Gay bars in santa ana

Best Gay Bars in Santa Ana, CA - Last Updated - Tin Lizzie Saloon, Strut Bar & Club, The Boulevard, WTF Events, Flux Bar, , Men's Room Bar, Hamburger Mary's - Long Beach, The Silver Fox, Artesia Bar. Gay Bars in Orange County, CA: The Complete List () This is one of the shortest blog posts on the site because, well, Orange County just doesn’t have many gay bars.

But don’t fret—we have the details on the few that are here! 1. The Tin Lizzie (Costa Mesa, CA) Address: St Clair St, Costa Mesa, CA Guide to Gay and Lesbian Bars, Restaurants, Pride, Events, Lodging, Businesses. Mapping + US Locations Nationwide. Grand Opening Summer Introducing Queens Lounge, an all-new LGBTQ+ bar/lounge in Downtown Santa Ana just steps away from the former beloved Velvet in the heart of Orange County!.

One of the main draws of Santa Ana for LGBTQ+ visitors is the city's thriving nightlife. There are numerous gay-friendly bars, nightclubs, and restaurants in the city, many of which are located in the downtown area. Techno music chugged; strobe lights blinked. But half an hour past the scheduled start time, patrons had yet to arrive.

Endora sat at the bar and ordered a cocktail.

In walked Craig Cooley, the bar manager for more than a year. As usual, he seemed out of breath. Little wonder. Gay bars around the nation have been disappearing, a trend attributed to greater social acceptance of gays, changing economic forces and evolving technology. Laguna Beach, in particular, has had many obituaries written for its once-thriving gay scene. Iconic establishments closed. Skyrocketing real estate prices have kept young gays out of the city and led a number of established gay residents to cash out and move to other cities, such as Palm Springs.

Against such odds, Cooley has made it his mission to revive this tiny dive bar off Coast Highway. He removed the privacy blinds on the windows. Pulled up the carpet coated in decades of spilled drinks. Installed a new sound system. Brought back dancing, karaoke and drag queen bingo nights. All that hustling to breathe life into Main Street may have been the easy part.

Now Cooley has to see whether these improvements will pay off — whether gays still want a place to call their own. Whether a tiny gay bar in Laguna Beach can still thrive. But that night, Cooley said he would be patient. Laguna Beach was once spoken of in the same breath as West Hollywood, Fire Island and Provincetown, if a miniature version of those more famous gay enclaves.

The West Street Beach was — and still is — renowned among gay vacationers. Though small, the scene was vibrant and just as much a part of quirky, laid-back Laguna Beach as art galleries and surfing.

Santa Ana, CA ()

Bob Gentry, who served on the City Council from to , was one of the first openly gay mayors in the country. Gay clubs, in Laguna and elsewhere, were both pick-up joints and havens. Laguna Beach had one of the highest incidence of the disease in the nation and lost hundreds of its residents. But for many, the closure of the Boom left a wound that symbolized the difficulty in keeping an unpretentious but beloved piece of their history as the city grew more pricey.

That left only Main Street. He rarely goes to gay bars these days; his social circle is made of gay and straight friends. Main Street has been a bar since the s. Two women ran it in the early days when it was called Fleur de Lis. He has held marketing jobs in the hotel industry and helped run a furniture showroom. More recently he did freelance marketing work. Cooley has the laid-back vibe of a beachtown barkeep — untucked shirt, an unforced chattiness, an infectious sonic boom of a laugh.