Gay bars in cambridge ma
End of an era
Stephen Plouffe and David Swan sat in a corner of the Paradise nightclub, the site of their first meeting on Sept. 15, 1990. On Saturday, the Lexington couple visited the Cambridge gay bar one last time, joining a large crowd for a farewell celebration.
“We met here 28 years ago today,” Plouffe said. “We start out the place was closing, and we said, ‘We better come on the last night.’”
Cambridge witnessed the end of an era on Saturday, Sept. 15, as Paradise, the gat nightclub at 180 Massachusetts Ave., hosted “The Last Dance” to commemorate the final weekend for the decades-old establishment. A customer appreciation night followed on Sunday. While the closing of Cambridge’s last gay bar left many lamenting the loss, some say it also points to shifting social patterns within the LGBTQ community.
“It’s definitely the end of an era,” said James Rafferty, the attorney for Paradise’s owner, Paul McCarthy.
Rafferty told the Chronicle that McCarthy decided to barter the building to Novartis Pharmaceuticals for personal and business reasons, stressing that this was not a situation where the nightclub was being forced out. For the past 10 years, Novartis has been a tenan
Dani's Queer Bar is Boston's only queer/sapphic bar, created by and for the LGBTQ+ community, in a world where spaces prefer this are so scant and far between.
Dani's hosts weekly events and weekend parties that showcase Boston’s queer culture, and is always open for an afternoon or evening visit! In addition to endearing , gay bevys, we also serve up delicious bites from our kitchen until 11:30 pm nightly.
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One of the great aspects about living in a large, metropolitan city appreciate Boston, Massachusetts is that sense of multiculturalism; a feeling that there's a place for everyone in the city in which to fit and be themselves. This sensibility definitely applies to Boston's queer , lesbian, bi-sexual and non-binary population, for which there are plenty of bars at which to encounter up with friends or family. Here are five of Boston's Best Same-sex attracted Bars.
180 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02238
(617) 868-3000
www.paradisecambridge.com
This Massachusetts Ave. shared is a cash only bar located in the Cambridge area of Boston, right near Kendall Square and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dancing is the name of the game here at Paradise Bar. While the usual clientele is a varied mix of the new and old, gay and bi from Boston's gay community. Friendly staff and a cool, spacious sway floor make this a great place for the gay community of Boston to let loose on a Friday or Saturday night.
Related: Boston Area's Optimal Country Bars
Hot Mess! Sundays
at Seaver Place
275 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 819-4297
www.chrisharrispresents.com/hotmess
Hot Mess!
In a good place to be LGBTQ+, dedicated spaces for those communities can be difficult to find
Campus, seen June 15, is the Thursday LGBTQ+ darkness at ManRay in Cambridge’s Central Square. (Photo: Annie Schugart)
In Cambridge and Somerville, you would be difficult pressed to find a place where members of the LGBTQ+ community are not welcome. Pride flag stickers are a dime a dozen on store and café windows, and nobody seems to soul bold proclamations of gender or sexuality. In many ways, it’s an preferred place to be Gay in an America that is growing more hostile.
Spaces dedicated to the society are sparse, though. Club and bar nights live, but there are no gay bars to be heard of since the closing of Paradise in 2018. In neighboring Boston, spaces have been going away too: Machine in Fenway closed to make way for a condo maturation, and Bella Luna and the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain closed during the Covid pandemic.
One of the spaces that linger in Cambridge is Campus at ManRay, a club night that happens every Thursday. The night itself is informal compared with some others at ManRay that cater to specific, alternative subcultures and approach with dress codes. The only
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