The Britannia: a different themed night every night in Leytonstone.Brewery Tap: a friendly local gay bar in Stockwell.The Box: relaxed cafe on Seven Dials near Covent Garden.The Boltons: Corner of Earls Court Rd & Brompton Rd.The Blush Bar: a lesbian bar in Stoke Newington.Blackout: an Art Deco style cocktail bar on Molton Street.The Black Horse: East end gay bar near Stepney Green.The Black Cap: legendary North London drag bar and club which closed in 2015.The Birdcage: A traditional friendly pub in Chiswick which closed in 2006.Bar Titania: Was on Charing Cross Road on the site of the old Ku Bar next to Manbar/CXR.Barcode: a dancey bar in Soho which late 00s.Barcode Vauxhall: cruisy bar in Albert Embankment. 1996 – 2015.Bar Aquda: on Maiden Lane near Covent Garden.The Bar: a large style cafe bar in Shoreditch.Artful Dodger: in Highbury and Islington.The Anvil: rather sleazy bar within the Shipwrights Arms in Tooley Street.Not only are Minko, Hughes, and Solomon an inspiration for launching successful business as out and proud Black gay men, but what they’ve created - a safe space for queer people in a neighborhood not typically known for embracing its LGBTQ+ population - has life-changing potential.(Click on the name to go to the venue’s page) More importantly, they are two of the only LGBTQ+ venues in New York where Black faces make up the majority. At both lounges, a constant stream of Megan Thee Stallion hits blasts from the stereo, and in any given moment, a group of skilled dancers are ready to stand up at their socially distanced tables for a brief twerk-off. Though the gradual shift from summer’s warmth to winter’s chill has put an end to that specific sense of outdoor camaraderie, Alibi and Lambda still offer a welcome change of pace from the gay bars of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. I just knew that if Alibi had closed down, it was going to be the same script, the same story: Oh, another gay, Black business cannot survive." “Then, one time, TENz Magazine posted, ‘This is like the Black Greenwich Village.’ I swear.” They're dancing and singing, just going from one spot to another because everything was outdoors and people could walk around,” he exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.
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“I'm telling you, Thursday nights, it looked like a movie from the ‘30s and ‘40s, when you would see Black people just walking up and down the street. Toward the end of the call, Minko detailed a fond memory from this past summer, when Alibi, Lambda, and another local bar, Harlem Nights (which hosts a weekly “Trappy Hour” queer night every Thursday), were all open at the same time. “It wasn’t our time to go.”īesides, the pandemic restrictions have inadvertently inspired a new moment. I'm very grateful and honored that, even six months, people still believe Alibi should remain open,” Minko said. After launching a GoFundMe with an initial $6,000 goal, Alibi Lounge has been able to raise more than $171,000 to help pay rent, utilities, and keep employees on payroll. It quickly became clear that the neighborhood was indeed ready for that local LGBTQ+ hotspot, and five years later, Harlem’s queer community was more than willing to pay it forward. I wanted people to say, ‘Oh, guess what? We have a local gay bar!’” No matter what Alibi was, I wanted to make sure that it was in Harlem. “I really wanted the Black community to have good options, to not only have to go to Chelsea for a gay bar. “I get bored very quickly at straight bars.” Lacking that affirming safe space, he committed to being part of the solution. “You don't feel like there’s a place where you can go to feel at home,” he admitted. For Minko, the idea to open Alibi came while walking through Harlem, where he had recently bought an apartment, and noticing that there were no rainbow flags. Still, there is another reason why these businesses have been able to thrive during such trying times: the support of their community. Our bookkeepers always ask us, ‘How are you doing these numbers during COVID?’ and I just sit back, shrugging my shoulders, like, ‘I don't know.’” “With us being one of the only Black-owned, LGBTQ+ bars in New York, we got a lot of media exposure, which did allow us to flourish in a small time frame.
“I hate to say this, but COVID was almost a good thing for us,” he said. “What I love about Black people, there’s a resilience in us, and if you’re Black and gay, it’s even stronger.”ĭespite the lack of a bailout from the Trump administration, Hughes added that there was an unexpected silver lining in their predicament.