Gay bars rema closed Baltimore jt as LGBTQ muny needs them most - The Baltimore Banner

Contents:

• GAY BARS REMA CLOSED BALTIMORE JT AS LGBTQ MUNY NEEDS THEM MOST
• BALTIMORE GAY BARS
• DES OF PA, MISTST AND A SIRE TO SELF-MEDITE LEAD TO HEAVIER DRK POURS AT BALTIMORE GAY BARS

GAY BARS REMA CLOSED BALTIMORE JT AS LGBTQ MUNY NEEDS THEM MOST

Leon's is Baltimore's olst ntuoly operatg gay bar. Durg Prohibn, the bar survived as a speakeasy and, after WWII, beme a hangout for beatniks and artists wh a mix of gay and straight patrons. Sce 1957, Leon’s has operated as a gay bar.

In s early days as a gay bar, patrons had to say a password before they were let the door: “Are you a iend of Dorothy? ” A mon intifier among gay men at that time, the phrase is a reference to Dorothy Gale of the Wizard of Oz—reportedly for Dorothy's acceptance of her iends spe their unual inti. Now our 53rd Year of Servg the Gay Communy.

Leon's is the olst gay bar Baltimore...

BALTIMORE GAY BARS

Baltimore Gay Pri.

Wh Pri Month celebratns full swg, the fate of Baltimore’s gay bars and nightspots remas uncerta jt as the LGBTQ muny fac a myriad of mountg of the cy’s largt bars and venu — Central and The Manor — rema shuttered, wh no ditn that eher will be open for Pri Week activi this absence of what many ll “safe spac” for LGBTQ members occurs as they and their rights are unr attack by many nservative policians, activists and Knaff, a Harbor East rint and the longtime edor of The Washgton Bla, has been monorg the LGBTQ muny for the past two s. We’ve seen attacks on trans youth and drag queens, along wh book bans and even ‘Don’t say gay’ laws that are ripped om Vladimir Put’s playbook, ” Knaff strsed the sential nature of tablishments centered around LGBTQ clientele.

“Gay bars and clubs are more important than ever, ” Knaff said. “We need our own safe spac where we n be ourselv — gay bars are where I me out, where I met close iends and met my future hband.

DES OF PA, MISTST AND A SIRE TO SELF-MEDITE LEAD TO HEAVIER DRK POURS AT BALTIMORE GAY BARS

No reopeng date has been Hay, Central’s owner, did not rpond to repeated msag om The Baltimore Manor’s fate also remas rtrant and nightclub has been “temporarily closed” sce shortly before Christmas due to damage om broken Up for AlertsGet notified of need-to-know om The Banner“At the current time, we do not have an exact reopeng date and we are at the mercy of ntractors, but we are hopeful won’t be much longer until we n reopen, ” said Josh Gay, who -owns the bs. Other plac — such as The Charl Feral Hill and The Brass Tap Statn North — have regular weekend drag shows, which are normally filled to plac like Guilford Brewery regularly offer LGBTQ-themed events, such as drag bnch, gay bgo and karaoke.

”In addn to providg a safe space for patrons, gay bars also offer employment opportuni for LGBTQ workers who might feel ls fortable workg heterosexual World War II, gay bars have served as “havens” for people such as drag performers and bartenrs lookg to make a livg the gay esystem, acrdg to Greggor Mattson, a soclogy profsor at Oberl College and thor of the 2023 book “Who Needs Gay Bars? ”“For people who are very butch women or very femme mal or genr nonbary, gay clubs have been a key place of employment as well as for ctomers to fd ourselv, ” Mattson Beno, a bartenr at Leon’s Backroom, said his bar offers employment opportuni for all people, gay or straight.