Gay bars knoxville
Pride month: Past & Give Knoxville LGBT Gathering Places
(This is a second in a series of articles about Pride and Knoxville’s LGBTQ communities by guest writer Oren Yarbrough)
If you walk up to someone in Knoxville and demand where the nearest lgbtq+ bar is they may only be able to name one or two different options. Today, in Knoxville, if you long to go to an establishment that caters exclusively to the LGBT collective and allies then you are likely going to be visiting either Club XYZ or Edge Knoxville. Sassy Ann’s House of Blues is also another Knoxville institution that has not necessarily branded itself as a “Gay Bar”, but has in more recent years garnered a rather loyal group of LGBT patrons. These places are a part of a very large collection of Gay and Womxn loving womxn Bars to have existed in Knoxville over the last half century.
The history of Knoxville Gay bars is fading and will be incomplete as it is written today. Each person I interviewed provided a small bit more detail than the person before on either a person or a block. I hope to carry on to add to this material in the future. Some of you reading this may have your own fond memories of some of the bars I’ll m
NIGHTCLUBS BARS BREWERIES
Knoxville LGBTQ Friendly Business Directory
Dance & Night Club, Gay Bar, Setting New & Higher Standards for Homosexual Nightlife in East Tennessee, Voted Knoxville's Best Gay Lock 2010-2017 and 2019-2021 1215 N. Core Street. Knoxville TN (865) 637-4999
Bar & Grill, Gay Block, Live Music Venue, Live Shows Friday-Monday. Locally owned LGBTQIA+ bar and grill. Ages 21+ only. 7211 Kingston Pike Knoxville TN (865) 247-5243
CHATTANOOGA TN
Alan Gold's 1100 McCallie Ave. Chattanooga TN.
COOKVILLE TN
Club TemptationDance & Overnight Club, Performance & Event Venue, 18yrs old and over. Join us every Thursday for Trivia, weekends we hold Drag shows and Sundays Karaoke. We are a prevent for everyone and there is no judgement, leave your drama and worries at the door. We have two pool tables, kitchen with bar nourishment and smoking patio. 185 Millar Rd Cookeville TN
JOHNSON CITY
New Beginnings 2910 Bristol Hwy Johnson Capital TN @New Beginnings
bernadette's crystal lounge
Bernadette's Crystal Themed Lounge, 32 Market Square, Knoxville TN
Rooftop bar accessed from Bernadette's and Preservation Pub
Y’all Means All – The Gay Scene in Knoxville
“Y’all means ALL” courtesy of Taryn Ferro
In 2012 the international LGBTQ Magazine The Advocate listed Knoxville as the “8th Gayest City in America” during its countdown of places to live or go to in the USA. While the criteria used to create this list was viewed as attractive shaky (number of nude yoga studios & WNBA teams per capita?) and the general widespread both in and out of East Tennessee laughed off the declaration that Knoxville was a Queer Friendly place to live and visit, I am here to inform you that this mid-sized city is actually a beautiful great place for LGBTQ+ people to visit and dial home. Here is a list of the many reasons why you should make Knoxville your next travel destination.
Gay Street in Downtown Knoxville courtesy of Tod Sheley
Geography: Knoxville is the largest city in East Tennessee and is nestled in a large valley at the foot of the Smoky Mountains. Often viewed as a regional capital of sorts, Knoxville has been a major population center for about as long as people have been living in the Southern Appalachian area of the US. What this means for tourists is
We had a blast at Club XYZ, whose 20th anniversary is a joyful standout | Opinion
A 20-year anniversary is an remarkable feat in business. For a gay bar like Club XYZ in Knoxville, it's unusual.
This story, admittedly, landed in our lap. The owner reached out after reading an unrelated business anniversary piece, a type of story that works for any type of establishment or institution with a major milestone. You spot them all the time.
But as Knox News reporter Keenan Thomas began meeting more people, reading more stories and digging into the history of gay bars in America, it was evident: Club XYZ isn't just any business. It's a happy, hollerin' Knoxville institution and a haven for LGBTQ+ communities that acquire been pushed to the margins for decades.
Go behind the scenes with Keenan in this Q&A that explains how the story came together, what he learned along the way and why Club XYZ "is for everybody."
Club XYZ: Why it's 'a privilege' to keep Knoxville's LGBTQ+ lock scene alive for 20 yearsNeed a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.This Q&A, conducted by business growth and development editor Ryan Wilusz, has been lightly edited for length and clarity.