Gay bar in huntington wv

Historically, queer people in West Virginia have had a hard time living their lives without facing discrimination. As someone who has grown up in Parkersburg, I have seen this firsthand when friends of mine have been refused service at places of business simply for their sexual orientation. As someone who has never faced discrimination of any type as a straight, white man, I wanted to investigate how this discrimination has affected the lives of those in the queer community.

However, through my investigation and different interviews, I discovered that in a state that is seen as generally unsafe for members of the queer community, Huntington is somewhat of a safe haven. They said that Huntington is the best place to come out as queer in West Virginia due to the city-wide support around the community.

Huntington is more queer-friendly than other cities in the state, scoring a perfect on the Municipal Equality Index taken by the Human Rights Campaign. It is the fifth year in a row that Huntington has scored a perfectand it is the only city in West Virginia other than Morgantown to receive such high grades on the index. According to Hardesty, with a lot of young people coming in and out of Huntington because of Marshall, it helps the local gay more easily digest people who may be different.

Perry said Huntington Mayor Stephen T. Hardesty, meanwhile, said that there have been times that they were proud to be from Huntington, as leadership has continuously shown support for the community—especially recently. The community support surrounding the queer community is just as, if not more supportive than, that of the city leaders.

This is particularly apparent in spaces designed with queer people in mind, such as Stonewall: a bar located in Huntington that serves as a meeting space for anyone, not just people in the LGBTQ community. As a drag performer, Hardesty has traveled all over the state to perform and always comes back to Stonewall.

They come from just about everywhere, and I think bar makes it a more inclusive environment. Hardesty, during their time traveling all over the state to perform, said that Huntington is the place to go for queer inclusivity and support more than anywhere else in West Virginia. Your donation will help continue the work of independent student journalism at Marshall University.

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Stonewall Nightclub

Pride and prejudice just do not mix. This newsroom changed my life. The pendulum has swung, the comedy genre is back.