It is totally possible to swan around town as an out-and-loud queer without limiting yourself to queer-only spaces. But a rise in anti-LGBTQIA violence means the city is not quite the queer bastion it once was, so it’s important to create and uphold spaces that are built with the safety, comfort, and interests of the queer community as the central focus.
Number one is Pony (1221 E Madison St, ponyseattle.com), a tiny queer bar housed in an old flower shop. Gimme porn on the walls and wild karaoke, and I’m a happy glamper. Booker and bartender Jack Caton has led an artistic expansion of the bar with industrial music nights, “hero worship” tribute parties for queer icons, and a renewed connection with the local music and art community.
Drinking at the truly old-school lesbian bar Wildrose (1021 E Pike St, thewildrosebar.com) is like having home field advantage. Run by womxn for womxn (though all human incarnations are accepted) in a neighborhood undergoing massive demographic changes, the Wildrose has a suffer-no-fools outlook on nightlife and manages to support a low-key lesbian vibe for all, even if you’re still figuring that part out.
