Is the Dallas Gayborhood Gettg Uptown Funked? | Dallas Observer

Contents:

• TOP THGS TO DO AROUND DALLAS' GAYBORHOOD
• MOVG TO LGBT DALLAS, TEXAS? HOW TO FD YOUR PERFECT GAY NEIGHBORHOOD!
• THE “GAYBORHOODS” OF TEXAS
• GET TO KNOW OAK LAWN, DALLAS’ INIC GAYBORHOOD
• DALLAS’S GAYBORHOOD IS MAKG A POST-PANMIC COMEBACK. MANY LGBT PEOPLE STILL DON’T FEEL WELE.
• ARE HIGH-RISE BUILDGS UPTOWN-FUNKG UP THE GAYBORHOOD?
• DALLAS' OAK LAWN 'GAYBORHOOD' BE FIRST TEXAS TO GET STATE HISTORIL MARKER
• OAK LAWN DEVELOPMENTS COULD PRERVE DALLAS’ GAYBORHOOD
• DALLAS' GAYBORHOOD WILL GET A FACE-LIFT
• ARE HIGH-RISE BUILDGS UPTOWN-FUNKG UP THE GAYBORHOOD?

TOP THGS TO DO AROUND DALLAS' GAYBORHOOD

Dallas' famo "gayborhood" ss at the tersectn of Cedar Sprgs Road and Oak Lawn Avenue, the cy's ma LGBTQ+ entertament district.

Named the “Bt Gayborhood” by OUT Magaze 2014, the district also boasts the headquarters of the North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, an anizatn whose missn is to foster an clive bs muny.The cultural opportuni Dallas are abundant for LGBTQ+ people outsi the gayborhood, pecially the arts.

MOVG TO LGBT DALLAS, TEXAS? HOW TO FD YOUR PERFECT GAY NEIGHBORHOOD!

Dallas, once the epome of social nservatism, holds now one of the largt gay ncentratns the US.

Home to a vibrant gay muny, Dallas ranks number 8 among the natn’s most gay-iendly ci. For nearly 30 years, trendy Oak Lawn neighborhood has been the epicenter of Dallas’s gay life. Gay-iendly rtrants, bars, f, and nightclubs will help you make an ia of what Big D’s gay scene is all about.

One of the biggt spots is the Round Up Saloon, nomated as one of the top gay bars the world by TripOut.

THE “GAYBORHOODS” OF TEXAS

No vis to Dallas is plete whout a day spent shoppg at “The Strip”, Dallas’s gay mercial Mec.

Loted at the tersectn of Cedar Sprgs Road and Throckmorton Street, this is one of the noisit and popular gay mercial districts the untry.

GET TO KNOW OAK LAWN, DALLAS’ INIC GAYBORHOOD

One event you should fely attend is The Dallas Gay Pri – one of the biggt gay pris the southern half of the Uned Stat. Whether you’re lookg for a laid-back jazz bar wh craft cktails or a clubby spot wh mic perfect for dancg, Dallas-Fort Worth’s gay bar scene has a spot that will su your needs. Many of the bars are loted Dallas’ famo "gayborhood" Oak Lawn, but you’ll also fd more off-the-beaten-path optns.

DALLAS’S GAYBORHOOD IS MAKG A POST-PANMIC COMEBACK. MANY LGBT PEOPLE STILL DON’T FEEL WELE.

The Strip on Cedar Sprgs is the ma LGBTQ+ entertament district the Oak Lawn neighborhood, so you'll often hear the area lled by eher Oak Lawn, Cedar Sprgs, or the "gayborhood" by lols. Visors to the muny now enjoy a safe space to have bnch wh iends at spots like Roy G's, dance clubs and bars such as Round-Up Saloon or Sue Ellen's, and of urse, celebrate Dallas Pri every year June at Fair Park and the newly lnched Pri Dallas each September the heart of the gayborhood. In 2018, Dallas also beme the first cy Texas to be officially regnized for s gay and lbian neighborhood Oak Lawn.

Our performg arts muny enjoys the hard work and ditn of the Turtle Creek Chorale a gay men's chos that has sung for the queen, and Uptown Players, a theatre pany foced on prentg LGBTQ+ stori.

In addn to Dallas Pri at Fair Park each June, a new group has lnched Pri Dallas to brg an event back to the gayborhood durg September. Dallas is home to the sixth largt LGBTQ+ muny the natn and is one of the most welg, gay-iendly ci the untry.

ARE HIGH-RISE BUILDGS UPTOWN-FUNKG UP THE GAYBORHOOD?

Home to Dallas' LGBT muny and one of the most gay-iendly neighborhoods the untry, Oak Lawn giv off a trendy vibe amongst s diverse and quat hom.

Gayborhood. Texas’ “gayborhoods” aren’t jt neighborhoods wh rabow-pated crosswalks at their tersectns; they’re historic muni where Texas pri and gay pri tersect ever-fascatg unison. Their one-of-a-kd rtrants, vivac nightclubs, and lovable lols crown the gayborhoods as attractive statns—no matter where you fall on the sexualy spectm.

DALLAS' OAK LAWN 'GAYBORHOOD' BE FIRST TEXAS TO GET STATE HISTORIL MARKER

In 1947, one of the first gay bars Texas, Club Reno, opened Dallas, heraldg the cy’s LGBTQ muny as one of the earlit to form the state. As that group grew to over 3, 000 while marchg through downtown, Dallas beme the se of the first gay pri para all of Texas.

The marker ss at “The Gay Crossroads, ” loted at the tersectn of Throckmorton Street and Cedar Sprgs. The sign’s backdrop is JR’s Bar & Grill, an inic gay club that has served Amerin eats sce 1980 wh regular drag queen and celebry appearanc.

Next door is Statn 4, known to lols as S4, a 24, 000-square-foot nightclub and gay utopia sce 1986. Also at “The Gay Crossroads” tersectn is Sue Ellen’s, nsired to be the olst lbian bar the state.

OAK LAWN DEVELOPMENTS COULD PRERVE DALLAS’ GAYBORHOOD

The Montrose neighborhood Hoton was found 1911 and had an timated 30 to 40 gay bars by the late ’70s. In June of 1977, LGBTQ advote Ray Hill anized a rally prott of sger and anti-gay activist Ana Bryant visg the cy. More than 1, 000 people showed up, which began the gay liberatn movement Montrose and led Hill to help tablish The Montrose Center, an anizatn still operatg today that foc not only on advocy but also on offerg rourc to the muny.

Ls than five wt downtown, Montrose featur gayborhood stapl like permanently stalled rabow crosswalks and historic saloons.

RIPCORD opened 1980 and has the distctn of beg the olst gay leather bar Texas.

DALLAS' GAYBORHOOD WILL GET A FACE-LIFT

San Anton’s Ma Avenue is terchangeably referred to as “The Strip” and “The Gay Strip, ” but ’s gay no matter what you ll .

Loted jt north of downtown, Tob Hill, this central gayborhood district don’t fall short on rabow flair. Also on June 26 is The Strip’s Pri Block Party, an -person event to memorate Pri Month the gayborhood.

In 2016, Luther’s hosted a spontaneo meetg wh San Anton Police Chief William McMan to discs the rponse of lol law enforcement after the tragic mass shootg at a gay nightclub Orlando, Florida. A short stri over a nearby rabow crosswalk will land you at the pnacle of gay nightlife San Anton, North Ma Avenue’s bar strip. And when ’s time to play, watch out—you’ll likely fd partyg up at the Crossroads, AKA the tersectn of Throckmorton Street and Cedar Sprgs Road at the heart of our own Oak Lawn gayborhood.

ARE HIGH-RISE BUILDGS UPTOWN-FUNKG UP THE GAYBORHOOD?

As a proud gay man (Happy Pri, y’all!

Ined, I was young and naive back the mid-1990s, but spe beg warned that some Dallas gays were snobs, I managed to fd a tribe of lifelong iends and chosen fay, a partner of two-and-a-half s, and a nng bar tab that’s probably hoverg somewhere around $300, 000 (and untg). In fact, wherever you fd me the ‘hood, I’m typilly acpanied by a healthy dtg of glter, the latt on-trend cktail, and a soundtrack fueled by pop divas—and that’s jt when visg my chiropractor or droppg off shirts at the dry GayborhoodSure, I’ve wnsed first-hand the chang Oak Lawn and the surroundg areas have gone through over the years, but at s re, much has stayed the same. Though we’re probably never gog to see that same kd of hey-gurl hay day ever aga, we still have 24 waterg hol across North Texas wh 17 sttered about the gayborhood.

Across the street, untry wtern dancg (cludg lsons) is the claim to fame of Round-Up Saloon & Dance Hall, a sprawlg venue wh multiple bars and a separate karaoke parlor near the entrance—not to mentn once beg voted the bt gay untry wtern dance hall the entire US of A.