Gay bars in queens new york
Bars & Nightlife
overview
While their significance is often underestimated or dismissed by heterosexual society, bars and other establishments played a pivotal role throughout the 20th century — but particularly in the pre-Stonewall era — as centers for LGBT movement and community.
These spaces, whether always gay friendly or only during certain times of the day or week, gave LGBT people the freedom to be themselves in a way they usually could not be in their personal or professional lives.
This curated collection largely reflects the bar and nightlife scene of downtown Manhattan; as we research more sites we encourage you to reach out to us with suggestions in upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs.
Header Photo
Truman Capote (center) with Liza Minnelli and Steve Rubell at Studio 54 in an undated photo. Photographer and cause unknown.
Friend’s Tavern
History
Friend’s Tavern (popularly referred to as Friend’s) has been in business at this location since 1989 and is considered the oldest operating gay exclude in Queens. The modest storefront itself pre-dates Friend’s, with the exception of the business signal, which, at one time, included the slogan, “There is always time for friends.”
The bar is owned by Puerto Rican-born Eduardo “Eddie” Valentin and Colombian-born Casimiro Villa, who are business partners and former personal partners (and they remain next to friends). Like other nearby bars on and around Roosevelt Avenue, Friend’s caters primarily to the LGBT Latino collective. Valentin, who along with Villa also operates the nearby Club Evolution, has called this stretch of Roosevelt Route “the gay Village for Latinos,” in reference to the historically gay colorless enclave of Greenwich Village in Manhattan. Though Jackson Heights’ LGBT community was predominantly white internet dating back to the 1920s, many same-sex attracted Hispanics moved in as part of a large influx of Latino immigrants in the 1970s and 1980s.
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Gay bars in Queens tend to be outside the gipster strongholds of Astoria and Long Island City (those gays are close enough to Manhattan that they're willing to commute for nightlife). Queens' gay bars are concentrated slightly further out, in the racially and culturally diverse neighborhood of Jackson Heights. The fact that Manhattan is kind-of a schlep from here has led not just to longevity for a couple bars, but to a fully thriving scene centered on Roosevelt Avenue.
Within spitting distance of one another you’ll find True Colors, Club Evolution, Bum Bum Bar and Queens’ oldest queer bar Friends’ Tavern. Just around the corner are Lucho’s Place and Hombres Lounge.
The bars here have more glaring similarities than differences: all have hookah service and a standard $6 Corona. They all propose birthday celebrations, providing freebies often including a cake, invitations, plates and flatware—sometimes even a bottle of bubbly—as drawn-out as you convey along all your friends and family. There are no intimidating dress codes or door policies, and the accepted soundtrack is Latin dance-pop at varying degrees of electronic remixing. There’s al
Best Gay Bars in New York City
Home to what is arguably the world's most famous male lover bar, The Stonewall Inn, Modern York is a world chief when it comes to queer nightlife. Whilst today's gay scene is concentrated in the Hell’s Kitchen area, the historic districts of Chelsea and Greenwich Village still boast thriving collections of gay bars and clubs. Recent York’s gay bars attract a mix of locals and visiting gay travelers, which makes for an incredibly diverse scene. There is something for everyone in the city that never sleeps.
Line your stomach and enjoy world-class drag talent at Lucky Cheng’s; the original home of the drag dinner. After basking in the dazzling glow of the bar’s iconic acts, it’s period to visit the world’s most famous gay bar. The Stonewall Inn, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, was the site of the famous protests that kick-started the gay rights movement in the USA and is still a popular group hang-out. Finish your night under the pulsing strobe lights of Industry; a mainstay of Unused York City’s gay scene, this 4000ft sq venue guarantees an unforgettable gay clubbing experience.
Check out: New York Lesbian Bars,New York's Gay Dance