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Gay bar

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"Gay Bar" is also a 2003 song by Electric Six from the album Fire.

A gay bar is a drinking establishment which can vary in character as much as any other type of bar, but which caters exclusively or primarily to a gay and / or lesbian clientele. Other names include gay club or a gay pub, queer bar, lesbian bar, dyke bar, or boy bar.

Gay bars range in size from the tiny, five-seat bars of Tokyo to large, multi-story "super-clubs" with several distinct areas and often more than one dance floor. A large venue may be referred to as a nightclub, club, or bar, while smaller venues are typically called bars and sometimes pubs. The only defining characteristic of a gay bar is the nature of its clientele. While many gay bars target the gay and /or lesbian communities, some (usually older and firmly established) gay bars have become gay, as it were, through custom, over a long period of time.

Types of gay bars and their characteristics

The serving of alcohol is the primary focus of many gay bars and pubs. Like non-gay establishments they serve as a meeting place and community focal point, in which conversation and relaxation is the primary focus of the clientele.

Music, either live or, more commonly, mixed by a DJ or DJs, is often a prominent feature of other gay bars. Music in gay bars, as in other bars, ranges in style from jazz and blues to disco, pop, drum and bass, punk, house, trance, and techno. In bars which have music and dancing as their primary focus, lighting design and video projection, fog machines and raised dancing platforms may feature, as they do in non-gay bars and clubs which also focus on music and dance. Hired dancers (called go-go boys or go-go girls) may also feature in decorative "cages" or on podiums. In the 1980s and early 90's a particular genre of music known as hi-nrg or eurobeat became popular in the gay bars and clubs, and was quite distinct from the music being played by DJs in the mainstream or straight clubs at the same time. There are still a couple of clubs in London which further distinguish themselves as gay clubs by the music they play - the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in Vauxhall would be one example, Bromptons in Earls Court would be another. Record labels which have good examples of these genres are Almighty Records (Andy "Almighty" Wetson), Loading Bay Records (the late Duncan Finlayson), Klone Records, and Ian Levine's Record Shack label.

Gay bars and their clientele are sometimes indiscriminate as to which restroom (men's or women's) they use, though this may be illegal in some jurisdictions; unisex toilets are common in gay bars.

Some gay bars and clubs also have "backrooms," which are dimly lit or darkened rooms in which same-sex sexual activity takes place, though this feature, once common, is now more unusual. However, a minority of gay bars and clubs still exist which are primarily sex clubs in nature. These are establishments where sex on the premises is acceptable, and is the main focus of the clientele. These bars and clubs may serve alcohol and have dance floors, but the main interest is in sex.

Gay bars and nightclubs are sometimes segregated by sex. In some establishments, people who are perceived to be of the "wrong" sex (for example, a man attempting to enter a women's club) may be unwelcome or even barred from entry. This may be more common in specialty bars, such as gay male leather fetish or BDSM bars, or bars or clubs which have a strict dress code. It is also common in bars and clubs where sex on the premises is a primary focus of the establishment.

In the past lesbian-only bars were comparatively uncommon and tended to be concentrated in major urban conurbations. However of late they are experiencing something of a surge in popularity. Some gay bars and clubs which have a predominantly male clientele, as well as some gay bathhouses and other sex clubs, may offer women-only nights on a weekly or monthly basis.

Some gay bars attempt to restrict entry only to gays or lesbians, but in practice this is difficult to enforce. Gay bars are often welcoming of transgender and cross-dressed people, and drag shows are a common feature in many gay bars.

Like other clubs, gay clubs are often advertised by handing out eye-catching flyers on the street, in gay or gay-friendly shops and venues, and at other clubs and events. These flyers frequently feature provocative images.

History

The Stonewall Inn in New York City (January 2003), where a police raid in 1969 led to the Stonewall Rebellion, the beginning of the modern gay rights movement in America.

One of the oldest gay bars was the White Swan, on Vere Street, in London, which in 1810 was raided (called the Vere Street Coterie), leading to two executions for the then crime of sodomy, and which was frequently the scene of gay marriages carried out by the Reverend John Church [1].

The Black Cat Bar was the focus of one of the earliest victories of the homophile movement. In 1951 the California Supreme Court affirmed the right of homosexuals to assemble in a case brought by the heterosexual owner of the bar.

Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village, New York City is the location of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, considered to be a major turning point of the modern gay rights movement in America. Prior to then, it was illegal in New York for a place serving alcoholic beverages to allow homosexuals to gather. The place could lose its liquor licence as a result. However, gay bars would often be tolerated--with strategic bribes given to the police.

Notable gay nightclubs

Denmark

Costa Rica

  • Club Oh!
  • Bochinche

Germany

Ireland

Philippines

United Kingdom

London
  • Heaven, billing itself as "the world's most famous gay nightclub," has been open since 1979 and is underneath Charing Cross mainline train station in London, United Kingdom
  • G-A-Y, based at the Astoria on Charing Cross Road London, United Kingdom claims to be the largest gay nightclub in Europe. It has two sister bars called G-A-Y Bar and G-A-Y Late which, together with the nightclub, form a gay triangle in Soho because of their location. The night club itself may be forced to close or re-locate in 2007 due to the venue being sold by it's owners to developers.
  • Black Cap, long-established gay pub in Camden Town, London, United Kingdom
  • Popstarz, London. Long-running alternative night at various venues over the years, currently at Scala in Kings Cross. The promoters also a run a bar with a similar indie theme in Soho called Trash Palace.
  • Coleherne pub, infamous haunt of serial killers, Dennis Nilsen, Michael Lupo and Colin Ireland as well as being mentioned in Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City book Babycakes. Located in Earls Court, London, United Kingdom.
  • Bromptons, just down the road from the Coleherne in Earl's Court. Long-running gay venue on two floors with a dance floor and bar on the ground floor and a quieter cocktail bar on the upper floor.
  • In April 2007 a new gay bar opened (based in a former straight bar called '6 Degrees') called Profile which is owned and run by the popular gay dating website Gaydar.
  • Other popular, long-running gay bars in London's Soho and their clienteles include: Ku Bar, aimed at a younger crowd; Village, The Edge, Friendly Society and Escape aimed at trendy, dance-music orientated crowd; The Yard and Rupert Street aimed at business-men or 'suits'; Soho Revue Bar and The Shadow Lounge are aimed at the media and celebrities; and Comptons and CXR 79 which are aimed at an older crowd.
  • Since 2000 London's Vauxhall area has seen a large number of new bars, clubs and other gay businesses like Paris Gym and Chariotts Sauna open. The "Vauxhall Gay Village" now offers an alternative to the Soho scene, and offers 24-hour, non-stop clubbing every weekend in venues like Fire, Eagle, Crash, Area, Factory, and the famous cabaret bar the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Blackpool
Edinburgh
  • CC Blooms is the largest gay bar in Edinburgh.
Glasgow
Brighton
  • Brighton and Hove has long had a large gay and lesbian community, estimated to include around 35,000 people, or 13% of the total population, slightly above the 10% that is usually taken as an average LGBT population percentage. Brighton is often referred to as the "gay capital of Britain". Nightlife includes: Charles Street, Legends, Revenge and Wild Fruit.
Manchester
  • Canal Street in Manchester has the largest concentration of gay bars in one area in UK outside of London making it a gay village in it's own right. Popular bars include Manto, Via Fossa, Spirit and Velvet with many others in the surrounding streets. Canal Street was used as a location for much of the filming in the original UK TV series Queer as Folk.
Portsmouth
  • Marthas long-running gay bar in the heart of the citys main shopping district at number 227 Commercial Road. Marthas also has a club upstairs called Club 227 (previously called 1 Above and Orvilles)
  • The Old Vic
  • The Hampshire Boulevard legendary local gay bar that has been through many incarnations, previously called Tut & Shive (straight) and before that Drummonds (gay).
  • Gorgeous a monthly night on Sundays at Jongleurs in Gunwharf Quays.

United States

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Note: The "Gay Bar" Located in Gay, MI is a local tavern not excluding, but not specifically catering to homosexuals.

Canada

Singapore

Fictional gay bars

Notable gay DJs (past and present)

See also

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