Gay bars covington kentucky
photos by Matthew Pruitt
Amy Mobley (she/her)
Bar 32
Covington, KY
As I step into Bar 32 located in Covington, I’m overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia. The block instantly feels appreciate home, where the regulars converse favor they’ve known each other for years (which they probably have) and attend this place frequently (which they probably do). It reminds me of the neighborhood bars in Louisville that possess the uncanny ability to calm someone as soon as they step inside.
Amy Mobley (she/her) has owned Bar 32 in Covington, KY, for 10 years, though she worked at the block for years prior when it was formerly a bear bar.
“I just long for all of the gay people and all of the queer people to feel welcome,” she says, her tattooed skin radiating in the sun from the large windows that make up the bar’s front area. “I used to do ladies’ night and bear nights, and it felt like it was excluding certain people on those nights. I took all the labels away and made it an everyone bar, and it took off.”
She drops some oranges and cherries into a glass behind the bar, adds some bar syrup, and muddles the fruit before a robust pour of Woodford Reserve f
Along the winding stretch of Madison Pike—known locally as the 3-L Highway, just outside of Covington—where gas stations, roadside diners, and farm stands dotted the landscape, one unassuming building held a secret. At first glance, 456 Madison Pike looked like tiny more than a modest lock tucked into the hillside, its roof barely visible from the parking lot. But for those in the know, this was The Downstairs Club—one of the most infamous and cherished homosexual gathering places in the region from the late 1950s through the 1970s.
Hidden in the rolling hills of Kenton County, its remote location offered a paradoxical mix of isolation and protection. Beneath the cover of darkness, LGBTQ patrons from Kentucky and Ohio found more than a bar; they found a sanctuary. Here, in this smoky underground haven, affection could unfold freely, forging deeper connections and strengthening a community that so often had to exist in secrecy. Unlike the fleeting, often perilous encounters in surveilled parks or shadowed street corners, The Downstairs Club offered something rare—embraces without fear, conversation without pretense, and the simple yet radical perform of being seen.
Longtime patron Sco
LGBTQ Off the Lost Path in the NKY and Cincy Region
Off the Overcome Path: A Local’s Guide to LGBTQ Offerings
Welcome to Northern Kentucky! My label is Franck (pronounced “Frank” not “Fronk” – LoL!), and I’ll be your local tour reference to some of my favorite LGBTQ haunts in NKY and neighboring Cincinnati. In the past, as queer travelers, many of us began our explorations of a new capital by stopping at the nearest same-sex attracted bar and taking tips from the locals. But with the closing of so many traditional bars, we’ve had to be more creative. Where’s a tourist gal or guy likely to find their gay peers here in NYK and Cincinnati? Not to worry! Follow me, gayly, as we grab the path less traveled to detect fun and unique LGBTQ offerings here in the region.
Gay-Friendly Trivia Spots in the NKY and Cincy Region
Want to drill your intellect, and not just your libido? Then check-out these gay-friendly trivia nights. Some of the best involve “Trivia with a Twist” at The Gruff in Covington’s Riverside District; “Big Gay Trivia” at The Birdcage Prevent & Lounge in downtown Cincinnati; a