Navigating the Rochester LGBT Community

By Susan Jordan, Editor-In-Chief The Empty Closet (edited)

Welcome to Rochester's diverse and flourishing gay community! To navigate our way around, let's follow a map of the different "neighborhoods."

First stop: Rochester community history

The "history" map takes us back to the early 1970s, when the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley (GAGV) was formed as the Gay Liberation Front, a student group at the University of Rochester.

By 1973, the campus group had transformed into an off-campus grassroots organization, and later it became a human services agency. The Gay Alliance still publishes a monthly newspaper called The Empty Closet, the oldest gay publication in the state; its first issue was January 1971.

An early EC editor was Tim O. Mains, who went on to become New York State's first openly gay elected official in 1985, when he was narrowly elected to Rochester City Council; he served for two decades. Today, Bill Pritchard is our openly gay City Council Vice President. Harry Bronson, a former Gay Alliance board president, is the Minority Leader of the Monroe County Legislature.

Rochester Pride Parades started in 1989. The 20th anniversary Pride will take place in July 2009; around 10,000 people typically take part in Pride celebrations, consisting of a parade, festival, picnic and more. Streets of Pride, the parade organizing group, is part of the Community Business Forum for LGBT professionals, which hosts a monthly social.

Navigating the "neighborhoods" today: Youth

The Gay Alliance has a large, strong group for LGBT youth where youth from ages 13 to 25 can find support, activities and bonding with other youth in situations similar to theirs. The Youth Group's intent is to empower gay youth by giving them places to gather and opportunities to take on responsibility (like Gay PROM and other events they plan).

For young women and men over 18 who are looking for fun and social life, Rochester has a variety of bars and dance clubs which are either all-gay or gay-friendly. The young crowd also hangs out at coffeehouses, especially Java on Gibbs St., The Spot on East Avenue in downtown, Spin on Park Ave., and Equal=Grounds, a gay "community center" on South Avenue,  in the lively South Wedge district.

LGBT families

Since the Martinez (Pat and Lisa are proud residents of Rochester) court ruling, Rochester is a great place to be a gay family, as all employers (many like Kodak, Xerox and Bausch and Lomb who already have world renowned ERGs as well as GLBT empowering policies) must now recognize the validity of LGBT marriages performed out of state. The local gay community is family-friendly and LGBT families blend in at non-gay area venues like Strong National Museum of Play, Seabreeze Amusement Park, and the many local and regional festivals that all offer a ton of things for kids and their moms and dads, too!

The Empty Closet runs a column, "In A Family Way," on gay parenting issues, and an upstate resource for LGBT families is the Binghamton-based Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project (www.PrideAndJoyFamilies.com).

Arts and Entertainment

Those who love film, photography, music, dance, art galleries and theatre will find plenty to keep them interested. Specifically gay-related events include October's 10-day ImageOut Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival, which often screens films and hosts events throughout the rest of the year. Rochester is also the home of George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), the Eastman School of Music and Geva Theatre Center (the most attended regional theatre in the state outside NYC). Broadway shows come to the Auditorium Theatre, including LGBT favorites like Hairspray, Rent, Wicked and Avenue Q. Garth Fagan Dance originated in Rochester and performs here at least once a year.

Rochester is a film town, and it's no coincidence that Louise Brooks chose to spend her final years here. Gay film legends like John Waters and Tab Hunter come to town for special events at the Dryden Theater at George Eastman House.

Every September, ARTWalk interactive art trail stages a free street festival. ARTWalk Alive! features surprises like street ballets of construction vehicles!

Not to be forgotten: the many outstanding restaurants in the area - serving everything from imaginative gourmet dining to Asian fusion to BBQ ~ MANY are gay owned and operated.

Drag Queens, Rams and Bears, oh my!

We have some of the best "Gurls" in town and they can be seen almost nightly out on the town, or at Muther's and Tilt. They all gather for the fabulous Miss Rochester contest every November, where you'll also see a Drag King or two.

The Rochester Rams is one of the country's oldest motorcycle and leather clubs.  It meets monthly for bar nights at the Bachelor Forum - the bar with the amazing gay-symbol sculptures out front. Another good place to spot guys: the Rochester Spa and Body Club on Liberty Pole Way downtown, or Rochester's "Cheers for Queers" The Pub. Girls, try Georgia's and/or Nasty D's.

The Empire Bears are a welcoming bunch who have potlucks, go camping, attend sporting events, etc., and meet every Monday night for dinner at a local restaurant,  -- where their den mother waitress knows everybody's name -- and also their favorite beverage, salad dressing, and two ex-lovers' names.

Groups for every interest

If you like choral singing, check out the Rochester Gay Men's Chorus or the Women's Community Chorus, both have several concerts each year. Then, there are the GLBTQI Motorcycle Group, Lilac Squares (square dancing), transgender groups, a women's fishing group, a men's cooking group, a women's football team, bowling leagues and too many more to list.

Faith communities

Rochester boasts accepting and welcoming, or all-gay congregations such as Third Presbyterian Church, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, the First Unitarian Church, Unitarian Universalist Church (in their 19th century landmark building), Open Arms MCC, Spiritus Christi Church (a Catholic community), the Catholic/Episcopal Dignity-Integrity group and Tawa Pano Unity Fellowship Church -- an African American congregation that accepts all people and reminds us God is Love.

Seniors

The Rainbow Seniors is Rochester's social organization for elders (and people of any age). The group hosts monthly potlucks, a euchre group, annual picnics, dances, and special events like the Intergenerational Panel, with seniors and members of the Gay Alliance Youth Group sharing stories about their lives.

Community Based Activists and Activities

Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA), Out & Equal's Finger Lakes Affiliate (previously FLLWA), Aids Rochester Inc. (ARI), and numerous other organizations, conduct weekly, monthly and annual workshops, seminars and social fundraisers that often add to the energy of our active, daily lives. The Equality Luncheon in October, Spring Dinner in May, Dining for Dollars, Gay Expo (previously NewlyWed in NY held by FOGG), and Health Week, are among many of the events held throughout the year.  

Come see us!

Navigating the LGBT community takes us all around the city and beyond to the Finger Lakes & Wine Country, as well as along the picturesque Lake Ontario shoreline and historical Erie Canal. In addition to the attractions of the area, LGBT visitors will find a large, well-organized gay and very welcoming straight ally community in Rochester.

For more information on Rochester's LGBT activities, visit  http://www.gayalliance.org