Gay bars jackson mississippi

It does extend to the community quite a bit. It's really funny when people come in and say to the door girl, 'I know Jesse. At risk of perpetuating a cliche, Wonderlust really is a place to come home to. Now a wife and mother, she's made an unlikely home for herself and the rest of the local queer community, taking over as owner of the bar.

Any queer person who's lived in Jackson, Mississippi knows that safe spaces for queer folk are scarce. The staff operates like a family, and they treat their customers just the same. But as she's come into her own as a queer woman and a member of the community, she's found it to be very tight-knit.

So, we kind of worked on it together. Here are Capital City Pride Executive Director Jason McCarty's picks for LGBTQ+ friendly and safe spaces in Jackson. Pandolfo admits she didn't do it alone.

Ask them where their first gay bar was, and they'll likely give you a different answer each time. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Photos by Glenn Garner. But we all sit down at the end of the night and revel in the success we've had that night.

I never plotted it out this way. Jackson Gay Bars and Clubs Shade Northview Dr, Jackson, MSUnited States, Jackson, USA Shade is a gay bar and nightclub located in Jackson, Mississippi.

Jackson Gay Guide 2025 : Any queer person who's lived in Jackson, Mississippi knows that safe spaces for queer folk are scarce

The venue offers great cocktails with daily happy hours between pm. She credits the local queer community for seeing the potential and bringing to it what Jackson so desperately needed. You're gonna walk in here and see literally 20 other people you know. So, I just kind of took the opportunity and went with it, and hoped it would work.

Best Gay Bars in Jackson, MS - Last Updated August - Metro Reloaded, Club Couture City Lights. Jackson didn't have anything like that at the time, something for the 18 to 35 or year-old crowd. In a city like this, it truly takes a village. Originally from Boston, she came out after moving to Mississippi.

JC's managed to last a while before the owner took a much-deserved retirement, and the space now belongs to a hookah lounge. Jesse Pandolfo has found a place to settle down in Jackson. Queer spaces don't last long in a place like Jackson, and it seems that there's usually only room for one or two at a time.

With no community center and few resources available, it's a safe space for Jacksonians to come out, come of age, and just dance with friends. Having grown up in Boston, the queer community of Jackson was a bit of a culture shock for Pandolfo.

Formerly another gay bar named Bottoms Up, it's undergone new ownership, but it attracts the same old crowd. But I thought about it for a while and decided. I know every one of them.