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Pride Month – The Atmosphere of a LGBTQ+ bar

  • Hannah Claridge
  • Jun 18, 2021
  • 4 min read

Updated: Jul 13, 2021



As it is Pride month, my next few blog posts will be dedicated to LGBTQ+ themes. In this blog post I will be writing about the difference between gay and straight bars [in my experience]. Recently I visited a gay bar with my friends to see a drag cabaret show, I must of course mention the drag queen involved – Cosmic. As a young straight person I have only every really been to ‘straight’ establishments, or rather establishments that are more frequented by straight people and so it was definitely a new experience and one that highlighted many differences to me. Good ones!


Although this was a gay bar it was obviously open to all customers and I had no worries about feeling out of place, not that I had particular reason to feel that way. Most people enjoy LGBTQ+ entertainment and you can’t really go wrong with a drag show. As any other person in society nowadays I have found my life to have more aspects of gay culture integrated into it; as there are seemingly better opportunities for this to be the case, particularly when you are surrounded by more openly gay people in the 21st century. As a result, I didn’t feel out of place or out of the loop in any way. Perhaps the odd reference or song I didn’t know but I doubt this had to do with my sexuality but more like to do with my lack of knowledge.


When we first entered the bar I noticed how much more serious it was taking Covid-19 restrictions. All of my group had to scan track and trace before we entered, have our masks on and sanitise [not that I wouldn’t have done this]. The differences were already noticeable, as many of the more typical establishments were less concerned about enforcing these rules upon entrance. Similarly, they were extremely strict about mask wearing, everyone in the establishment had a mask on when they entered and when they moved from their table to the toilets or the garden. There was only one member of the establishment that wasn’t wearing a mask and they were called out on the microphone and also by the drag queen during the show. It was their birthday and we were asked to sing Happy Birthday to them but it was done extremely half-heartedly. The difference here being that in a more mainstream establishment there seem to be less people concerned with mask wearing, including many members of the staff and security teams which I have witnessed first-hand. I don’t know if this is a particular divide between the gay and straight communities, but it certainly made the experience in the gay bar much more comfortable for me.


Similarly, the actual environment and the atmosphere of the bar felt much more comfortable on the whole than any other place I had visited before. I suppose the idea here is that there felt like there was less judgement, of course there is always judgement wherever you go and I am not one to pay it any particular mind. But the contrast was definitely there. In that same night I had been at another establishment before hand and it was more of a mainstream venue and I had been quite clearly judged by a group of girls at a table that had been looking at me. However, at the gay bar it was quite different, I didn’t feel as if anyone was there to judge people; they were just there to have a good time. There could be some argument that as this was my first time visiting the place I was taking in my surroundings more. Perhaps I wasn’t likely to notice if there was anyone that may have been judging me for whatever reason. However, this did not seem the case. I can’t quite exactly explain the feeling that the bar gave me but it was definitely one of ease; myself and my friends felt welcomed. Perhaps this might have been because the place was not as full with as many teenagers as a more typical bar might be – like Wetherspoons – and so the more ‘mature’ clients were very much over the idea of going on a night out to judge people. I’m not quite sure about the exactness of the difference but this was definitely what was projected to me.


I suppose the point I am trying to focus on in this article is the idea that the atmosphere in the gay bar felt much more relaxed, comfortable and enjoyable – for whatever reason that I can’t exactly pinpoint. However, I would quite clearly recommend that you try to visit a gay bar near you, particularly as most of them are independent establishments which could do with the clients after coronavirus. It is also important to recognise these places not only during Pride Month but all year round. When you can, go to one, I’m SURE you will have a blast.


A List of great LGBTQ+ charities to support

 
 
 

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