast the then-mon practice of bars refg to serve alhol to gay people, that ultimately succeed forcg the State Liquor Authory to relax s discrimatory polici.

As one of only 21 lbian bars left the untry and one of three New York Cy (the other two beg Cubbyhole jt a few blocks north and Gger’s Bar Park Slope) Henrietta Hudson is fiercely mted to creatg a space that embrac members of the LGBTQ muny who are often left alienated queer spac domated by cis gay men. In recent years, some gay bars have begun dilutg the kks and raw sexualy that prevly fed the spac an effort to make them a ltle more accsible to heterosexual bar hoppers.

When the permanent versn of his avant-gar queer nightclub opened 2017, quickly beme known for s dazzlg, celebry-studd baret, drag, and standup performanc ( whose dienc Cummg himself n ocsnally be spotted) as well as for hostg events that might not be tradnally found a gay bar, such as jazz jam ssns and “drk and draw” nights wh live figure mols. Servg as Queens’ premiere gay bar, Astoria is known for s top-tier drag talent. 27 plac sorted by traveler favorBars & Clubs • Gay BarsDowntown Manhattan (Downtown)Bars & Clubs • Gay BarsDowntown Manhattan (Downtown)Gay BarsDowntown Manhattan (Downtown)Bars & Clubs • Gay BarsDowntown Manhattan (Downtown)What travelers are saygDgn1010Dungannon, UK392 ntributnsSo ol to be drkg such a historil bar.

THE 30 BT GAY BARS NYC

Flamg Saddl is the perfect mix of great drks, Amerina, gay culture and cute bar high energy gay bar rais the roof wh their bar top dancg bartenrs.

I went to a few gay bars, and by far this was the bt place to dance and the mic was the bt here, varied, and not too much dance mic like you got your head bangg a fish bowl! If you have gay iends like me, brg them there, you will have the bt night out!

THE BT GAY HOOK-UP SPOTS NYC

There are plenty of gay bars up and down 9th ave and there's no reason to spend money at a place that will treat you like total trash, threaten you, and be unnecsarily belligerent and make you feel unsafe jt bee they're on some kd of power trip. The spac, whether always gay iendly or only durg certa tim of the day or week, gave LGBT people the eedom to be themselv a way they ually uld not be their personal or profsnal liv.

A number of gay bars Jackson Heights have a big followg Queens, but Friend’s Tavern is one of the most popular.

The longt-nng gay bar the cy, this Wt Village stutn proudly displays s history. Juli is one of the olst gay bars NYC. Ground zero for the 1969 rts that helped lnch the gay rights movement, Stonewall is still a rog, though very touristy, Village statn to pay tribute to the movement.

THE 15 BT GAY BARS NYC TO CHECK OUT

This popular and cheerful gay bar occupi a roomy, thoughtfully signed space wh a backyard South Williamsburg. Q Center particularly works to help those most unrserved through addrsg heterosexism, homophobia, and transphobia. The Anti-Vlence Project – Long Island (AVP-LI) nontsvlence mted both agast and wh lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr (LGBT) and HIV-Posive project serv survivors of all vlence, cludg domtic vlence, timate partner vlence, sexual asslt, youth datg vlence, anti-LGBT and/or anti-HIV hate-motivated vlence, harassment, discrimatn, elr abe, and child abe.

LIGALY’s Communy Edutn ProgramSce 1993, LIGALY has worked wh schools, lleg and universi, and health and human service provirs to te the muny about the needs and experienc of gay, lbian, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) stunts. A few of our most popular workshops:Creatg Safer Schools for LGBT Young PeopleAudience: Faculty and School Staff, Edutn StuntsThis workshop is tend for Elementary, Intermediate, Middle, Junr andSenr High School staff terted learng about sexual orientatn, thechalleng facg lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) youth, andhow to create a safe and supportive school 101Audience: College StuntsIn this workshop, we will create a basic overview of sexual orientatn andgenr inty as well as their social nstctns. A discsn ofheterosexism, homophobia, and transphobia will also be prented.

THE 10 BEST NEW YORK CY GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS NEW YORK CY

Growg Up Gay and LbianAudience: Stunts Gras 7-12, College StuntsThis teractive workshop addrs stereotyp, sexual orientatn, homophobia, appropriate e of the word, “gay, ” and how stunts n createa safe and supportive school climate. Before the Stonewall rts  the summer of 1969, Greenwich Village had already long been the origal “Gayborhood.

” The uprisg, largely led by transgenr women, put the Village, and New York Cy, on the map as a gay mec, and spurred the creatn of LGBT rights groups natnwi. The list shows that gayborhoods have evolved om plac anchored by servic, bars, and large queer muni — like the Village and Chelsea — to smaller, more diffe enclav throughout the boroughs. Although the servic and bars are ls ncentrated, the existence of newer gayborhoods monstrate the ntued need for LGBTQ safe havens, s for anizg and ristg the stat quo, and plac to socialize and love eely are still need.

“Transient parti or monthly celebratns often replace signated gay bars, which are a clg form of nightlife throughout the natn. In many neighborhoods, New York Cy’s openly gay and lbian elected officials not only reprent their muni, but have been a drivg force makg their muni more welg to LGBTQ dividuals.

THE OLST GAY BAR QUEENS SECUR ITS FUTURE JACKSON HEIGHTS

(There are currently five members of Cy Council’s LGBT Cc, four openly gay or lbian state legislators, and gubernatorial ndidate Cynthia Nixon is openly bisexual. The Natnal Gay and Lbian Chamber of Commerce data also shows that the largt clter of LGBT-owned bs the cy are there.

Chelsea is home to proment natnal LGBTQ anizatns, like the media watchdog, GLAAD; the Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network (GLSEN); and a Servic & Advocy for GLBT Elrs (SAGE) office. Further north, Hell’s Kchen offers a plethora of nightlife, particularly gay bars cltered along Nth Avenue.

“It is still one of the largt centers of LGBTQ bars, anizatns, historic s and monuments, like the Stonewall Natnal Monument and the Gay Liberatn sculpture, and remas the disputably appropriate lotn for the NYC Pri March to culmate, ” Kancilia said. The Potters Hoe Church of the Livg God is a gay-iendly hoe of worship, welg those who may not feel wele some lol church. The ftival was anized by the Third Avenue Bs Improvement District, which held a fundraiser for — lled the “Big Gay Bronx Bnch” — at Charlie’s Bar & Kchen Mott Haven’s hip, historic clock tower buildg.

THE BT GAY HOOK-UP SPOTS NYC

Earlier this year Dtatn Tomorrow announced plans to build an LGBT center Melrose to further provi safe spac for the Bronx LGBT muny and work to end homophobia and transphobia. Cy Councilman Rchie Torr, the borough’s first openly gay elected official, led the ph for the project. Beyond this clter of nightlife optns, the neighborhood is home to the Queens Pri Hoe, the Queens Center for Gay Senrs and the Dari Project, a grassroots group aimed at creasg acceptance of LGBTQ people of Korean scent Korean Amerin muni.

Daniel Dromm, the area’s openly gay Cy Councilman, -found the para nearly 30 years ago — ially held at a neighborhood gay bar. It was spurred by the 1990 ath of Jul Rivera, a gay Lato man btally attacked a school yard. “Dpe havg the send largt pri para the cy, LGBTQ muny groups are still workg hard to fight homophobic and transphobic vlence the area, ” Kancilia said.

THE BEST JACKSON HEIGHTS GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS JACKSON HEIGHTS

“Followg two recent attacks on gay and trans dividuals, one that reportedly occurred hours after this year’s pri para and another jt four days later, lol groups quickly mobilized to hold a rally to voice ncerns and promote tolerance. As more people are movg to the area, which is reprented by openly gay Cy Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, more LGBTQ servic are poppg up. It is workg wh lol schools on creatg safer environments for LGBT stunts and helpg velop their gay-straight allianc.

The borough also has an openly gay State Assemblyman, Matthew Tone, who has reprented the North Shore for more than a .

The analysis also looked at the Natnal Gay and Lbian Chamber of Commerce’s public list of LGBT-owned bs, intified out LGBTQ elected officials currently office and referenced the NYC LGBT Historic S Project for further ntext. Explicly nceived as a haven for gay men, was known for s youthful clientele, celebry patrons, and notorly hedonistic vibe; beme even more of a draw wh the openg of “The Backlot, ” an adjacent performance venue that featured some of the biggt “A-list” acts of the era.

THE BT GAY CLUBS AMERI

“Stt Forb’ visn was to have a place for gay whe men only, ” Saltarelli tells . Sadly, that joy mt now be forever tempered by the knowledge that Koko, whose life sh so brightly om the screen, has been lost to – who, though thori say there is no evince her ath was motivated by homophobia or transphobia, is neverthels yet another victim of the eply embedd hate and vlence that hnts our culture and mak movi like this one seem so very, very prec.

Friend’s Tavern (or Friend’s) Jackson Heights is known as the olst active gay bar Queens and has been owned sce 1989 by Eddie Valent and Casimiro Villa, bs partners and former personal partners. It has been a particularly important nightlife space for gay and bisexual Lato men, many of whom, as immigrants, found a sense of muny an openly gay environment that they may not have had their native untri. Friend’s Tavern (popularly referred to as Friend’s) has been bs at this lotn sce 1989 and is nsired the olst operatg gay bar Queens.

Valent, who along wh Villa also operat the nearby Club Evolutn, has lled this stretch of Roosevelt Avenue “the gay Village for Latos, ” reference to the historilly gay whe enclave of Greenwich Village Manhattan.

 NEW YORK LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS

Though Jackson Heights’ LGBT muny was predomantly whe datg back to the 1920s, many gay Hispanics moved as part of a large flux of Lato immigrants the 1970s and 1980s. For Latos, the nightlife spac reflected the dance-driven cultur of their native untri, but also provid an openly gay atmosphere that, for many, was not available back home.

GAY NEW YORK: A GUI TO CLUBS, BARS, DRAG SHOWS AND QUEER CULTURE

Acrdg to LGBT rights activist and journalist Andrés Duque, walkg to Friend’s soon after emigratg om Colombia 1993 and seeg Colombian men kissg and dancg together was “a revelatn of [his] life and [his] gay life. ” Others also relled the signifince of beg around people wh shared backgrounds — Lato, immigrant, and LGBT — which fostered a sense of muny, particularly for those who moved to New York whout their fai or were forced to be more closeted their homeland (though gay bars did sometim exist urban areas) or their immigrant muni here. Two days after the June 12, 2016 mass shootg at the gay nightclub Pulse, Orlando, Florida, which the majory of the victims were Hispanic (and nearly half were Puerto Rin), Valent helped anize an English- and Spanish-language vigil outsi Club Evolutn that ntued along Roosevelt Avenue to Friend’s and Te Colors, another gay Lato bar.

Valent, who knew some of the victims om when they lived Jackson Heights and equented Friend’s and other area bars, spoke about the importance of gay nightlife spac as safe havens:. There are a lot of [LGBT] people who e om other untri, and they leave primarily bee of the fact that there’s so much prejudice and homophobia their untri.