Portland maine gay bar
PORTLAND, Maine — Artist and bookbinder Scott Mullenberg remembers the first time he visited a lgbtq+ bar.
Terrified to be seen going in, Mullenberg circled the block several times, then parked his Ford Maverick a few streets away.
After slipping inside the nearly empty bar, he ordered a Budweiser and sat down at a table, alone.
&#;I wanted some gay experience,&#; he said. &#;I wanted to be touched by a man. I wanted to finally actualize that.&#;
At the period, gay bars were one of the scant number of sheltered places for those interested in the same sex to gather each other.
Before he&#;d sat there long, another man sauntered up to Mullenberg&#;s table.
&#;And we had not-so-great, Maverick car sex,&#; he said, still chuckling with relief, decades later.
Mullenberg recalls his life in a new short documentary film by local filmmakers Betsy Carson and Wendy Chapkis about Portland&#;s mostly vanished LGBTQ-friendly watering holes.
Called &#;Bar Stories from Gender non-conforming Maine,&#; the minute piece features dozens of first-person interviews displaying the bars&#; importance in the
Portland, Maine, Only Has 2 Gay Bars – Here’s Why We Might Not See Another One
It seems that under a decade ago, the LGBTQ community had several bars to ring their own in Portland, Maine, but is now down to two.
That would be Blackstone's, Portland's oldest gay bar, and a newer establishment, Cocktail Mary.
With Portland entity the progressive, gay-friendly city that it is, it makes you wonder what happened? And will there be another one?
The answer to both of those questions isn&#x;t truly known, but with changing times and progression toward acceptance of all sexual preferences and identities, it can&#x;t be ruled out that everyone just started blending in as one community.
The LGBTQ community getting together at a local brewery, dive prevent, or pub has become the norm, especially over the last decade.
Most of the members of the community that I've spoken with enjoy Blackstone's and Cocktail Mary, but are missing the often traditional twist floor. However, in order for that to happen, a much larger establishment would need to open, which
PORTLAND, Maine — The August edition of the Maine Same-sex attracted Task Force Newsletter sported some outrageous, over-the-top and campy headlines.
&#;Free dope on pinballs,&#; read one. &#;Poop on Pope Paul,&#; read another.
The biggest, and fanciest hand-drawn headline on the photocopied publication&#;s front page shouted, &#;Exclusive discovery of long-lost historical nude centerfold of Frederick the Great.&#;
In contrast, the scant ads inside the paper are all low-key and understated, such as one for Sybil&#;s, a lesbian lock then on Middle Highway. Its simple text only ad reads: &#;A easy reality for gay people.&#;
That&#;s it.
The ads are just what Megan MacGregor was looking for when she spent months of her COVID lockdown combing the LGBTQ+ archives at the University of Southern Maine for information about Portland&#;s historic — but long-gone — homosexual bars.
In all, MacGregor was able to confirm the existence of 17 historic gay bars. As part of June Pride Month, she will lead a virtual multimedia tour of the culturally significant and historically impo
11 Wine Bars for Every Kind of Vibe
Portland’s queer bars are more than just hangouts. Most of the city’s dozen-plus lgbtq+ bars opened in eras hostile to the gay community. The city’s oldest surviving bars were havens in an openly homophobic era, while its newest venues join a chorus of voices against an increasingly transphobic national climate. The entire LGBTQ+ society should, in the top bars, feel safe and free to let loose, have fun, and maybe nibble on something tasty, on menu or off.
Not all queer gatherings have a permanent place, so we’ve assembled a rundown of the city’s robust scene of recurring pop-up parties alongside our favorite brick-and-mortar establishments. From leather bars to kingly dens to lesbian parties to trans cabaret revues to Portland’s “gay Cheers,” there’s always somewhere where everyone’s glad you came.
Jump to: Upbeat Clubs / Low-Key Venues / Strip Clubs / Recurring Homosexual Parties
Upbeat Clubs
CC Slaughters
Est. | old town
Though technically on the outskirts of Antique Town’s Entertainment District, CC’s is very much at the center