Gay bars in downtown long beach

On a brisk Monday evening at the Mineshaft, a year-old gay bar situated on the Broadway Corridor, the slow business hours of the establishment belie the boisterous jubilation inside—if only celebrated by five men. The men laugh and converse as they sip beer and vodka cranberry cocktails. Though the COVID pandemic put immense strain on communities across the board, for the Long Beach gay community, was especially isolating.

Many owners feared for the survival of their businesses, not just for their own livelihoods, but for the sake of the gay community, which has historically found sanctuary and community inside their establishments. Last year was especially tough for Romero, he said, as it marked not just his 60th birthday but the 25th anniversary of his bar in Long Beach.

His plans to celebrate were throttled. Pride week, and the annual parade that is traditionally celebrated in mid-May, was always a joyous and lively period, drawing in huge crowds to his bar and others in the city. The city announced that it would not host the annual Pride parade in-person this year and opted for a virtual celebration as a safety precaution since the event would draw tens of thousands of people.

A holiday ode to the queer bars of Long Beach’s Gayborhood—and every queer bar in the world

There may be some relief soon, however. And if the state maintains its current trajectory on COVID numbers, the governor has said everything will open back up on June At the Mineshaft, the five men who recently gathered echoed similar sentiments of dismay regarding the news of a virtual Pride, and wistfully recalled past celebrations.

Though Flores said he frequents other bars in the city, gay bars like the Mineshaft feel like home. Ripples, one of the first and longest-running gay bars in the city opened in and after 47 years closed its doors in Even the inaugural Long Beach Pride Parade in was a hard-fought win for the gay community and lasted only 30 minutes despite drawing thousands.

Long Beach has certainly made strides since and is lauded for its inclusivity and celebration of the queer communities. Torres also pointed to the recent destruction of the rainbow-painted lifeguard tower near 12th Place as an example of why safe spaces are still needed for the LGBTQ community. Skip to content.

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