{"id":261946,"date":"2026-08-09T05:38:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T05:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/261946\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T05:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T05:38:07","slug":"lgbtq-gallery-strange-birds-takes-flight-in-scranton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/261946\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBTQ+ gallery Strange Birds takes flight in Scranton"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCRANTON \u2014 The avian logo for Strange Birds, the recently opened art gallery and cultural space in Scranton, is based on the Himalayan monal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s in flight, it looks like a pride flag,\u201d said Charley Rude, an artist and trans woman who is co-owner of the art gallery and cultural space. \u201cIt is so many different colors. It\u2019s incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gallery\u2019s tagline is \u201cA queer space for queer art by queer people,\u201d a term its co-owners said could be used for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community. The 3,700-square-foot gallery at 1149 Capouse Ave. opened next to the Retro Cafe in May.<\/p>\n

Strange Birds has hosted music, open mic nights, raves, poetry workshops, art lessons and Zumba classes.<\/p>\n

Cindy Weiler, an older adult from Clarks Summit, has gone to several events, including a speed-friending night, raves and art classes and finds it to be a \u201csafe, nonjudgmental, welcoming and often entertaining place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monday was a \u201cMending Monday,\u201d with a lesson on buttonholes.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of our mission, along with obviously creating a safe space for queer people and queer artists, is sustainability,\u201d said co-owner and Scranton artist Theresa O\u2019Connor. She co-owns the Retro Cafe, and her improv troupe, Pink Moon, practices at Strange Birds.<\/p>\n

\"Owners<\/p>\n

Owners Theresa O\u2019Connor and Charley Rude stand for a photograph on the upper level of their business Strange Birds, located on Capouse Avenue in Scranton Tuesday, August 4, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Artwork<\/p>\n

Artwork decorates the wall of Strange Birds in Scranton Tuesday, August 4, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A photo studio is set up on the upper level of Strange Birds entertainment venue in Scranton Tuesday, August 4, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Owners Theresa O\u2019Connor and Charley Rude stand for a photograph on the upper level of their business Strange Birds, located on Capouse Avenue in Scranton Tuesday, August 4, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Most workshops are around $12 and Strange Birds recently began offering $20 monthly memberships for open access to art supplies, discounts and member-only events. There are only a handful of members so far, but the gallery is on solid ground, the co-owners said.<\/p>\n

Samantha Ruddy, an area native who has appeared on \u201cThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon\u201d and \u201cThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert,\u201d will perform Sept. 12.<\/p>\n

Evan Greer, a punk folk musician and director of the national advocacy group Fight for the Future, will appear Oct. 11.<\/p>\n

Strange Birds will host some Scranton Fringe Festival shows in October.<\/p>\n

It had a \u201cBack to School\u201d theme for Pride Month in June, with school picture-style photo shoots, a book fair and a prom attended by 45 people. Rude didn\u2019t go to a prom in high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it was really lovely,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was great to see all the queer couples here in their prom gowns, and we did the whole thing. We had dinner, we did the pictures, and there was dancing. And then there was even an afterparty down at the bar down the street. So that was a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor and Rude started planning around the time Rude started hormone treatment a year ago.<\/p>\n

Rude said her transitioning journey was a long one, after growing up in the 1980s and 1990s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I just had one person in my life that was openly queer or living the type of life I\u2019m living, it would have been a lot easier for me to get here,\u201d she said. She was over 40 when she came out. Her current age?<\/p>\n

\u201cA lady never tells,\u201d she said, laughing.<\/p>\n

The next open mic night is Aug. 17. They hope open mic nights become a regular thing and nurture talent for their main stage. There will be an All Ages Bookfair on Sept. 5-6 and a songwriting workshop Sept. 13.<\/p>\n

Strange Birds\u2019 website is strangebirdsnepa.com<\/a>, and the organization is active on social media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON \u2014 The avian logo for Strange Birds, the recently opened art gallery and cultural space in Scranton,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261947,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[1681,201,182,803,28,178,180,179,289,181],"class_list":["post-261946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-entertainment","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-luzerne-county","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-things-to-do","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}