Gay Guide to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma's ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in 2014, and while the state remains conservative, Oklahoma City keeps a surprisingly concentrated and long-established gayborhood right on old Route 66.
The heart of it is the 39th Street District, known simply as The Strip, running along NW 39th Street west of Pennsylvania Avenue. Gay since the 1970s, it packs dozens of businesses and a cluster of gay bars into one walkable stretch, from the drag theaters of The Boom and Phoenix Rising to the dance floor at Angles and the easygoing dive feel of Tramps.
The district gives OKC a real anchor for its queer community, a rare thing in the region and a point of local pride.
OKC Pride takes over 39th Street each June, filling the strip's bars and the surrounding blocks with drag, DJs, and a festival weekend.