Gay bars brooklyn
Brooklyn is a vibrant hub of Queer culture, offering a diverse array of gay bars that cater to every taste and manner. NYC’s most hipster borough, Brooklyn has long been a cultural hotspot in New York Capital, 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 favor Hermes) in Williamsburg, there’s always something new and stimulating to discover in this dynamic and ever-changing borough.
There’s been a bit of a Brooklyn lgbtq+ 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 similar type of male lover guy. These are all actual diverse, interesting places with their own singular 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 same-sex attracted scene. From lively dance floors to cozy hangouts, these gay bars I’ve picked below are my personal favorites—each helps to make fun and protected spaces where the community
Heights Supper Club
History
In December 1961, 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 1950. While the old restaurant had relied on a straight clientele, the new owners decided to appeal to the growing number of gay men who lived in Brooklyn Heights or visited to participate in its active homosexual scene, which included a number of well-known cruising places (notably the Promenade) and several widespread mixed bars that permitted a certain amount of same sex cruising. The Heights Supper Club appears to have 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 block 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 soon drew complaints from straigh
This new queer exclude in Greenpoint is far from divey
When you picture a gay bar, there’s probably a very specific set of details that appear to mind: economical, 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 uncontrolled 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 gender non-conforming bar at 307 Meeker Avenue in Greenpoint, we finally own 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 proposal 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 drinks and lacked a queer aesthetic,” Correa tells Time Out. "As we’ve gotten olde
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 homosexual African-American entrepreneur Harold “Mackie” Harris as an LGBT-inclusive bar in 1962.
Starlite was possibly the first Black-owned gay prevent in Brooklyn, catering to LGBT people of hue at a time when the Mafia operated most LGBT bars in Modern York. Harris lived in the neighborhood and created what became a celebrated safe-haven in central Brooklyn that catered to a diverse clientele, LGBT and straight, depending on the hour of the sunlight and day of the week.
Kate Kunath, director of We Came To Sweat, 2014
Between 1992 and 2004, the bar was owned by William “Butch” King, who was the resident DJ and helped establish Starlite as a destination for house music and dancing.
By the end of its 50-plus-year run, the self-described “oldest black-owned non-discriminating exclude in New York” catered to LGBT people of color and a broader clientele throughout the week and especially at Friday ni