‘Honey, we got cheap beer and hipsters; they got beefcakes and martinis’: How gay men choose a bar

Through participant observation in gay bars and interviews, we explore how gay men choose which bar to visit and how bar environments perpetuate stratification by proactively attracting some types of patrons and dissuading others. Informants reported two major factors that affect their decisions: (1) factors tied to perceptions of place and (2) the patrons. First, we detail how bars are places that sort patrons through discriminatory tactics and by upholding an upper-class environment. Second, we describe how patrons’ sexual racism and classed and racialized ideals exclude more marginalized people who perceive that certain bars are “not for me.” Excluded patrons seek out alternative “for me” places to feel at ease, at home, and to escape the “white gay man” gaze. Results advance intersectionality theory by showing how interconnected power systems of racism, classism, sexism, and sexual hierarchies manifest in queer urban places and impact those with overlapping marginalized identities.