Sooner State’s capital Oklahoma City is filled with politicians who have made national news for leading the charge against gay and trans youth in the US, dictating where children can and cannot use the bathroom, and have attempted to require teachers to report students who were suspected of being gay. The city is also known as the “buckle of the Bible Belt,” hosting some of the largest Evangelical churches in the world.
But that’s enough bad news. The good news is, OKC — as the locals call it — also has one of the most vibrant gay neighborhoods in The South, the 39th St. District. And it’s getting a facelift, thanks to a taxpayer-funded redesign of its streets.
The 39th St. District, approximately 4 blocks north of the city center, is lined with bars, clubs, and event spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. The gayborhood is just north of The Paseo Arts District, a cute area with restaurants, a farmer’s market, and art galleries (yes, Oklahoma City has art galleries). Though, this is still Oklahoma. For every trendy coffee shop in town, there is a country and western bar somewhere nearby.
Gay nightlife has been part of OKC in the 39th St. area for decades, as locals fended off clashes with police brutality and marches by the KKK. The neighborhood thrived throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, when many cities in the central US had vibrant, exciting gay scenes with massive nightclubs, catering to the circuit scene.
Among the newest developments in the 39th St. District is The County Line, a gay country bar located in the District Hotel, a hotel/nightlife multiplex (formerly the Habana Inn) that has been slowly experiencing upgrades over the years. And then there’s the gay rodeo: the International Gay Rodeo Association, IGRA, hosts the world gay rodeo finals near the outskirts of OKC each year.
As destinations like Kansas City, Denver, and St. Louis lose their landmark gay venues, Oklahoma City’s community has kept its 39th St. District going strong by supporting spaces like Angles, a big, crowded, and enticingly noisy dance club, and The Boom, a bar that stages drag theater and comedy shows.
The neighborhood is now championed by James Cooper, a perky and openly gay city councilman for OKC. Representing District 2, which includes the 39th St. District, Cooper has helped process $2.3 million for a neighborhood “beautification project,” expanding streets and sidewalks, with landscaping to make the area more pedestrian and bike friendly.
“Flourishing, healthy neighborhoods are essential to thriving, healthy cities,” Cooper told GayCities. “This streetscape makes me hopeful coffee cafes, bookstores, restaurants, community centers, specialty shops, and housing become part of 39th Street’s placemaking improvements, particularly locally-owned places ready for residents and tourists, operated by folk who represent the diversity of our community and each color of the rainbow.”
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