Boulder gay bars
Although any bar in Denver are accepting, there’s something special about visiting a local LGBTQ+ bar or club and diving into The Mile High City’s queer community. They are the spots where you know you’ll be surrounded by like-minded, fun and eccentric people. And luckily for us, there are plenty of LGBTQ+ nightlife options to choose from, no matter your taste.
Dancing Queens (and Kings) - Dance Bars and Clubs
For those who want to bust out their dancing shoes and cut a rug to remixes of today’s top hits, you’ll want to hit one of the top twist bars in the city—X Bar, Tracks, Blush & Blu, or Charlie’s.
X Block is a staple for Denver LGBTQ+ folks. Established for its inclusivity towards both the queer and straight communities, X Lock has been around for seven years and has been an important staple of Denver for just as long.
“X Bar is well known for the pink flamingos during self-acceptance, and they are everywhere,” explained Cindy Alix, general manager at X Exclude. “We also give them away and have the biggest pink flamingo around on our float. We have a very particular float this year, so we are looking forward to the
How DV8 Distillery Has Evolved into The Best Homosexual Bar in Boulder
Boulder is well-known for being a progressive college town. But something that surprised Rawley Gunnels when he moved here was the lack of access to a progressive social life — namely, the absence of a gay bar where people could gather to drink, dance, socialize, adore drag brunches and, most importantly, feel free to express themselves free of judgment.
Enter DV8 Distillery(2480 49th St. Suite E in Boulder). The craft distillery makes vodka, gin, whiskey and liqueurs, and even experiments with some fan favorites like a limited-release pink sparkly liquor with mica-based glitter in it. But the distillery has also recently expanded and evolved into a gender non-conforming gathering space, filling the much-needed niche for a gay bar in Boulder.
The idea here? DV8 is a lifestyle, community and distillery all wrapped up in one. It’s a place where you can come for a sultry rave or a comedy show or pop into the tasting room to sip Earl Grey Vodka with notes of bergamot or a 5-grain bourbon.
Ultimately, the founders wanted to bring queer identity festival to Boulder and provide a space where the community can flourish, says Johnathan
Meet the Duo Behind Boulder’s Only Queer Bar
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When Rawley Gunnels and Johnathan Tilley founded Boulder’s DV8 Distilling in 2016, they set out to craft crave-worthy gluten-free spirits and carve out a space for the neighborhood. As the distillery’s product line of rice-based bourbons, gin, and vodkas grows, so does the business’s mission to create a safe, inclusive atmosphere where “community can flourish without judgement,” according to Tilley. With sex-positive, kink-themed events sprinkled throughout its calendar—think: glow paint sway parties and circus shows—some nights lean more toward the risqué than others.
While the distillery has always been a community gathering place, it wasn’t originally branded as a “queer bar.” Concerned about rainbow capitalism—the commercialization and commodification of LGBTQ movements—Gunnels and Tilley shied away from declaring DV8 as a queer space until last year. That’s when the designation became such an important facet of their lives that not doing it felt disingenuous to them. Both individuals recognize as queer, and Gunnels only came out fu
Boulder Colorado - Gay Capital Guide
Boulder is beautiful. There's no secret about that. This city, located at the base of the foothills in the Colorado mountains and relatively shut to Denver, is a city known for its abundance of outdoor beauty, and quirky, free-spirited sense. It's also known for being one of the warmest and welcoming cities in the country.
A Bit of Boulder History
Before its modern-day history, the Boulder Valley was first the home of the Native Americans, particularly the Southern Arapahoe tribe. In the mid-1800s during the gold rush, gold-seekers came to the area and established the first non-native settlement. By 1859, the Boulder City Town Firm had been organized to begin developing land in the area. Boulder Town remained part of the Nebraska Territory until 1861 when the United States Congress created the Land of Colorado. It remained an important supply found and destination for miners searching for gold and silver at the moment. Eventually, railroad service came to Boulder in the late 1800s, causing the area to experience significant additional growth. That maturation continued throughout the initial 20th century and beyond, and eventually, Boulder c
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