Old gay bars in louisville ky

The group, an umbrella coalition of activists in the city, organized protests and hosted gay picnics in Cherokee Park. Hundreds traveled from rural Kentucky. Opened in by Connection owner George Stinson, the Downtowner occupied a narrow five-story structure that could hold roughly Main St.

Stinson, now 70, pauses to recall the details, but chuckles as the memories flood back. It was one of many victories tied to the Downtowner. No matter the speed, LGBTQ+ friendly nightlife in Louisville has something for everyone. In , the bar was the site of Louisville’s first gay rights protest by a group called Gay Liberation Front.

Many left the bar and were assaulted by a rowdy passer-by or confronted with slashed tires. From soccer games and social hours to craft and trivia nights, the focus on creating intentionally inclusive spaces outside of the bar scene is clear. The crown jewel of the first floor, an oak and stained-glass bar, served concoctions to customers in sparkly shirts and bell bottom pants as they moved their bodies to the pulse of disco beats.

With rainbow flags and shirts for equality, they marched down Main St. Reporter Jiahui Hu can be reached at or jhu gannett. Following his death, activists who gathered at West worked with realtors and churches to establish the Glade House — a still-open Old Louisville home for HIV patients to receive treatment or pass their final days.

He died, abandoned by his family, but with friends from the club. Whether you’re new to town, recently joined the dark side, or just another curious reader, the seven gay bars in Louisville are detailed below. The December after the Downtowner opened, a bomb exploded outside the club, narrowly missing a manager, an incident reported by the Courier-Journal.

Hundreds of gay men and women crowded the nightclub floor, Stinson said. Though visitors felt at ease inside the club, hostility lurked outside, Stinson added. In , the police raided the Downtowner while wearing rubber gloves — presumably to protect officers from HIV. Indignant, Stinson demanded that the police department not raid the club again, and it never did, he said.

And unlike the gay bars before it, the Downtowner served as a gathering place for activists throughout the s. More than three decades later this year, on a sunny June afternoon, hundreds gathered at the Connection to drink and mingle before the annual pride parade. In the s, the bar shifted from being gay-friendly to an exclusively gay bar.

The bar had cross-dressing performers, but they wouldn’t allow cross-dressing bar patrons. While some are traditional gay bars, others are putting on fun LGBTQIA+ events certain nights of the month with everything from "Beerlesque" drag shows to a ladies only pop-up food night.

Louisville is known for its vibrant and inclusive LGBTQIA+ scene so of course we have plenty of gay and gay-friendly bars around the city. Inside the new club, a casino-esque red carpet and electronic dance floor shone underneath a lattice of disco lights. Meanwhile, female impersonators from throughout the country strutted down a stage.

More diverse than other bars, the Downtowner was a popular spot for both black and whites, according to activist David Williams. Eventually, its popularity outgrew its space, leading him to close the club in and focus on the five-times larger club, the Connection, at S.

Floyd St. That older venue, located at Chestnut St. The owners sold Stinson the signage after agreeing to let him use the name. By the mids, the AIDS epidemic had focused more public attention on gay activism. Next to a white, baby grand piano in the speakeasy-style locale, gay leaders in the early s formed Gays and Lesbians United for Equality, or GLUE, the first coalition of gay men and women in the city.

Many were also closeted gays, professionals who risked losing their jobs if they came out at work, Stinson said.