Whether it’s a sprawling megaclub with a massive sound system and an eye-popping light show like the famed Abbey in West Hollywood or a hole-in-the-wall dive with $5 drinks so strong, they’d knock out a horse with two sips, gay bars hold a kind of sacred allure in the LGBTQ+ community.ĭespite a decline in recent years due to a number of factors big and small, including the rise of apps and a greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ people overall, gay bars still hold enormous influence in gay culture: They are places where queer people can (mostly) be themselves, revel in queer culture, and shed for a moment the weight of being a minority in a sometimes alienating and harsh world.ĭon’t Forget Those Who Can’t Celebrate PrideĪs with just about all bars in the United States, nearly all gay spots closed during the pandemic - at least for the type of drinking, dancing, and drag shows people knew in pre-Covid days - leaving many queer people without a designated space for community, fun, and bonding. Whatever the case, the real star of the gay-bar story is the bar itself. Or maybe they just dance the night away to Rihanna, Britney, Mariah, and J.Lo. It’s a story as old as time: Guy walks into a bar, orders a drink, meets another guy, they hook up, they never speak again.
