You won’t need to own a leotard from American Apparel or a pair of bejeweled Christian Louboutins to fit in here. It sort of has a New Jersey/Long Island feel. GirlNATIONnyc: B&T (short for “bridge and tunnel,” a term used by Manhattanites to describe visitors who come into the city via those routes) flock to this Saturday night party for shots out of plastic test tubes and sweaty dancing. The party has an upscale, “well heeled” feel. hosts Creme de la Femme (CDLF), one of Manhattan’s most popular femme (and femme chaser) nights. Each party has a different theme and celebrity photographer Maro Hagopian is there to capture all of the debauchery inspired by resident DJ Leslie Van Stelten’s panty dropping mixes.Ĭrème de la Femme: Every Wednesday night at Union Square Ballroom, promoter Maggie C. the Gaysha) hosts Choice at Drom on the last Friday of every month. DJs spin sets of hip-hop, reggaeton, and Latin beats.Īlso: The divey hipster gay bar Nowhere (East 14th street between 1st & 2nd Ave), with its pool tables and reasonably-priced drinks, attracts a mixed crowd all week as well as hosting Ladies Nights.īoxers Off! is a bi-monthly butch burlesque party featuring some of NYC’s hottest gender-bending talents, such as L-Boogie, Goldie Peacock, Susan Herr, and Drae Campbell.Ĭhoice C*nts: I would describe Choice as the intersection of rock-n-roll glam, hip-hop chic, and urban hipster (Bowie+Runaways+N.E.R.D. However, there is a true sense of LGBTQ community here it is not unusual to find a butch rocking a sideways cap playfully putting dollar bills into a drag queen’s bra. This is often the go-to club for outta towners, so you can find lots of fresh meat here!Įscualita: While Escualita’s website appears to cater primarily to men, this LGBTQ club does have its own lesbian scene with all of the drama and incestuousness found in lesbian-specific bars. Henrietta Hudson hosts a different party every night (e.g., Sunday’s Roc da Mic Karaoke and Wednesday’s Tócame Noche Latina) that caters to their diverse clientele. It attracts no-pretense, girl next door types. Henrietta Hudson: Going 20 years strong, this keep-it-simple lesbian club has three small rooms: one with a dance floor, one with a pool table, and one with make-out couches. But if you check your pretentious hat at the door, you’ll see that Cubbyhole is the “Queer Cheers,” with a bring your own food policy, gay anthem blasting jukebox, and ceiling covered in insane amounts of kitsch (e.g., plastic tropical fish).
If someone tries to tell you that there is nothing left in Manhattan for queers, you need not look further than this guide to prove them wrong.Ĭubbyhole: Too-cool-for-school kids roll their eyes at this lesbian bar that has become a queer institution in Manhattan’s West Village.
What I like most about Manhattan is that it is not just for a niche group of people it’s for everyone! Here you’ll find tattooed dapper genderqueers hip hop honeys bougie L-word types old school dykes rocking fanny packs and leather vests power gallerinas and doms and studs! All are welcome. Yes, other neighborhoods and boroughs may be the “new black.” But Manhattan is the new Manhattan…and in certain respects, the old Manhattan. Interestingly, my rent is cheaper (and I mean way cheaper) than some “grimier” neighborhoods in Brooklyn, which exemplifies that gentrification is alive and well in places where hipsters are trying to keep the façade of “edginess.” (Bklyn Boihood has a good post on said gentrification.)
I relocated to Manhattan in 1999 and I live in a historically wealthy neighborhood just a few short blocks away from Central Park, Madonna, and Anthony Bourdain. But instead, she acknowledged that Manhattan is a borough constantly in flux, always changing while remaining the same in many important ways. I braced myself for the usual “Manhattan’s queer and art scenes are so over” speech. She reminisced about how the iconic Bowery was once a seedy bohemian area known for being an epicenter of punk music and underground art before gentrification replaced homeless heroin addicts and rat infested lofts with high rise condominiums and trendy cafes. The 200 Best Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer Movies Of All TimeĪ couple of months ago, I attended an art symposium and one of the speakers, a lesbian writer, was a tried and true Brooklynite who had spent a great deal of time in Manhattan’s Bowery neighborhood during the 1980s.LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now.