Macon LGBTQ community works to keep culture alive, even without nightlife ‘that belongs to us’

Behind the bold glitter, mascara and lipstick of locally known drag queen Ravion Starr Alexandria St. James is 44-year-old Artivins Thorpe, who has been performing live drag shows in Macon since 1996.

Thorpe often shared the stage with the late Macon trailblazer and professional female impersonator Tangerine Summers. While both paved the way for future Middle Georgia drag entertainers, they also watched the city’s once-famous queer nightlife crumble.

The LGBTQ+ community in Macon has been without a dedicated bar since The Mill downtown closed in 2017, Thorpe said. Macon is the fifth-largest state in Georgia and 4.5% of Georgia’s population is part of the LGBT community, according to UCLA’s Williams Institute.

“Queer nightlife here is now dead. Once upon a time, Cherry Street was like the spot. It was a whole strip of gay clubs,” he added. “Somebody needs to open something because, honey, it’s nowhere to go.”

Downtown Macon had multiple gay clubs up until the mid-1990s, including the city’s first gay bar, We Three on Cotton Avenue. The Red Wood, Topaz and Pegasus Lounge were additional safe spaces for LGBTQ communities.

Other LGBTQ+ friendly businesses opened in the early 2000s, mostly remodeling and using the same address at 425 Cherry St., which previously housed Cherry Street Pub, Club Synergy and The Mill. But they didn’t last long.

“After The Mill closed, we started fading away,” Thorpe said. “That place was like our haven. They stopped the shows first, and next thing you know everything just started changing.”

The Mill Owner Tim Obelgoner told The Telegraph in 2017 he decided to close the bar due to low profits. The location then became The Thirsty Turtle, an all-inclusive venue.

Why aren’t there gay bars in Macon?

In 2021, Flavorz Coffee and Hookah Lounge opened in Macon on Second Street. The lounge catered to the city’s LGBTQ+ communities for roughly a year before closing, Thorpe said.

So why aren’t gay businesses sustained in Macon? Thorpe and Leon said it could be because some bars aren’t genuine or authentic to the gay community.

“A lot of times we’re used to just bring in more revenue. Once we’ve brought in the revenue they need, we’re no longer used or needed,” Leon said. “I think another important factor is we’ve had so many gay bars in the past, what’s going to make this one different?”

While Leon couldn’t determine what exactly has caused Macon’s gay nightlife to dwindle, she did say “we don’t have anything that belongs to us, but it definitely is needed.”

Thorpe said he doesn’t think Macon’s gay nightlife will be revived.

“I don’t even go downtown anymore, and it’s sad because that was a place where we could go to be ourselves and celebrate,” he said.

When asked how Macon may better help its LGBTQ community beyond opening nightclubs, Thorpe said Macon’s LGBTQ+ communities need to help each other.

“It’s not just the city; it’s the community,” Thorpe said. “If we’re not uplifting, celebrating and accepting each other, then they’re not going to do it either.”

Where can LGBTQ+ community members go in Macon?

Macon’s queer community members visit venues that aren’t seen as gay bars, but tend to welcome all patrons, Thorpe said.

Drag queen Christina Leon, a Macon Pride board member, said while there are some LGBTQ+ friendly businesses in Macon, it doesn’t change the fact that residents have to travel 84 miles to Atlanta for the closest gay bar.

“There are inclusive places in Middle Georgia. I just don’t think they’re enough, and that’s why these type of questions tend to arise,” Leon said.

As show director of The Tribe Macon, a local Drag Troupe, Leon hosts drag show events at JBA, which is now located at 425 Cherry St.

Brandon Lawler, owner of JBA, said as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, he felt compelled to preserve the building’s drag tradition and fulfill a community desire.

“I do understand that the building that is now our current home has a very deep history with drag shows in Macon,” he said. “I personally would like to continue to see that thrive and grow.”

Although JBA is not strictly a gay bar, Lawler said he enjoys hosting the events because he doesn’t think there are any other venues in town that can, given the South’s history of prejudice against the homosexual population or lack of available venue space.

Leon said The Society Garden in Macon, Friends on the Hill in Warner Robins and the Oz Campground in Unadilla are also nearby gay-friendly locations. But community doesn’t always have to be found in a physical place, she added.

“Community is just like religion; it’s a feeling within you,” Leon said. “Macon’s not perfect by far, but we have a very thriving gay community even though we don’t have a bar. I think that we stick together, and we communicate very well. If you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us.”

This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 4:25 PM.