A guide to New York’s Black and Latino gay scene

A few weeks ago, we were asked by the French magazine babyboy to give them some tips on New York’s “ethnic” gay scene (that’s a French way of referring to the black, Latino, Arab, Caribbean communities) for a report they were preparing. Far from claiming to be an expert in the field, various circumstances have led us to be reasonably acquainted on that subject matter, and I happily shared my thoughts, which are reprinted below, translated in English for my readers.

New York’s gay scene is unmistakably marked by a cosmopolitan spirit and mixing of styles. True to this credo, most bars and clubs exhibit a remarkable diversity in their clientele. Yet, every gay sub-culture in New York has its own circuit, favoring certain spots and certain parties that cater more specifically to a certain shade of our rainbow. It is not an easy task to portray today’s gay black and Latino scene, as the lines are often blurred, but we’ll attempt to give a snapshot of the current clubs that we know of and that stand out for their particular flavor.

Let’s begin with one of our favorite place: G-Lounge. Initially, G-Lounge was one of Chelsea’s flagship lounges, in the same vein as Splash bar, mostly patronized by the finest specimens of Chelsea Boys. In recent years, it has become a hotbed for racial diversity in the gay scene, always drawing a sizable black and Latino crowd, especially during the weekend. It’s the perfect place to start the night, with attendance is at its usually after 11 PM, and this is where you’ll come across the cutest guys in town, in our humble opinion.

While in Chelsea, let’s also give an honorable mention to the neighboring Gym Bar, and notably its lower level « Locker Room”, which gets packed with cuties, especially during the Varsity party every last Friday of the month.

A few blocks away, behind an unsuspecting front door, in the fringe of Chelsea towards 10^th avenue, lies Secret Lounge, which happens to be a hot spot of the black gay night life. The ambiance inside is resolutely more glamorous than the gritty surroundings outside, and the décor made of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and plush red velvet sofas gives to the place the charm of a postindustrial brothel. This is where the finest coterie of New York black men comes to get frisky and shake it on the dance floor to a slick mix of hip hop and R&B. We advise you to come preferably after 1 AM (Fridays or Saturdays), as the place usually fills up rather late in the night.

The other blazing party these days is Khary & Ray’s Nightlife Saturdays. It has relocated a few times, moving from Secret to Sequoia, and it seems to have now settled down at the swanky HK Lounge in Hell’s Kitchen. Khary & Ray have a solid reputation as promoters in the black gay scene, and they always draw a pretty damn hot crowd wherever they’re throwing a party. We’ve yet to pay them a visit at their new location, but this event is on everyone’s lips at the moment.

By the way, they also have an after work party every Wednesday evening, also at HK Lounge, from 7 to 11 PM. If the event is definitely more low key than their Saturday night soirée, it is nonetheless a welcomed opportunity to feast one’s eyes on the fine exotic dancers undulating on the bar, and savor a few cocktails in the middle of the work week.

A short trip across the river lands us in Brooklyn, the turf of promoters Kevin & Ken who also provide many entertainment options to their discerning patrons. One of the longest running and most famous gay black clubs in New York is Langston’s on Atlantic Avenue, which is open Thursday through Sunday. K&K party host Saturdays at Langston, one of the most popular gay nights, playing hip hop, R&B, soca, reggae, and featuring scrumptious gogo dancers. Langston is a legendary venue, and is well worth a trip to Brooklyn, if only to get a taste of the unique flavor of this bastion of the gay black scene. The shows that these dancers put on is not for the faint of hearts, but if you enjoy seeing more than just a little bit of skin, the monthly party organized by chocolate Cream Productions every last Sunday of the month is not to be missed.

K+K party also throws parties every Friday at a new venue called Club Black Saturn, and various events across the city, including a monthly affair at a posh venue in the Empire State building. The party line-up and all the details about their events can be found on their website

Brooklyn is definitely very happening when it comes to black gay life. With many bars and clubs to visit, it is also traditionally where the black pride events take place every summer towards the end of August. The highlight of the black pride celebrations is definitely the Sunday gathering at Riis beach, which sees this little strip of sand at the remote edge of New York taken by storm by throngs of LGBT people of color. Riis beach is one of New York’s few beaches and has been known for decades for its unofficial gay section located at the northern end of the beach which has always been popular among gay black and Latino folks.

Another area of interest, designated by the Village Voice as the “Best Black Brooklyn Gay Stroll” in its 2008 Best Of New York edition, is the area on Atlantic Avenue between Waverly Street and Washington Avenue, which is apparently conducive to spicy encounters, at any time of the day or the night…

While we’re on the subject of outdoor promenade, the nicest area for a stroll and rubbing elbows with New York’s LGBT folks of all colors is definitely the West Village, from 7h Avenue and Christopher Street down to the Hudson River park piers. This hallowed ground is nothing short of legendary and of tremendous historical significance for the gay community. This is where the famous Stonewall riots took in June 1969, and all through the 70’s, the area was a hotbed for the sexual liberation, and was home to much public sexual activity. In passing the documentary Gay Sex in the 70’s gives a vivid and poignant account of this glorious era of New York’s history. Nowadays, the West Village has been swept by gentrification and has become one of the fanciest places to live in the city, but it still remains the rallying point for the queer black and Latino youth who find there refuge from the homophobia of their home communities.

As soon as springs comes, throngs of gay men from all walks of life take the piers by storm, offering the most fascinating display of racial, social and gender diversity. Make sure to visit the southern pier, directly across Christopher Street, as the northern Pier is where kids and families settle down.

By day, the piers are frequented by a multi-ethnic and polysexual crowd, but as the sun sets, the queer youth of color tend to become the overwhelming presence, with many ballroom kids using the concrete walks as a runway where they still hone their voguing skills. To learn more about New York’s fascinating ballroom culture and the historical significance of the piers, you must watch the legendary documentary directed by Jenny Lvingston in 1989 “Paris is burning”.

Among the many gay bars that still line up Christopher Street, Chi-Chiz and the Hangar are our favorites. Chi-Chiz is probably the blackest gay bar in New York. It is a legendary establishment, drawing a colorful clientele of all ages. Drinks are cheap, and the ambiance quite unique. The hangar is more mixed, but still very black. It features some very sexy gogo dancers every Friday and Saturday night.

After this excursion through the colorful West Village with its old school charm and exuberant atmosphere, let’s get back to the glamorous world of Chelsea, where uber-promoter Josh Wood throws some of the trendiest soirées in town. Extremely popular among the hip Chelsea crowd, his parties also draw a sizable contingent of black and Latin boys who are the most easy on the eyes, to say the least. During the summer, his Sunday evening bash “Garden Of Ono” at the Gansevoort Hotel is definitely the place to be. With so many gorgeous guys packing the spot, you’d better not leave your self-confidence at home, as the atmosphere that reeks of fabulousness can be taxing at times for those with fragile egos.

Also in Chelsea, the world famous Splash Bar has also established its own « ethnic » themed party every Tuesday called « GOT2B ». It seems like a good idea to fill up the joint on a school night, as it has proved to be a very popular party, drawing a sexy clientele who are provided much entertainment (in the forms of live singing acts) and eye candy (as in throngs of sculptural, dark skinned gogo dancers).

Up north in Hells Kitchen lies the legendary club Escuelita, a favorite among the black and Latino crowd. On Thursdays takes place their “thug themed” night Boyz II Men. We’re hoping the patrons look as enticing as the gentlemen featured on the party’s fliers’, sporting full ghetto drag.

Our favorite party at Escuelita is definitely Harmonica Sunbeam’s long running Tea Dance on Sundays. Dancing happens late at night, and not until Miss Harmonica Sunbeam’s has closed her show with her always legendary walks and runway antics. Harmonica is a veteran of the New York City nightlife and in our opinion one of the most talented and amusing darling out there. In the company of her larger than life sidekick Sugga Pie Koko, Harmonica delivers the most hysterically funny, witty and at times shady banter, to the delight of her faithful audience. In between her rants and catfights, hunky strippers take the stage and go to great lengths (pun intended) in an effort to win the audience’s heart and prevail at the stripper’s contest at the end of the night. Harmonica Sunbeam’s Tea Dance is a quite unique experience and the perfect way to spend a fun Sunday evening.

For those seeking some stimulation on Monday nights, we recommend you check out Macho Mondays at Nowhere bar, down in the East Village. Promoted by Tommy G, this event draws quite an interesting mix of people. We’ve been there when the party used to be at the now defunct Boysroom, and the atmosphere was deliciously sleazy. Tommy G always brings along his stable of exotic dancers who have most definitely plenty of cheek… This sits very well with the colorful characters that tend to hang out late on a Monday night at an East Village dive.

This overview of New York’s black gay nightlife wouldn’t be complete without mentioning two other groups of promoters: Fred Pierce and the Hotboyz. Fred Pierce is a great DJ and a veteran of New York’s club scene. He is more related to the deep / soulful house scene, and plays at numerous gay events in the city, and promotes his own club nights on a regular basis. Check out his website to find out the current parties he is promoting.

Fred has also partnered with the Hotboyz, who are – to my knowledge – a kind of gay black socialites, party promoters and nightlife personalities who have been throwing some extremely popular gay parties across the city. They rose to fame while they were doing Fridays at Culture Club, and they seem to be back on the map, according to their website, with a new weekly bash at Club Prime.

So – that’s it for this little overview of the black gay club scene. Now, let’s take a closer look at the Latino scene. Keep in mind that most events are fairly mixed, so this divide is a bit arbitrary. Consequently, I’m not going to repeat my praises for G-Lounge, GOT2B, Garden of Ono and the likes… Nonetheless, there are some spots that draw a more distinctly Latino crowd.

Among them, No Parking is not to be missed. This place is a bit like G-Lounge, but transported into Washington Heights. This sleek lounge is so popular that it’s better to go on Fridays or Sundays – because you could be confronted to long lines on Saturday nights, and inside, it can be almost impossible to move around. The music insight is a joyous mix of house, salsa, merengue, hip hop and r&b – so there’s a little something for everybody’s taste, and that’s also true for the men who patronize the establishment.

Moving along, we must mention that Saturdays at Escuelita is a hot spot on the gay Latino circuit. Expect dazzling drag shows, hilarious comedy courtesy of Angel Sherridan, and sexy papis mingling and cruising on the dance floor.

With quite a few gay bars and clubs, Queens is also a hotbed of gay Latino activity, although I must admit I’m not too familiar with that part of the city. We’ve heard many stories about Club Atlantis, which has apparently earned legendary status and has built a loyal following for many years.

So, that’s about all I can think of regarding the black and Latino gay scene in New York. As always, this information is valid at this date and to the best of my knowledge, but New York’s nightlife can be so fickle, that it is always best to double check on the various promoters or clubs’ websites to make sure they are still in business or haven’t relocated somewhere else.