Gay knoxville tn
Y’all Means All – The Gay Scene in Knoxville
“Y’all means ALL” courtesy of Taryn Ferro
In 2012 the international LGBTQ Magazine The Advocate listed Knoxville as the “8th Gayest City in America” during its countdown of places to live or call on in the USA. While the criteria used to cause this list was viewed as attractive shaky (number of nude yoga studios & WNBA teams per capita?) and the general common both in and out of East Tennessee laughed off the declaration that Knoxville was a Queer Friendly place to live and visit, I am here to explain you that this mid-sized city is actually a attractive great place for LGBTQ+ people to visit and ring home. Here is a list of the many reasons why you should make Knoxville your next travel destination.
Gay Street in Downtown Knoxville courtesy of Tod Sheley
Geography: Knoxville is the largest city in East Tennessee and is nestled in a large valley at the foot of the Smoky Mountains. Often viewed as a regional capital of sorts, Knoxville has been a major population center for about as long as people have been living in the Southern Appalachian area of the US. What this means for tourists is
Pride month: Past & Present Knoxville LGBT Gathering Places
(This is a second in a series of articles about Pride and Knoxville’s LGBTQ communities by guest scribe Oren Yarbrough)
If you walk up to someone in Knoxville and ask where the nearest homosexual bar is they may only be able to name one or two different options. Today, in Knoxville, if you desire to go to an establishment that caters exclusively to the LGBT community and allies then you are likely going to be visiting either Club XYZ or Edge Knoxville. Sassy Ann’s House of Blues is also another Knoxville institution that has not necessarily branded itself as a “Gay Bar”, but has in more recent years garnered a rather loyal group of LGBT patrons. These places are a part of a very large collection of Gay and Lesbian Bars to have existed in Knoxville over the last half century.
The history of Knoxville Gay bars is fading and will be incomplete as it is written today. Each person I interviewed provided a petite bit more detail than the person before on either a person or a bar. I hope to continue to append to this material in the future. Some of you reading this may have your hold fond memories of some of the bars I’ll m
NIGHTCLUBS BARS BREWERIES
Knoxville LGBTQ Approachable Business Directory
Dance & Darkness Club, Gay Bar, Setting New & Higher Standards for Gay Nightlife in East Tennessee, Voted Knoxville's Best Gay Bar 2010-2017 and 2019-2021 1215 N. Central Street. Knoxville TN (865) 637-4999
Bar & Grill, Gay Bar, Live Tune Venue, Live Shows Friday-Monday. Locally owned LGBTQIA+ block and grill. Ages 21+ only. 7211 Kingston Pike Knoxville TN (865) 247-5243
CHATTANOOGA TN
Alan Gold's 1100 McCallie Ave. Chattanooga TN.
COOKVILLE TN
Club TemptationDance & Night Club, Performance & Event Venue, 18yrs old and over. Join us every Thursday for Trivia, weekends we have Drag shows and Sundays Karaoke. We are a bar for everyone and there is no judgement, leave your drama and worries at the door. We have two pool tables, kitchen with bar food and smoking patio. 185 Millar Rd Cookeville TN
JOHNSON CITY
New Beginnings 2910 Bristol Hwy Johnson City TN @New Beginnings
bernadette's crystal lounge
Bernadette's Crystal Themed Lounge, 32 Market Square, Knoxville TN
Rooftop bar accessed from Bernadette's and Preservation Pub
Knoxville LGBTQ City Guide
Knoxville is a attractive Tennessee city situated near the Fantastic Smoky Mountains and offering an abundance of natural beauty. It is also well known for being home to the University of Tennessee. Beyond that, however, it is also a capital that is place to many businesses, a thriving arts and culture scene, many diverse neighborhoods, and much to see and undertake . Even better, it is a metropolis with a vibrant and welcoming LGBT community where all can feel welcome and at residence. If you’re thinking of finding your next home in Knoxville, chances are, you’ll find plenty about it to love!
A Look at Knoxville's History
Knoxville has a distant and rich history. In fact, it was established as the capital of the Southwest Space as long ago as the administration of George Washington. It was there when Tennessee was founded and was in fact the capital of the state for the first 20 years of its existence. As the mention grew, Knoxville did too, particularly after the arrival of the railroad which brought a fantastic deal of industry to the municipality. As it grew, it also became increasingly diverse and today it is a thriving, welcoming, vibrant city where all can come across