nightlife
ATLANTA’S NIGHTLIFE REVOLUTION by Jesse A. Hancock
Wet Bar. Red Chair. Paris Decatur. Backstreet. Exactly how many gay and lesbian bars have come and gone in Atlanta may be surprising. Reports of closings around the country are alarming, forcing bar owners to make some serious changes. Patrons are becoming more selective about where to spend their evenings and hard-earned dollars. Celebrating its two-year anniversary, Bellissima is striving to meet that challenge. The small neighborhood bar on Amsterdam Avenue in Midtown serves a large variety of wine and champagne, rather than strictly beer and mixed drinks. It also hosts a variety of events including live music, drag shows and charity events with Atlanta Executive Network (AEN), Joining Hearts, and the Atlanta Cotillion. “A big change that a lot of people like is that there is no smoking at our bar,” said owner Anna Ragghianti. “We are also a lot more accepting of all types of people. I hate it when we discriminate within our own community.” It is much more common today to see straight and gay patrons in bars. Places like
Mary’s in East Atlanta host theme nights and welcome everyone. Watch for a new club opening soon called The Deck. An inside source tells David Magazine it is going to be “the place to be this summer” and describes it as sort of a cross between Burkharts and Woofs with a skyline view of Midtown and Downtown. Other bars around town offer a wide variety of events, guest DJs and drink specials. Mixx, one of the city’s newest bars, is also non-smoking like Bellissima and offers karaoke, an outdoor patio and videos. The Heretic now offers Café Con Leche on Thursday nights with hot Latin boys and guest DJs. Many smaller bars also offer Bingo and trivia nights. Years ago most gay bars kept very low profiles (unmarked doors, blackened windows). They were often owned and run by mobsters because most businessmen did not want to deal with the prospect of frequent police raids. Most of the straight population was either unaware of gay bars or saw them as a threat to society. For many closeted gays, bars were the only places where they could safely be themselves.