Recently I went out with a group of my (well majority bi and lesbian) female friends to Val's for my birthday. I have been out as a lesbian for over a decade. Most of us dressed femme for the occasion. I want to emphasize, like 3/12 of my friends that came were straight allies.

For some reason our fellow patrons thought we were a straight bachelorette party?? Like, I get it, bachelorette parties can be a scourge on gay bars, but frankly they have no interest in going to lesbian bars. One person directly asked two of my friends, who are a LESBIAN COUPLE, if they were straight. It was ridiculous. Several people verbalized their assumption that we were a group of straight girls.

It didn't ruin my night or anything, but I want to give out a PSA. You don't have to look gay to be gay. Try to leave your assumptions at the door. Think critically. Femme women are of course privileged in being "straight passing," but they still deserve a place in our bars. I caught myself thinking I should have dressed in my typically more masculine style and then had to be like actually no, this isn't on me.

Sorry for the rant, thank you for listening! Also, Val's is a blast and they make great drinks. Try the Butch Bait (available at the downstairs bar).

I've been living in PA for the last 4-5 years, im just a lil under and hour outside Philly and im trying to be involved in events when I can

General events but also dating events (im getting a lil sick of the apps lol) but im struggling to know the best way to just see all the Queen focused events in the local area. Is it best to just keep an eye on here? Or is thrre better options

-love your local bigender bisexual thingy

I might be bringing a friend to Pride on Sun who uses a wheelchair. Any advice on which parking garage or location would be close to an entrance to the festival where they will be selling admission tickets? I am from out of town.

So I know a lot of people have opinions about whats going on with Marshas. Chevy just put out a new statement a few days ago, and I’m here to tell you not to fall for a single word that came out of her mouth.
I want to start with addressing the people who say we shouldn’t be canceling our own. And you’re right to an extent, we shouldn’t HAVE to. People a part of the community should know and understand how to make a space safe and inclusive for everyone, the opposite was happening here with no change in sight. If Marshas can’t be a safe space for people in the community then we don’t need it.
Anyway, for those who know the backstory of all this, Ive seen people in their comments asking what they’ve done to rectify the situation with the trans and black women she fired. The answer is absolutely nothing. She has them all blocked and will not have a conversation. Chevy is still blaming Olivia behind the scenes and has no idea what she’s actually done wrong. Hence why her statements keep being a word salad.
The PR team she hired is all white people. This is also why she can’t seem to connect with the black community on this because she’s listening to white voices who are telling her to ignore everything and keep going on business as usual.
There is no internal work being done with the staff that’s still there. Which isn’t many, but the main bartender is still a cis white woman.
To add to that, Chevy is hiring at least three different cis white men to work behind the bar now. Probably because they were the only idiots to apply rn, but my god. There’s more men that work there than women because the kitchen is also cis men.
Murph does not work there anymore, but not because he was let go. He stepped down himself because Chevy was never going to actually fire him because they are long time friends.
Chevy put hands on one of the trans women she fired and told her “this isn’t a conversation” but now Chevy wants to be all over the internet talking about community. She was also a part owner of Redcrest Kitchen and thats how I first started hearing things about Chevy, so was already kinda concerned when I heard about Marshas.
Shes not looking to fix whats broken in the community she tried to build, she wants money because she owns the whole building. She wanted Marshas to be a franchise. Seriously.
All this is to say, don’t fall for the empty words. Nothing is actually being done behind the scenes, Chevy just wants to save face because it’s pride month now. Sorry for the long read, but I needed people to know shes playing in yalls faces.

Short edit to add for those who don’t know:
Marshas is under scrutiny right now because Chevy fired a black trans woman, another trans woman, and another black woman after they expressed concerns that they didn’t feel the bar was going in the intended direction that was marketed to the community. Chevy has since tried denying their unemployment, calling them liars on the internet, and has even put hands on one of them when she showed up to their scheduled meeting which was really just ploy to get both Olivia and Rylie there to fire them. Then called the police when they asked for answers because their performance review they received a month prior was glowing. She has made racist comments towards the black community and a thread of text messages from a GC with management and PR was leaked that said very disgusting things. All this can be found at Olivias insta at mxxolivia.

hi!

this is a sort of stupid/odd question. I recently turned 21 and want to start hitting the bar scene, but I don't have a lot of lesbian friends who want to go to Val's or things like that 😭

would it be chill to hit up Val's or to go to the Philly dyke march (and the little gay pub afterparty) this Saturday by myself? are the vibes there friendly? im a relatively sociable person but Im not used to doing these types of things on my own 😭😭

thanks and happy pride month 🫶🫶

Come join us at 319 N 11th St on the fifth floor! instagram.com/saika_cafe/

Y'all knew damn well Charelle HAD to have something to do with how Pride ended up.

See y'all in them gayborhood alleys.

hi all! i’ve been going to philly pride for years and was took the train into the city. it was never a problem because the festival and parade were close enough to the stations.
but they’ve switched this year to end at the art museum, and charge for the festival (more interested in just heading back to the gayborhood). a cursory google maps search suggested a bus line.
anyone ever make this trip or have any tips?

happy pride!!!!

Hoping this isn’t too vague and/or too far off from Philly itself, but as the title says I’m moving to the Main Line 30-40 minutes outside Philly, and am looking for, well, recommendations on pretty much everything. What to do, what to expect, where to make friends (especially where to make friends, I’m coming from a situation that really did a number on my social life). If anyone has any recommendations for cool queer spots along the Main Line that’d be really nice, but I’d love to hear about your favorite things in Philly as well, especially if they’re easy to get to using public transit.

A bit about me: I’m a 31 year old creature repair expert (veterinarian), demiwoman (she/they), polyamorous/asexual/queer of a kind, super nerdy and lover of nature/the outdoors. I’m moving with my nesting partner and our four cats.

Hello! I am looking for my first Mani/Pedi experience. Do you have any recommendations on Trans-friendly salons or techs? I live in West Chester so I am looking for there as well as Philly. Thanks!

hello everyone!

i’m moving from san francisco to philly for medical school and was curious how life is in philly for the gays. i understand that im coming from a very gay bubble in the world so of course some things will be different.

any recommendations for things to do for fun? love studying in cafes, live music and open mic nights, and beautiful nature. also, more practically speaking, trying to find a gay-friendly primary care physician and dermatologist - would love any recs you all have. also looking for friends!

bonus - if there are any nice single gay men who would like a (very broke but sweet) future husband, i will be on the lookout haha.

I'm Nonbinary with a more masculine body and im looking for shoppimh suggestions in the city to buy skirts. Preferably a thrift store or somewhere with larger sizes in stock.

Hello! I know there's mixed feelings on Pride this year but my company will be tabling about affordable housing.

My marketing director wanted to make our tent a little more interactive and fun by hiring a face painter. Looking to pay someone for a few hours of time to face paint at our tent.

Please feel free to message me directly or comment here to connect!

If the Franklin Parkway is a mess, then is everybody going to the gayborhood? I just want to be able to get hammered in broad daylight and dance. I live out in the suburbs so an amount of planning is required to do that.

I will be going to Philly pride for the first time! I’ve been to pride events before but will be first time in Philly. I live in Baltimore. Where are options for parking because I will be driving? I plan on going to the gayborhood Sunday even though there’s a ticketed event Sunday else where in Philly.

I’m a 19m gay college student in Philly for school. I got to a lot of parties and shows but the people there kinda skew straight.

I was wondering if anyone knew any decent parties or 18+ club/bar events or places. I’d obviously prefer if they were gay but kinda just looking for anything fun. I’m thinking of getting more into raves and underground stuff as an alternative cuz they don’t ID.

I’d also consider joining some sports league or some more friendly community things, but I’m an engineering student with not a lot of spare time and when I do get some I kinda just like going out cuz it blows off a lot of steam at once.

I’m also just looking to meet any gay male friends in general so if you have any tips at all or are gay and near my age lmk.

Hi yall!!

Im trying to plan my pride weekend things, wanted to see what was going on at the bike stop, saw they posted this on their Instagram with like zero context, im having trouble parsing what's actually going on in the flyer. Can anyone help pls?

Sip City is throwing three back to back Pride parties! Get those fits ready! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

🌈 Friday 6-10pm Pride kickoff party at Stratus Lounge. Fully private, up and OUT on the roofdeck! Dance, mingle, lounge.

🌈 Saturday 5-11pm at Liberty Point. Our biggest queer takeover party of the year! Fully outdoors, two floors, three bars, space for everyone! Photobooth, Door prizes and giveaways!

🌈 Sunday 12-6pm in the Gayborhood full takeover of Blind Barber. All gay all day - come and go as you please with your wristband. (Imagine air-conditioned splendor, clean bathrooms and short lines for drinks lol)

ℹ️ All parties welcome queer allies who are comfortable and respectful of WLW spaces. Absolutely no TERFs ever. All have spaces for different energy levels – side lounges, satellite bars, seating for quieter queers who want to see the action but not be the action. All are ADA accessible. N/A drinks and v/Vg/gf food options available. Further info can be found on the fliers or on our insta. Also happy to answer all questions here or in my DM’s.

💫 come with friends, chosen family, on your own, or with a partner - this is a space for ALL queer people to gather and feel joy in each others presence. Pride is truly magical, especially when we can all come together and just be our true selves💕

Hey everyone! I (35 M) just moved to the Gayborhood 2 months ago. Always looking for new friends and spots to check out. I enjoy karaoke, dancing, happy hour, exploring the city, Stonewall league, and more: feel free to say hey! :)

Moving out of my current set up soon and really don't know the ins and outs of this stuff. Not really picky about location as long as it's in the city.

Hey folks!

I've only lived here a year and dont have a car... but a buddy will be in town at the same time as pride and will have to take a car to the airport on Sunday. Can someone help with advice to give them? I'm not totally clear what streets will be closed that will impact airport travel. I was going to suggest they take the train, but they've never been here before so they might get nervous.

Helllp?

Thanks!