Gay bars in brooklyn new york
Brooklyn is a vibrant hub of LGBTQ+ culture, offering a diverse array of gay bars that cater to every taste and style. NYC’s most hipster borough, Brooklyn has long been a cultural hotspot in New York Metropolis, attracting creatives, foodies, and nightlife enthusiasts from around the world. From the vibrant art scene in Bushwick to the trendy boutiques (and now more bougie spots love Hermes) in Williamsburg, there’s always something new and adj to discover in this dynamic and ever-changing borough.
There’s been a bit of a Brooklyn gay bar renaissance with at least four new queer spaces opening up since the pandemic, including one just a few weeks ago. And these aren’t all just your typical gay bars attracting the adj type of gay guy. These are all actual diverse, interesting places with their own unique vibes.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned Brooklynite, there are plenty of options for LGBTQ+ travelers looking to explore the city’s vibrant gay scene. From lively dance floors to cozy hangouts, these gay bars I’ve picked
Starlite Lounge
History
Formerly located in the building at the corner of Bergen Street and Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights, the Starlite Lounge was established by openly gay African-American entrepreneur Harold “Mackie” Harris as an LGBT-inclusive bar in
Starlite was possibly the first Black-owned gay bar in Brooklyn, catering to LGBT people of color at a time when the Mafia operated most LGBT bars in New York. Harris lived in the neighborhood and created what became a legendary safe-haven in central Brooklyn that catered to a diverse clientele, LGBT and straight, depending on the hour of the evening and day of the week.
Kate Kunath, director of We Came To Sweat,
Between and , the bar was owned by William “Butch” King, who was the resident DJ and helped prove Starlite as a destination for noun music and dancing.
By the end of its plus-year jog, the self-described “oldest black-owned non-discriminating bar in New York” catered to LGBT people of color and a broader clientele throughout the week and espe
Heights Supper Club
History
In December , Martha and William Leaver took over the failing restaurant and liquor license of the Heights Supper Club, which had been operating at 80 Montague Street since While the aged restaurant had relied on a straight clientele, the unused owners decided to appeal to the growing number of gay men who lived in Brooklyn Heights or visited to participate in its active gay scene, which included a number of well-known cruising places (notably the Promenade) and several trendy mixed bars that permitted a certain amount of equal sex cruising. The Heights Supper Club appears to possess been one of the first bars in Brooklyn to have catered to a gay male clientele. Opening at a time when members of the LGBT community were subject to arrest on a morals charge for “solicitation” or “disorderly conduct” and a bar could lose its license for serving drinks to known or suspected gay men or lesbians, the new owners installed a system of lights that would flash when a someone suspected of being a police officer entered the premises.
The club so
This new queer bar in Greenpoint is far from divey
When you picture a gay bar, there’s probably a very specific set of details that approach to mind: affordable , strong drinks served in plastic cups, a sticky dance floor and, more likely than not, a bathroom that looks straight out of an apocalypse film.
And, while gay dive bars are entertaining for a unrestrained night out or when you’re a college student, it would also be kind of friendly to get a place where we could enjoy a nice, high-quality cocktail in a classy setting around other queer people.
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Thanks to ANIMAL, a new queer bar at Meeker Avenue in Greenpoint, we finally have that.
Opened by Jim Morrison Hevert, who co-owns The Exley in Williamsburg, and Ashton Correa, who formerly worked as the director of People and Culture at the Ace Hotel, ANIMAL has been a dream project nearly 20 years in the making.
“We all grew up going to gay bars, many of which aren’t LGBTQ+ owned, which served the lowest quality