Sarasota gay club

Sarasota's best gay bars & dance clubs, gay events, hotels and more. Exclusive reviews, maps, discounts. Best Gay Bars in Sarasota, FL - Purple Rhino, Mr D’z Men’s Emporium, Rascals, Lucky Star Lounge, The Parrot, Bradley's On 7th, The Garage On Central, Club Main Street, Johnsons Tampa, Pro Shop Pub. Gay Sarasota Beach bars, clubs, parties, hotels, saunas, massages and more.

Queer-centric information. Your complete directory to LGBT life in Sarasota, USA!. Take a peek at our guide to Pride and other local LGBTQ events, entertainment staged by Sarasota's own vibrant LGBTQ community, and gay-friendly accommodations—and plan your Sarasota vacation today. Purple Rhino is the main gay bar of Sarasota, which is located around 10 minutes taxi ride south Bayfront Park.

Even further south is the Oasis club, which is close to famous Siesta Key beach. Outside, a rainbow flag flutters in a post-drizzle breeze. Inside, red and blue LEDs pulse behind lined-up bottles of booze. In the back of the bar, guys toss darts. Normal enough. But strike up a conversation, and talk quickly turns to Saturday night a week ago, June 11, the night Omar Mateen killed 49 patrons and wounded 53 more at Pulse , a gay nightclub just two hours away.

It seems everyone here knows someone who was there or knows someone who knows someone who was there. Several also knew Eddie Sotomayor, the year-old Sarasota native and Barrel 87 regular who was killed. Enos, 28, came out when he moved to Sarasota eight years ago. In Sarasota County, outside of city limits, gays and lesbians can be fired or evicted because of their sexual orientation.

gay bars st pete

At Barrel 87, if he feels like giving his partner a kiss, few would even notice. But the Pulse shooting serves as a reminder that even a year after the Supreme Court affirmed the right of gays and lesbians around the country to marry, they still face hatred. As gays and lesbians have found greater acceptance in society, Thomas says, the need for gay clubs and bars has declined.

Now there are just Barrel 87 and the Purple Rhino Lodge, a nonprofit membership club. The mood at Barrel 87 has been somber this week. At one point, the staff switched off the TVs to shut out the horrifying news. But despite dark days, the bar has been busy with customers coming together. Visitors, too. A trio of straight customers, pulled in by the blasting music, stand by the bar.

A toned young man in his skivvies flits about, dancing with customers and making sure everyone is having a good time. Pulse shooting victim Eddie Sotomayor was a Barrel 87 regular. Image: Courtesy Photo. Filed under. Show Comments. Related Content.