Detroit gay bars
I turned 50 earlier this year. That means I’ve been going to The Woodward Bar & Grill for about half of my life. I had no idea of its history as the oldest gay bar in the city when I first started going back in the ‘90s. All I knew was that it was a great place for a Happy Hour conversation in one of the vast booths in the backroom.
I remember when my good judy, Damon, turned 33, and I congratulated him on reaching the Christ year. That was back in 2005, and I and several other of Damon’s friends have continued to gather at The Woodward most years since then to buy Damon a birthday drink.
Oh, the drinks at The Woodward! I’ve traveled the region and gone to more gay bars than I can count. Nowhere undertake they make drinks like in Detroit institutions like “The Woo,” as it was often called, and Gigi’s. The pours were generous. Intoxication was virtually guaranteed.
My drink was The Woodward’s infamous Blue Motherfucker. The first few sips tasted as if you were drinking paint thinner. But if you could get past them, a warm and pleasa
From downtown Detroit to Royal Oak, Gay-Friendly nightlife reigns supreme. More diverse groups of people = more fun. These bars and nightclubs are filled with people who crave to dance and let loose. Or just have a drink of their choice at the bar and chat. Or just rest quietly in the corner with friends and watch. It’s all okay and nobody cares – just do you. Try these LGBTQ bars and clubs for a guaranteed good time.
Gay-Friendly Bars & Clubs in Metro Detroit
Adam’s Apple
Oh, she’s understated and she’s fun! Adam’s Apple is a smaller space in Warrendale that is known for karaoke nights on Thursdays, so get those singing pipes tuned and ready to belt. It’s also more of a chatty bar where you can grasp a nice conversation with your crew or a friendly stranger. Both owned and operated by trans women, Adam’s Apple is well-known as a welcoming space for trans folk. But of course, all are welcome at this quaint neighborhood bar.
Menjo’s Entertainment Complex
Madonna worshippers, this is where you want to be. Not only can you sway to a plethora of Madonna jams in one evening here,
I have not worked on this blog in years. I leave it up because it documents history. Some of my comments are outdated and not accurate. I only posted the stories that I was told. That is why I left the comments sections on each bar open so people could chime in with their thoughts/opinions. There still are a lot of bars I could list that I never got around to I recognize. The Gold Coast is closed, what is left? The gay bar is dead but for a few. I have discovered an alternative to the gay bar, the gay campground. Gay campgrounds are much like the antique gay bars, you have a sense of community and you can notice your friends every weekend. My favorite is Campit in Saugatuck, MI. (Actually it is in Fennville)
Founded in 2020, Three Fold is an independent quarterly based in Detroit that presents exploratory points of view on arts, culture, and society in addition to original works in various media, including visual art, literature, film and the performing arts. We solicit and commission contributions from artists, writers, and activists around the world. Three Fold is a publication of Trinosophes Projects, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in the historic Eastern Market district in downtown Detroit. Click here to verb out Three Fold’s events page and view a schedule of the publication’s on-site activities.
Three Fold recognizes, supports, and advocates for the sovereignty of Michigan’s twelve federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. We operate on occupied territories called Waawiiyaataanong, named by the Anishinaabeg and including the Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewato