The Mix | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Owner(s) |
|
Street address | 635 St. Helens Avenue |
City | Tacoma |
State | Washington |
Postal/ZIP Code | 98402 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 47°15′28″N122°26′33″W / 47.25778°N 122.44250°W |
Website | themixtacoma |
The Mix is a gay bar in Tacoma, Washington, in the United States.
The Mix is an LGBT-friendly bar in on St. Helens Avenue in Tacoma, Washington. [1] The bar hosts dancing, [2] drag shows [1] and karaoke regularly; SouthSound Talk says, "Every night from 9:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The Mix packs with men and women eager to take the bar's tiny stage. Enjoy a round of pool while you wait for your turn on the mic." [3]
Co-owners have included Matt Henderson, Brock Leach, and Travis Scheff. [4]
The bar hosts an annual block party in conjunction with Pride festivities. [5] [6] [7] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Mix hosted a virtual drag show. [8]
Chelsea Hawkins of MyNorthwest.com has called The Mix an "important fixture". [9] In a 2013 "queer girl" guide of Tacoma, Autostraddle said of the bar:
Relaxed and friendly, you'll feel right at home here. There's karaoke, but when that's not happening they tend to play pretty decent music. Like Silverstone, The Mix is a queer grab bag: on any given night you can booze alongside drag queens, baby boomers, femmes, butches, leather daddies… you name it. The Mix may not be the most, um, glamorous place you've ever been drunk at, but the bartenders are nice and the crowd is kind of hilarious. [10]
According to SouthSound Talk, The Mix was named Western Washington's best gay and lesbian bar in 2014. [3] The Advocate said The Mix was "the go-to neighborhood bar" in 2015. [11]
A gay anthem is a popular song that has become widely popular among, or has become identified with, the gay community, although some of these songs have also become anthems for the wider LGBT community. Not all songs labelled as "gay anthems" were written intentionally to become gay anthems, but those that do are often marked by themes of perseverance, inner strength, acceptance, pride, and unity. Research in 2007 suggested that the song most commonly identified as a gay anthem is "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and described the song as "a classic emblem of gay culture in the post-Stonewall and AIDS eras".
Stefan Grygelko, better known by the stage name Heklina, was an American actor, drag queen, and entrepreneur in San Francisco. Grygelko's mother was Icelandic, and having been born in the U.S., he lived in Iceland in the 1980s; he named his drag character after the Icelandic volcano Hekla. Heklina founded the drag club Trannyshack in 1996.
I think that drag queens are still the eunuch clown that's safe to laugh at. It's definitively not shocking anymore. So I don't know if America's really embraced it. The early 90s was when RuPaul [was becoming famous] and it was the first time any drag queen had mainstream exposure. I don't really see a drag queen breaking out like that [again].
Autostraddle is an independently owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer feminist media source" that features content covering LGBT and feminist news, politics, opinion, culture, arts and entertainment as well as lifestyle content such as DIY crafting, sex, relationships, fashion, food and technology.
CC Slaughters is a gay bar and nightclub located in Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Portland bar is located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, and the Puerto Vallarta bar is located in Zona Romántica.
Boston is a hub of LGBT culture and LGBT activism in the United States despite state attempts to subdue and subvert LGBT+ visibility.
LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.
New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest LGBTQ populations and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."
My Sister's Room (MSR) is a lesbian bar in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the few remaining lesbian bars in the nation. It was opened in 1996 and remains a lesbian-owned and operated bar but welcomes the entire LGBTQIA community. Pictures of My Sister's Room in the 1990s are in Emory University's permanent photo collection.
Happy Birthday, Marsha! is a 2017 fictional short film that imagines the gay and transgender rights pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in the hours that led up to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. The film stars Mya Taylor as Johnson and Eve Lindley as Rivera.
Naysha Lopez is the stage name of drag performer and beauty pageant participant Fabian Rodriguez, who won the 2013 Miss Continental competition and appeared on the eighth seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Seattle has a notably large LGBT community, and the city of Seattle has protected gay and lesbian workers since the passage of the Fair Employment Practice Ordinance in 1973. Seattle's LGBT culture has been celebrated at Seattle Pride which began in 1977 as Gay Pride Week. Gay cabaret traveled in a circuit including Seattle and San Francisco since the 1930s. Seattle had gay-friendly clubs and bars since the 1930s including The Casino in Underground Seattle at Pioneer Square which allowed same-sex dancing since 1930, and upstairs from it, The Double Header, in continuous operation since 1933 or 1934 until 2015, was thought to be the oldest gay bar in the United States.
Industry Bar, or simply Industry, is a gay bar and nightclub in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Owned by Bob Pontarelli, it is a sister establishment to Barracuda, a gay bar, and Elmo, a restaurant. Industry opened in 2010 and caters primarily to a crowd of young gay men and tourists. Its musical selection is mostly pop, and its live entertainment consists of a number of weekly drag shows, many of which are hosted by internationally recognized drag queens. New York City nightlife journalists frequently note Industry as one of the top gay venues in Manhattan.
Barracuda Lounge, or simply Barracuda, is a gay bar in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1995, the bar is known for its nightly drag shows. It is a sister establishment to Industry, a nightclub, and Elmo, a restaurant. Barracuda is home to "Star Search", the longest-running bar show in New York City, which began in the early 1990s and may have served as an inspiration for RuPaul's Drag Race. In the 1990s and 2000s, Barracuda was a popular celebrity hangout, and it was frequently the site of promotional events for new music and Broadway plays. While closed for much of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the venue underwent a major renovation. It reopened in June 2021. Critics generally praise Barracuda for its intimate, relaxed and entertainment-focused atmosphere, which was unusual at the time of its creation, and some credit this with revolutionizing the concept of gay bars.
The Lesbian Bar Project is a campaign created by Erica Rose and Elina Street to "celebrate, support, and preserve the remaining lesbian bars in the US." The project launched on October 28, 2020 with a PSA video narrated by Lea DeLaria that announced a 30-day fundraising campaign to support what were thought to be the last 15 lesbian bars left in the country, many of which were financially threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic. A second phase followed in June 2021 in connection with Pride Month, including the release of a short documentary, and a three-part docuseries was released on National Coming Out Day 2022.
Local Lounge was a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2010 to 2021.
Flawless Shade is the stage name of Tajh Jordan, an American drag queen and make-up artist based in Portland, Oregon. A former Miss Gay Oregon, Flawless Shade has been featured in campaigns by Adidas, GLAAD, and Top Level Design. Jordan competed under their real name on the subscription-based streaming service WOW Presents Plus's competition series Painted with Raven.
The Queen's Head was an LGBT-friendly pub and lounge in Portland, Oregon, United States. Daniel Bund opened the restaurant in late 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Described as an inclusive drag bar and gay club, The Queen's Head hosted burlesque and talent shows, karaoke, poetry slams, trivia competitions, and other events.
Rhein Haus Seattle, or simply Rhein Haus, is a restaurant in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Previously, the business operated as Von Trapp's.
Purr Cocktail Lounge was a gay bar and nightclub in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The video bar operated on Capitol Hill from 2005 to 2017, before relocating to Montlake. Purr hosted a variety of events and activities, ranging from drag shows and karaoke to viewing parties for elections and television shows. It was included in lists of the world's 200 "greatest" gay bars by the magazines Out and Out Traveler. Purr closed in 2018.