Gay club santa barbara
The Central Coast has a thriving LGBTQ community, so where are all the lgbtq+ bars?
BY KASEY BUBNASH
As a teen, Rory Uribe fantasized about going to a gay bar or club and finally being able to be unabashedly lgbtq+ in public.
Uribe, who uses nonbinary pronouns, has lived in Santa Maria their whole life, and it hasn’t always felt like the most accepting or inclusive place for the LGBTQ population. Though Uribe came out to their parents and friends during high college, they still don’t feel totally approved in Santa Maria or by their family.
So Uribe always thought the queer bars in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties would provide that much-needed and missing support system and network.
“I’ve dreamed of going to a gay bar since I was prefer, 16,” Uribe told the Sun. “And I was unpleasantly surprised when I turned 21 and found out there aren’t any here.”
The lack of LGBTQ-specific nightlife on the Central Coast is an issue much of the local gay and transitioned community is forced to work around. Santa Barbara’s once thriving gay club scene dwindled, and eventually completely disappeared, as varying sex
Gay Promoter Keeps it Fresh
The ladies paraded out onto the elevated stage, hair teased to oversized bouffants, gaudy jewelry adorning every ear and wrist. The crowd cheered as the lights lowered and the familiar strains of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” came through the speakers, announcing the start of the evening’s performances. Glamour personified traipsed across the stage, lip-syncing and dancing. Even though there was lots of hooting and hollering, the true measure of success was the dollar bills a few audience members were tucking into the performer’s cleavages.
Welcome to Sunday nights at the Wildcat Lounge.
Although the Kitty is widely understood as the best club for dancing any evening of the week, a Sunday nighttime at the Wildcat currently is the only place that comes close to resembling gay nightlife in Santa Barbara. And while there are many players who have approach together to build this a life, Robert Mendez is the prime mover behind Red Room, the now six-year-old weekly gay night.
Whether he’s hosting benefits-like the previously described Ms. Marvelous’s Flamboyant Review, which donated money to the Children’s Miracle Network-or
The Last Meow
When I drove westward from Boston in search of a unused place to live, I assumed it would be a town with a healthy gay scene; from what I’d heard about California, the only people who didn’t frequent same-sex attracted bars were nuns.
And then I found Santa Barbara. Giddy on the mountains, the ocean, sunbathing in October, I let myself believe it was workable that one of those bar fronts hid girls holding hands and boys dancing to Madonna. So when I found Muddy Waters on GaySantaBarbara.org, I donned my gayest outfit (okay, fine, I just removed my dangly earrings) and headed out to chat up some ladies. Well, it’s true Muddy Waters does sell beer. And there was a lady in there, in the very literal instinct of the word: She was knitting and drinking tea. The night ended up involving a $2 bottle of wine and Girls Gone Wild infomercials. Welcome to gay Santa Barbara.
I didn’t take me long to realize the bars and restaurants listed on GaySantaBarbara.org were simply gay friendly. Like Roy, Chad’s, and other listings, Muddy Waters is “totally open and tolerant,” according to owner Bill Lewis, but has never been an explicitly gay hangout.
Santa Barbara LGBTQ City Guide
Santa Barbara is often referred to as the “American Riviera” and with good reason. Situated in the hills on a south-facing section of the California coast, Santa Barbara is known for its stunning scenery, unique history, attractive beaches, and laid-back, eclectic vibe. It’s a city with no shortage of things to spot and do, and a thriving LGBTQ community as well. Truly, Santa Barbara would be a wonderful place to call home!
A Look at Santa Barbara’s History
Various Native American tribes inhabited the area that is now Santa Barbara for over 13,000 years, prior to the beginning of its modern-day history. That began in 1733, when the Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino traveled through the channel between Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands in December of 1602 on St. Barbara’s feast day, hence the name of the city. The Spanish established settlements and missions in the area, and in fact, the Franciscan mission established in the area by the Spanish is the oldest continually operating mission in the Together States. After California became part of the United States, the area continued to grow, eventually becomin