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<\/a> <\/p>\nLooking for things to do in L.A.? Ask us your questions<\/a> and our expert guides will share highly specific recommendations.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we suggest: <\/p>\n Will, you are so right. While there are several queer bars around your former neighborhood (Hi Tops in Los Feliz, Akbar in Silver Lake, Club Bahia in Echo Park and Honey\u2019s at Star Love in East Hollywood), they are few and far between in the eastern part of L.A. County. But your question sent me down a rabbit hole and I\u2019m proud to report that I\u2019ve found a handful of spots and regular events that you should check out in your area. (Shout out to my colleagues and everyone who responded to my request for help on Instagram.) <\/p>\n Highland Park is home to the Offbeat<\/a>, which is one of my friend Jaycen Mitchell\u2018s favorite bars in the area. The beloved dive bar hosts karaoke nights, drag shows, live music performances, \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u201d screenings and other themed nights throughout the week. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to see all of my favorite drag queens there in more intimate settings, and the DJs have had me and my friends dancing until we were the last ones there,\u201d Mitchell tells me. Also in Highland Park is Blind Barber<\/a>, a speakeasy that hosts Homo Happy Hour<\/a> on Thursdays. Mitchell says the happy hour is always a good time and a chance to \u201cshow up as your authentic self, be in community and queen out with your girls.\u201d<\/p>\n Then in Glendale, there\u2019s Junior High<\/a>, a nonprofit art gallery and inclusive gathering space that hosts a variety of events, including music shows, artist showcases, comedy nights, pottery workshops and more. A standout event is Fantasy Suite<\/a>, a pole dance show that features queer dancers with varying body types. Cherry Jayne<\/a> and Jax \u201cLil Sumthin\u201d<\/a> launched the queer strip club experience in 2022 after struggling to find work due to \u201cfatphobia that plagues traditional strip club hiring,\u201d they told me. The next event<\/a> will take place Feb. 7 and will feature Valentine\u2019s Day songs of love, lust and heartbreak. <\/p>\n At Footsies<\/a> in Cypress Park, Latino queer artist and DJ Mino Sanchez<\/a> and his boyfriend, Ivan Castaneda,<\/a> who also DJs, have been hosting Gay Night<\/a> for nearly four years. The event, which happens on the second Saturday of each month, features BIPOC queer DJs who spin house, disco, Spanish dance music, electronica, pop and international sounds. There\u2019s also a drag performance at midnight. In El Monte, the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center<\/a> hosts Gayme Night on the third Thursday of every month. The all-ages event features karaoke along with video and board games. <\/p>\n And you already know and love Boulevard \u2014 it really is a gem (and it\u2019s the only gay bar in Pasadena). Though it was at risk of closing during the pandemic,<\/a> the 45-year-old bar survived and continues to host a drag trivia night on Tuesdays and a drag show on Friday nights hosted by Borgia Bloom Facade<\/a>. Times food columnist Jenn Harris writes<\/a> that the Boulevard bar has served as a \u201csafe haven for the gay community in the area and an alternative to the West Hollywood bar scene.\u201d <\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a different type of community beyond bars and events, my colleague Jaclyn Cosgrove recommends Throop Unitarian Universalist Church<\/a> in Pasadena. \u201cMy pastor, Rev. Tera Landers, likes to say she doesn\u2019t like religion, but she loves church,\u201d says Cosgrove, who also lives in Pasadena. \u201cThat\u2019s in large part because of the community we have at [the church] including our choir, which has a large number of transgender and queer members. It is where I go to refill my cup every Sunday.\u201d <\/p>\n I hope this list helps you and your husband find more spaces around your neighborhood to build community and have a great time.<\/p>\n