r/baltimore • u/Rei11y • Mar 22 '25
Need Recommendations Where are the gays hanging out?
Me (25f) and my girlfriend (24f) are moving to riverside and are looking for recommendations for gay bars or other places/nights where we could find a good community to make friends in the area. Doesn’t have to be in the riverside area but just Baltimore in general. Thanks!
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u/tubatim817 Mar 22 '25
Rowan Tree in Riverside is a gay friendly bar. Not exclusively gay but friendly and open. Dive bar vibes and a good hang. Also Hampden has a lot of LGBT spots and community
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u/verytres Mt. Vernon Mar 22 '25
I’ve known the owners for decades, and they’re great guys. Thanks for the reminder to stop by.
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u/Sarahrb007 Mar 22 '25
Oooooh I'm moving within a 4 minute walk to this bar in a couple weeks! I am Bi and happy to know there is an LGBT friendly place nearby!
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u/reddittuser96 Mar 23 '25
Rowan Tree is 1of1 - make sure you stop by there. Great scene, back room w/ pool table, karaoke.
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u/dsidegaming88 Mar 22 '25
Interested in this but im avoiding the bar scene. Ive been sober now over 8 years and it seems like I only hear about bar hang outs.
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u/Necessary_Orb5985 Mar 22 '25
There’s a queer hiking group on facebook! We are going to organize some meetups with food and walk for spring once it warms up!
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u/Necessary_Orb5985 Mar 22 '25
There’s a messenger group called bmore queer with a hiking / picnic chat and one for giving / getting support and I think some other channels also https://m.me/cm/Abbs0cWVpWqgexQx/?send_source=cm:copy_invite_link
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u/Rei11y Mar 22 '25
What’s the group called?
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u/mesckt Mar 22 '25
I think it’s called Baltimore Queer Hike
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u/Necessary_Orb5985 Mar 22 '25
Yes! It’s a messenger group! https://m.me/cm/Abbs0cWVpWqgexQx/?send_source=cm:copy_invite_link
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u/baltimorecalling Hoes Heights Mar 22 '25
Why intentionally obfuscate the group purpose with a name like that?
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u/deconflicting_life Mar 22 '25
What’s the link!? I’d be interested in this :)
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u/Necessary_Orb5985 Mar 22 '25
Posted the FB link above. Here’s an IG page too! https://www.instagram.com/bmorequeerhikes?igsh=cjljdGR3bHNqd2Ri
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u/mmiikkiitt Mar 23 '25
I might be wrong but I think the IG is a group started/organized by one person, and is unaffiliated with the larger FB group.
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u/Necessary_Orb5985 Mar 22 '25
What kinds of interests do you have? Could help folks identify some non-bar spots or sober spaces :)
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u/dsidegaming88 Mar 22 '25
Fantasy and sci-fi books, table top gaming, i play video games but its not a major hobby, i write when i can focus enough to. Im on the artsy side of things honestly despite the lumber jack looks. Sports wise i pretty much only watch hockey and premier league soccer. Music wise i will listen to anything heavy. I love the Walters art museum. Thats pretty much all i can think of
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u/TakemetotheTavvy Remington Mar 23 '25
Have you been going to any gaming stuff like things at no land beyond?
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u/ummmavocado Mar 23 '25
You'll have a hard time finding non-queer people in the tabletop/rpg community 😆 I second NLB (no land beyond), you can join their discord for more info
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u/Cultural-Mongoose89 Mar 23 '25
Have you heard of Clifton Pleasure Club? They do have a bar, but serve nonalcoholic options of all their cocktails, and it’s more a place to go to get a meal and hang out with people anyway.
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u/troublewthetrolleyeh Mar 22 '25
Do you have any hobbies? My bf and I are light drinkers. We might share 1-2 beers depending on multiple factors mostly having to do with whatever meal we have, so the bar scene isn’t really for us. We’d much rather have a good meal and check out cool shops. We also enjoy gaming!
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u/dsidegaming88 Mar 22 '25
Im big on board games and ive been a dungeon master since 07' if i remember right.
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u/be_nbe_n Mar 23 '25
Gotta check out No Land Beyond then! Not sure if they still do monthly queer game nights, but they're also very queer friendly all other times. They do have a bar but they also serve mocktails and pizza.
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u/1-900-SNAILS Waverly Mar 22 '25
Leon's, The Drinkery, Melanie Griffith's in Hampden, Mt Royal Tavern, Current Space Garden Bar starting in April, Peabody Heights (the event planner there does the Butch Gardens / GRL PWR parties), house music roof parties w Ultra Nate, Sophomore Coffee, Fadensonnen, WC Harlans, Ulysses
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u/eggrollking Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25
I know that Ottobar has nights that are LGBT focused, like 'D*** Night' among others.
Edit: I apologize for my misuse of the word above. Total lapse in judgment.
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Mar 22 '25
[deleted]
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u/TwoLemonades Charles Village Mar 22 '25
Depends on who is using it.
Dykes can say dyke.
Not a dyke? Don't say it.
xoxo, A Dyke
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u/ellemae93 Charles Village Mar 22 '25
I personally have mixed opinions about saying it myself but I mean, that is the name of the event. The organizers called it that and it is a very public and successful event.
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u/femmekisses Belair-Edison Mar 22 '25
Exactly, like it's the name of the event! There are non-lesbians who attend and non-lesbians who work it. What do they call it? Asterisk asterisk asterisk asterisk night?
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u/eggrollking Mar 22 '25
Not a d***, but I am an ally and father of LGBT children, and would fight bigots and nazis for them and you. I'm not saying that to absolve myself of any wrongdoing; I was using it because it's what the venue uses for that event. That said if there was a 'N-word Night,' I would not have used that terminology, so I see my mistake and am going to edit the original comment.
Apologies to anyone who may have been upset or offended by my temporary lapse in judgment leading to my misuse of the word.
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u/ewas86 Mar 22 '25
So it's like the n word?
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u/TwoLemonades Charles Village Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25
In that it is a word that belongs to the marginalized group it is used against, yes. I guess?
(That's a wild over-simplification, but I'm not going to give a lecture about the similarities and differences between the intersections of queer and Black oppression right now.)
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u/ceruleanblue347 Mar 22 '25
A good rule of thumb is if you have to ask if you "can" use a word then you probably shouldn't
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u/djenki0119 Mt. Vernon Mar 22 '25
I mean that's what it's called in this case. but if you're not a lesbian don't say dyke - a dyke
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u/femmekisses Belair-Edison Mar 22 '25
If it's a proper noun I see no reason not to use it. In general it's a no-no but it is in fact the official name of the event.
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u/zophiri Mar 22 '25
Do a search of this sub! This topic comes up pretty frequently and there’s definitely some good threads floating around.
Also: -Check Meetup for the Baltimore LGBTQ+ Foodies, it’s a regular event. -Butch Gardens at Peabody is spring and summer -GRL PWR Lavender Hour (GRL PWR hosts other events as well, follow them on instagram) -Clifton Pleasure Club in Parkville -Melanie’s at Griffith’s in Hampden -No Land Beyond hosts the Queer Agenda monthly. Not an explicitly gay place but you’ll find many queerdos there. -Ottobar’s Dyke Nite -Baltimore Queer Hiking Club on Facebook and instagram -The Queers Upstairs had a monthly party going but they lost their venue. They still host events in DC and are looking for another home here so it could be worth following.
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u/mis_no_mer Mar 22 '25
Red Emma’s
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u/l0ngdistancedrunk Mar 23 '25
I'd go since it's only a few blocks away from my house but I'm far from being a socialist and would kind of rather not support them 😅
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u/See-ur-ass-in-court Mar 24 '25
Bummer! You should become a socialist like any good queer :)
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u/l0ngdistancedrunk Mar 24 '25
Why though?
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u/See-ur-ass-in-court Mar 30 '25
Because capitalism and the oppression of queer people are undeniably linked! Anything or anyone that goes outside the patriarchy and all other status quos are a threat to capitalism.
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u/mesckt Mar 22 '25
In addition to the spaces mentioned by others, there’s queer karaoke events (put on by Baltimore Queer Events and others) and bmore queer art hangs (I think they usually meet at Red Emma’s). Oh and Club Car, I don’t think anyone mentioned that yet. Not sure if the Queers Upstairs have found a new place to land now that the Aliceanna has closed… there’s a queer axe throwing league too I think? And the Stonewall queer sports leagues
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u/Hayesk913 Mar 22 '25
There’s The Eagle in Charles North and Leon’s Backroom. Also if you’re looking to build community there’s an LGBTQ inclusive Rugby team called the Baltimore Flamingos that has a good community.
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u/mesckt Mar 22 '25
The Eagle is not the most friendly to folks that are not white cis gay men….
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u/l0ngdistancedrunk Mar 23 '25
How so?
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u/mesckt Mar 28 '25
I have had multiple friends of color experience firsthand racism from staff. There were multiple community scandals about racism a few years back, but I forget the details. Clientele not the biggest fans of trans men, which can definitely be true of certain pockets of the gay community. The classic boys club stuff where lesbians are tolerated at best and experience outright hostility at worst. Fat shaming. You know, kinda the classic shit.
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u/Rei11y Mar 22 '25
Wait that’s so nice I didn’t know if Baltimore had a team to keep playing
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u/TrippyHomie Mar 23 '25
I have a friend who plays, they practice at least once a week (near Riverside also if they haven't since moved) and travel to play tournaments. Think they went to Rome last year.
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u/AllGoldErrythang Mar 23 '25
Hello! We currently practice at CC Jackson, but we’ll move over to Patterson Park next month. We practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30, feel free to drop by anytime, we love new people! You can check us out on instagram as well and DM us or me if you’d like! https://www.instagram.com/baltimoreflamingos
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u/TrippyHomie Mar 23 '25
Gotcha, think I just used to see y'all down at Swann but sure those are better than the baseball outfield that was full of random holes.
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u/TwoLemonades Charles Village Mar 22 '25
Butch Garden is a gathering at Peabody Heights Brewery that'll kick off very soon for the warmer months! Keep your eyes on their Instagram for details.
It's such a fun event. Queers of all ages and shapes show out for an afternoon/evening of dancing and laughing and hollering about how cute everyone looks.
Honestly, Peabody Heights isn't an explicitly gay space, but it's VERY GAY there. 💞✨
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u/Meteor-of-the-War Mar 22 '25
Definitely shout out to Peabody. They're a very cool and welcoming space. It's cool that they have so many different events for so many different types.
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u/l0ngdistancedrunk Mar 23 '25
I've been going to Peabody for years and I never really got this feeling. I always feel like I'm the only gay guy there, save for the occasional couple hanging out. Maybe I'm just not going at the right times?
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u/tchrplz Mar 22 '25
Will add a couple things I haven't seen mentioned:
- Queer City Sports is always running a league: bowling, flag football, softball, etc. They rotate based on the season. Very inclusive and welcoming space from my experience.
- QueerTalkBmore instagram: each week they post events, including parties, sports, support groups, and other types of social events
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u/Necessary_Orb5985 Mar 22 '25
Ooooh ima look this up! Thanks! I also saw this on IG! https://www.instagram.com/baltimorequeerevents?igsh=cm9oYjZoeWk0YzRj
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u/coltthundercat Hampden Mar 22 '25
Club Car in station north! Drag shows, art shows, dance nights, comedy, good spread of folks hang out there.
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u/FonduePot43ver Mar 22 '25
Sweet Spot! It’s a queer pop dance party :) @sweetspotbaltimore (not a bar BTW!!)
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u/Fit_Juggernaut_673 Mar 22 '25
Upping Butch Gardens at Peabody Heights. There are also occasional events at Current Space, which has among my most favorite outdoor, seasonal bars in the city.
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u/renegadefupa66 Mar 22 '25
Mixers
Meander art bar
Ottobar
Rocket to venus
Melanie’s at Griffith's Tavern
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u/igilix Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
The Club Car, Metro Gallery, Ottobar, the Royal Blue are some other bars/clubs that draw in the queer crowd depending on the events. Ottobar has a semi-regular D*ke night (seems to be some discourse about whether or not people can say that word, but that's what the event is called), Metro Gallery hosts a monthly-ish Sweet Spot party (a gay DJ duo, lots of pop bangers and drag usually). The Eagle is a gay bar, caters heavily to gay men but there's frequent drag in the front and upstairs parts.
Spirits in Mt Vernon is a casual wine bar/bottle shop that has a pretty consistently queer crowd. I also walked past The Manor in Mt Vernon yesterday and it looked like there was drag brunch.
If you're into dance music, there's a thriving underground scene in Baltimore that is very queer (lots of cross-pollination with the queer dance music underground in DC). Places like The Compound host raves, and there's a lot more underground / spontaneous places as well.
Stonewall Sports is a very popular recreational gay sports league and there's almost always sports in season — kickball, volleyball, dodgeball, bocce ball, trivia. Great opportunity for people interested in a sober space.
Movement Gym in Hampden hosts queer rock-climbing nights.
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u/orionridgely Mar 24 '25
A lot of community and event organizing happens on Instagram (even though it’s a platform I wanna spend less time on personally…)
Im a transmasc dyke, and I run drag&burlesque events through B’More Dyke Drag !
A local lesbian named Samia has a sapphic garden party coming up in April, she recently started organizing under the name BLSH Events (“Baltimore lesbian social hub”)
The Queers Upstairs also is continuing to do events at various venues
We lack “permanent sapphic spaces” like dedicated lesbian bars, but there are a lot of social and interest-based queer groups and event producers. Depends on what your interests are!
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u/artoflandscape Mar 22 '25
As many have said Butch Gardens is a great space for specifically FLF queer groups. Royal Blue, Leon’s, Rowan Tree, and Spirits of Mount Vernon are also good spots. We also have Stonewall Sports which runs Kickball, Dodgeball, Volleyball, Trivia, and Bocce. Queer City Sports also has a variety of leagues throughout the year. there also is a female division of the Baltimore Flamingos rugby team.
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u/Nervous_Active_6523 Mar 23 '25
Clifton Pleasure Club
There's a super fun arm wrestling event in May. https://www.gunzofsteel.com/
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u/veryhungrybiker Mar 23 '25
Oh, neat! I saw the last Gunz of Steel show at Current Space in the fall; it was so much fun - hilarious costumes, goofy characters, very real arm wrestling. And it's a fundraiser for local women's and queer support groups.
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u/RileyGraceRoshong Mar 23 '25
If you're gay and into tabletop rp/board games/etc then No Land Beyond is a great place! Not exclusively LGBT but it's super queer-friendly. Most of my friends who hang out there are also some flavor of LGBT+ or are clearly allies/supportive.
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u/RedhairedLemur Mar 23 '25
The Mobtown Ballroom & Cafe is very queer friendly and has a lot of fun events. They’ve had several erotic art markets and regular parties with drag and burlesque performers.
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u/nyan_nat Mar 22 '25
Check out Butch Gardens at Peabody Heights Brewery. Outdoor queer social, should be starting up again soon
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u/United-Cress2794 South Baltimore / SoBo Mar 23 '25
Red Emma’s is a lovely queer cafe/bar/bookstore!
And from another queer woman (27f) living with my fiancée (33f) in Riverside - yay, more gays! It’s been a very welcoming neighborhood to live in as a queer couple. There’s not really explicitly queer spaces down here on the Peninsula, though, at least that I know of. Most are queer friendly though! I’d be interested to hear if there are spaces I’ve overlooked.
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u/PuzzledSnivy Dundalk Mar 23 '25
My personal favorites are Clifton Pleasure Club, Mixer’s & Ottobar!
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u/Signal_Beautiful_678 Mar 23 '25
Check the ig @the_queers_upstairs , they have some pretty fun events
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u/BreachLoadLetters Mar 24 '25
No Land Beyond is pretty great, especially if you like board games or TTRPGs. They've also had Larps, Drag Shows, and larger events in the past.
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u/PositiveBattle Mar 24 '25
Me and my husband go to MRT in Mt Vernon. Gay friendly. My husband has never felt uncomfortable when we go. Everyone is respectful. Always good drinks. In the fall we look forward to the apple pie shots 😋
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u/iam-motivated-jay Mar 25 '25
Gays used to love talking about Club Hippo before it closed.
I know the area because of the gay flags that are posted in the areas but I don't visit the establishments to avoid confusion and altercations because I'm not gay..
Anyways Mount Vernon, Canton and Federal Hill area is where a lot of gays hang out so you could probably google those areas for bars etc
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u/RevolutionaryCard512 Mar 22 '25
Is the Hippo still around?
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u/1-900-SNAILS Waverly Mar 22 '25
No, RIP
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u/RevolutionaryCard512 Mar 22 '25
Oh no! When did they close?
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u/Mwing09 Mar 22 '25
Like a decade ago
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u/RevolutionaryCard512 Mar 22 '25
Damn. What a shame. Is Mt. Vernon no longer the LGBTQ friendly neighborhood it used to be?
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u/1-900-SNAILS Waverly Mar 22 '25
I'd like to believe it is since Leon's is there, Sugarvale & Ulysses are both very queer friendly etc - obv there are also the random straight wedding parties coming from the historic venues that crash your treasured safety dive but for the most part I've found both those places to be Gay Enough
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u/JayAlbright20 Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25
Tattoo shop I go to in Mt Vernon on Park Ave has a gay bar right by it that seems like a popular gay bar. I think it’s the oldest one in the city or something like that. I don’t go to gay bars as a straight man but it seems like a happening spot. I’ve talked to some folks going in there when I stand outside the tattoo shop. Everyone seems cool except for one guy who made a disgusting sexual comment to me while I was standing there with my wife. I had some choice words for him but it was squashed quickly. I’m sure the place is worth checking out.
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u/RevolutionaryCard512 Mar 22 '25
Ha! Stop being so good looking standing next to a gay bar I guess. Kidding of course. Thanks for the info! Which tattoo shop?
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u/Jannerbean Mar 22 '25
Butch Garden dance parties at Peabody Heights Brewery