Pride, Prejudice, and $14 Cocktails: A Homeless Queer’s Guide to Austin’s LGBTQ+ Nightlife

Ah, Pride Month in Austin—where the rainbow flags fly high, the corporate sponsorships loom higher, and the gentrification machine hums along like a well-oiled, glitter-covered bulldozer. As a homeless queer poet who watches this spectacle from beneath the I-35 overpass, I can’t help but marvel at the sheer audacity of it all. Let’s take a satirical stroll through Austin’s finest LGBTQ+ nightlife, shall we?

First up, Rain on 4th, where the drinks are strong, the Gaga is louder than my existential dread, and the line to get in is longer than the list of unaffordable apartments displacing my friends. The light-up dance floor? A beacon of joy, much like the flickering hope that maybe, just maybe, this city will remember the queers who can’t afford cover charges.

Then there’s Barbarella, where theme nights like “Tues-gayz” and “Y2K-Thursdays” offer a nostalgic escape—because nothing says progress like reliving the era when we still had affordable housing. The after-parties here are legendary, especially when you’re screaming Charli XCX lyrics next to someone who definitely voted for the policies that pushed you onto the streets.

Highland Lounge is where you can lose yourself in four levels of mayhem, including a basement where shirts (and dignity) disappear faster than Austin’s queer dive bars. The 3:30 a.m. closing time is a blessing—because nothing says Pride like stumbling out at dawn, wondering if the city’s next luxury condo will have a rainbow flag out front.

Cheer Up Charlies is leading the charge for sapphic spaces, which is great, because nothing says inclusivity like needing a dedicated event to find other WLW in a city that’s pricing us all out. Celebrity sightings? Cool. But I’d trade Gabbriette’s autograph for a single affordable studio apartment.

Coconut Club offers rooftop revelry, because what’s more queer than dancing under the stars while the city’s skyline fills with buildings you’ll never afford? And let’s not forget Oilcan Harry’s, the granddaddy of gay bars, where the drag queens are fierce, the drinks are flowing, and the irony of celebrating Pride in a city that’s erasing its queer history is palpable.

So go forth, Austin! Dance, drink, and celebrate your identities—just don’t look too hard at the shadows where the rest of us are trying to survive. Happy Pride, y’all. The glitter will wash off, but the gentrification stains are permanent.