Gay Guide
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About LGBTQ+ Cleveland
It was an Ohio case, Obergefell v. Hodges, that brought marriage equality to the entire United States in 2015. Cleveland, the state's lakefront comeback city, has gathered much of its LGBTQ+ life into a walkable arts neighborhood on the near West Side.
The center of the scene is Detroit Shoreway and its Gordon Square Arts District, a quirky, progressive quarter near Lake Erie that is home to the city's LGBT community center, theaters, and a run of queer-friendly bars and cafes. Elsewhere, the Leather Stallion Saloon, the oldest leather bar in Ohio, keeps the older scene alive closer to downtown.
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Cleveland pairs this with rock-and-roll history and a lakefront setting, making the gay scene one strand of a broader creative revival across the West Side.
Pride in the CLE steps off each September from Edgewater Park on the lakefront, a march and festival that draws the region's queer community to the shore of Lake Erie.
Ohio's largest LGBTQ+ Pride event, held annually in Cleveland. The celebration includes a parade down Euclid Avenue and an outdoor festival drawing tens of thousands from across the state.
A gay bar and social club on Clifton Boulevard in Cleveland, Twist is known for a welcoming neighbourhood atmosphere and regular events for the local LGBTQ+ community.
A gay bar in Cleveland's Detroit Shoreway neighbourhood, Cocktails is a neighbourhood local with a friendly atmosphere and regular entertainment for the local LGBTQ+ community.
Kent State University's LGBTQ+ Center, supporting queer and trans students with programs and a safe space.
Northeast Ohio's LGBTQ+ community centre in Cleveland, a welcoming hub with programs, resources, and advocacy.
Cleveland gay bar on Detroit Avenue serving the community since 1976, with retro cocktails in a comfortable setting.
The oldest leather and Levi's bar in Ohio, a Cleveland institution for the leather and bear crowd.