The Oldest Gay & Lesbian Bars

CC Slaughters

Portland, United States

CC Slaughters is Portland's best known gay club with nightly DJs moving the crowd on a massive dance floor, daily happy hours served by bartenders in drag and...

For Men

Centralhjørnet

Copenhagen, Denmark

Centralhjornet is Copenhagen's oldest LGBT bar, and it shows - both the clientele and the decor have seen better days - but it's also one of the warmest, most...

LGBTQ

Oil Can Harry's

Los Angeles, United States

Oil Can Harry's is where gay cowboys - as well as others - have been lining up to line dance since the late 60s. It's "over the hill" in San Fernando Valley from...

For Men

Lion Pub

San Francisco, United States

Famous for its muddled fruit cocktails, the Lion Pub is one of the oldest gay bars in the city, though these days the crowd skews both gay and straight. With a...

LGBTQ-friendly

The Backstreet

London, England

A proper leather bar, The Backstreet adheres to one of Europe's strictest leather and rubber dress codes. The oldest fetish/cruise club in London is refreshingly...

For Men

Kazbar

London, England

High rents shut down Kazbar, a gay bar institution in South London since 1995.

For Men

Nob Hill

Washington DC, United States

Historical marker HM1M14 on the Columbia Heights Heritage Trail is all that remains of Nob Hill, one of America's first openly gay bars for and run by African...

For Men

Kings Arms

London, England

A popular bear den, the Kings Arms opened as a traditional gay pub in 1982. Weekends get busy with DJ nights on Fridays and Saturdays and karaoke on Sundays.

For Men

The Gangway

San Francisco, United States

With a prime Tenderloin district location on Larkin Street for over a century, The Gangway is San Francisco's oldest gay bar. A white ship juts out from the blue...

LGBTQ

Jewel's Catch One

Los Angeles, United States

Jewel's Catch One was the first black gay-lesbian nightclub in Los Angeles - maybe in the US - and the first LA disco owned by a black woman. It closed in 2015...

Mother Lode

Los Angeles, United States

Mother Lode is a hole-in-the-wall dive bar that's been hanging in there since 1979. No WeHo glitz or theme nights, but the drinks are stiff and the pool table...

For Men

Ochsengarten

Munich, Germany

Hailing from the 60s, this is Munich's original leather and fetish bar. Despite being opened first by a woman, today it is a meeting place only for men, whose...