Big Gay Hudson Valley - Queer & LGBTQ+ Life Upstate New York

Contents:

• EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS KGSTON
• THE 5 BEST ONTAR GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS ONTAR
• THE BEST KGSTON-UPON-HULL GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS KGSTON-UPON-HULL
• GAY DATG KGSTON
• GAY JAMAI - KGSTON FOM

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS KGSTON

Office, Kgston’s first official gay bar, opened the early 1980s on the rner of Montreal St.

THE 5 BEST ONTAR GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS ONTAR

Although the Office was the first openly gay bar, a number of other gay bars have occupied space at the Plaza, until as recently as 1997, when Dreammakers, the last lbian bar the buildg, closed s doors. Sce the openg of the Office, a number of gay bars have occupied var Kgston lotns, cludg Robert’s Club Vogue, which then beme Club 477, a reference to s addrs at 477 Prcs; Wally’s, a dance bar on Bath Road; and Shay Foo Foo’s marti lounge the basement of the Rt Inn on Prcs Street, the recent closure of which has left Kgston whout a gay bar at the time of wrg.

THE BEST KGSTON-UPON-HULL GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS KGSTON-UPON-HULL

Although openly signated “gay bars” did not exist Kgston before the early ’80s, this absence did not stop gays and lbians om rvg out a place for themselv. Jt as gay men uld cise the park as long as they remaed a subtle, somewhat hidn, prence, lbians and gays occupied space bars on the ndn that their behavur did not visibly transgrs nventnal sexual norms. The list of gay-tolerant bars is surprisgly long: the Elbow Room, the Cat’s Meow, the Indian Room, the Wagon Wheel, The Grand, Chez Piggy, and the Black Sheep Inn.

Except for the Black Sheep Inn and Chez Piggy, all the gay-tolerant bars were primarily workg-class stutns that acmodated a mixed-class clientele. Male narrators foc on gay-tolerant drkg tablishments as prime cisg areas, while female narrators are more likely to discs the bar as a place to build on existg iendship works and meet potential partners.

GAY DATG KGSTON

Return to the Gay and Lbian History Map. Chanc are, if you’re readg this, you’ve heard somethg fabulo about Upstate New York or you’ve wonred to yourself “is the Hudson Valley gay iendly?

GAY JAMAI - KGSTON FOM

Workg your way up the river, one of the first towns wh our Big Gay Hudson Valley is the village of Cold Sprg Putnam County. Well known for ’s adventurome mayor – who was the first to marry gay and lbian upl 2004 – this is one of the funkier llege towns of the Hudson Valley.

While you’re there, be sure to check out one of s gay-owned shops or tch a fabulo pnnt film at Upstate Films. Loted on eher si of the Rip Van Wkle Bridge, the two towns are packed wh gay life. The furtht of the statns on our lol map, gay life the Cy of Hudson is driven primarily by Trixie Starr, the head of the Hudson Pri Foundatn and the anizer of the town’s Pri Para.

It feels a ltle like you’ve taken a step back time once you arrive, but even Catskill has s own gay bar; Doubl II. Around four years ago, Kgston’s last gay bar — Shay Foo Foo’s — shut s doors for good.

Nearly 30 years later, wh changg attus towards the LGBTQ muny, ’s up the air whether the safe haven of a gay bar should rema, acrdg to some members. Greater tolerance of gay culture, they argue, has dissolved solidary Kgston’s LGBTQ muny, as they branch out and lose touch wh the difficult realy of havg once been a targeted mory. “[Now] you n dance anywhere this town as a gay man, really, ” Bilow, 61, said.

Sce then, multiple attempts to tablish a regular hangout for the seemgly sexually alienated have fallen short: more publicly hoed gay bars beme repeated s of gay-bashgs and erratic ownership that eventually wrought fancial misfortune, Bilow relled.