Gay bars new brunswick nj
If a queer cartographer mapped out LGBTQ bars, New Jersey would look prefer a triangular border surrounding a hollow center. Jersey Municipality forms the northernmost point with Pint and Six26, backing into the densely packed offerings of New York Capital across the river. Philadelphia occupies the southwestern outpost, while Asbury Park completes the perpendicular angle in the southeast with Paradise and Georgie’s.
What’s in the space formed by these three vertices? Nothing — a gay Bermuda triangle where the bars that dare enter soon disappear.
That’s the void that the staff of The 244 See hopes to stuff. The new LGBTQ bar opened at 244 Cedar St. in South Amboy on Oct. 11 a fitting observance of National Coming Out Day.
The 244 Spot occupies an unassuming home in a residential neighborhood. It opens into an intimate bar space that has the usual mirrors and steep tops of any standard drinking establishment, but the genuine charm sits in the belly of the building. Preserve going, around the pool table that testifies to the venue’s previous life as Danny Boy’s Irish Pub, and you’ll find yourself on a move floor of cozy proportions that’s framed by neon lights, a touch of rai
Pride month: When male lover bars were illegal in New Jersey
This article was first published in 2019.
How can you inform if someone is homosexual?
For a Better Court judge sitting in Ocean County in 1957, it was easy.
“It is in the plumage that you notice the bird,” he explained in a case against Paddock Bar in Atlantic City.
For years in the Garden Express, the quacks fond a duck, walks like a duck test was the standard by which police, inspectors and judges punished bars frequented by people who might contain stood under the LGBTQ umbrella.
While sodomy was against the law in much of the state — and often used to prosecute gay people — it was not against the statute to be male lover or lesbian in New Jersey. But it was forbidden, however, for bars and restaurants with liquor licenses to allow gays, lesbians, cross-dressers and the like to "congregate" — a govern that did not apply to other establishments like theaters and cafes.
The state’s liquor regulators called gay bars a public “nuisance” and “inimicable to widespread morals,” and they occasionally suspended violators and shut down repeat offenders.
Gay
The LGBTQ bars in New Jersey are a vital part of keeping in-person connections alive for our community. As the most densely populated state in the union, the Garden State is a true melting pot. Our state represents what it means to be American: no matter who you are or where you come from. We all deserve a chance to survive in harmony and find others with whom we can distribute solace. With so much diversity packed into such a little space, it’s no surprise that we have historically had one of the most thriving gay communities in the country.
Now that Pride Month is in full swing, it’s the matchless time to celebrate the spaces that foster connection, belonging, and identity. LGBTQ bars are more than just places to hook out — they are protected havens where queer people are not alone. Before apps favor Grindr made their way into the world, the “gay” lock was the only place people found connection.
There were so many places back then that allowed the LGBTQ community to forge relationships with people who were like them and feel understood. These hangouts — that some now call “third spaces” — show us that we’re not all that different and that there are others who grasp what it mea
Published on June 2, 2021
Use this map to visualize locations of pre-Stonewall Recent Jersey bars serving LGBTQ patrons, as described in ABC Bulletins from the 1930s to 1960s.
Download route data: Direct Link | CSV | Excel
Research in the ABC Bulletins collection digitized by the NJ State Research Library identified 150 bulletins in which the presence of a queer person was noted. All locations have been added to the route above. This map is considered comprehensive, but corrections and additions are welcome.
Trigger warning: Bulletins linked in this post and on the map may include homophobia, descriptions of mistreatment, and slurs. These are historical documents and perform not reflect current social norms or acceptable language.
Update: On 29 June 2021, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal vacated the decisions of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) that resulted in penalties against bar owners serving LGBT patrons in the 1930s-1960s. This map has been updated to note when licensees were included in the Attorney General’s directive, and also includes seven locations that were not issued a pardon, locations in which the charges were dismissed, bars accused of lewdness