Gay Guide
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About LGBTQ+ Rochester
New York State legalized same-sex marriage in 2011, ahead of the national ruling, and Rochester, a mid-size city with a deep progressive history, has long punched above its weight for LGBTQ+ life. It regularly earns a perfect score on national municipal equality rankings.
There is no single gayborhood, but the community is unusually well-rooted for a city its size. The Empty Closet, founded in 1971, was for years among the longest-running LGBTQ+ publications in the country, and Forum 73, opened in 1973 as the Bachelor Forum and renamed in 2026, is still the anchor of a small but enduring nightlife. The Avenue Pub, its 1970s contemporary, closed in 2025.
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Rochester pairs its Erie Canal and Susan B. Anthony heritage with a genuinely engaged, activist queer culture.
Rochester Pride runs each July as one of the largest in upstate New York, and every fall the city hosts ImageOut, the largest LGBTQ+ film festival in the state outside New York City.
Rochester, New York's annual LGBTQ+ pride festival and march, one of upstate New York's major queer celebrations.
Gay bar on Culver Road in Rochester offering a welcoming neighborhood atmosphere with drag shows and regular community events.
LGBTQ+ bar and nightclub in downtown Rochester on North Chestnut Street, with dancing, drag performances, and a lively queer scene.
Rochester's annual LGBTQ+ film festival showcasing queer cinema from around the world and celebrating diverse storytelling, running since 1993.
A queer-owned LGBTQ+ bar in Rochester offering craft cocktails, open late on weekends.
A long-running LGBTQ+ community café in Rochester serving coffee and sandwiches, with events programming.