How Wayne Smith Becomes Cher
For more than 40 years, the Dallas native has impersonated the Goddess of Pop at gay bars across the country, garnering legions of fans all his own.
- story: Alex Gonzalez
- photo: Chris Rusanowsky
The Queer Bar Is Dead, Long Live the Queer Bar
A collection of stories that offer a snapshot of LGBTQ+ nightlife today.
- story: Punch Staff
- photo: Brian Finke
Carla Rossi Is Portland’s Premier Drag Clown
The pasty-faced, White Claw-slinging queen of PDX nightlife takes her name from the jug of cheap wine favored by art students.
- story: Andrew Jankowski
- photo: Rak Salt
Day Drinking at the “Gay Beach of New York”
What does summer drinking look like at Jacob Riis? Six groups of beachgoers offer a glimpse inside their coolers.
- story: Christian Rodriguez
- photos: Christian Rodriguez
The Cocktail Bar Is Queer
Once existing in parallel to popular drinking culture, queer bars are now helping define it.
- story: Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner
- photos: Brian Finke
“Shots, Shots, Shots!” in Gay Tijuana
A swirling site of transience and transformation, the border city has become a place to experience an LGBTQ+ scene as it’s evolving.
- story: Emma Glassman-Hughes
- photo: Carlos Moreno
Nobody’s Darling Is Chicago’s Queer Cheers
Founded by two queer Black women, the cocktail lounge is an inclusive antidote to the city’s cis-centered bars. Meet the regulars who have found a home there.
- story: Abby Keller
- photos: Clayton Hauck
Tiny Pony Is the Gayest Bar in Yucca Valley
Meet the regulars who make the gun-shop-turned-queer-bar a desert oasis.
- story: Rax Will
- photos: Dylan + Jeni
Honk for Beer
Once ubiquitous across the Midwest and the South, drive-thru liquor stores face a host of modern challenges. But for a handful of owners, they are a tradition worth preserving.
- story: Laurel Miller
- photo: Drew Anthony Smith
The Man in Charge of 1,000 Dirty Martinis a Night
Luis Serrano, who has helmed the bars at Bemelmans and Café Carlyle for over 30 years, is now serving a new generation of Martini fiends.
- story: Amanda Arnold
- photo: Brian Finke
Nobody Knows Detroit After Dark Like Larry Mongo
At Café D’Mongo’s, the legendary proprietor has served Detroit Browns to politicians, rappers and celebrities since 1985.
- story: Mickey Lyons
- photo: Amy Sacka
What Is a Bar Without a Backbar?
If the backbar is a window into a bar’s soul, what does it mean to forgo one altogether?
- story: Danny Chau
- photo: Emmanuel Rosario