However, a bar would also exclude people who don’t drink and people too young to be in bars, Winter added. “There were so few opportunities for people to be out in the community, they ended up in these little silos,” Winter said. A lack of cohesion might have contributed to a lack of queer events, Winter said. Winter agreed a bar would add a cohesiveness for some of the LGBT community. “But I do think we should have an open LGBT bar in Rochester.”Ĭhase is stepping away from organizing Beers for Queers and handing planning and organizing to Chelsey Classon and Angelica Reincke. drag-queen persona of co-owner Gary Ooley, the restaurant serves simple steaks. “My response is, make it happen,” Chase said. crave the tangy lentil stew, good crusty breads and golden Rathskeller ale. People tell him they appreciate the weekly Beers for Queers, but want to see something “bigger,” he added. “I think there’s definitely a more open and welcoming atmosphere in Rochester than there was in the past,” Chase said. Fiddlehead Coffee on Fourth Street Southeast hosts another weekly LGBT-oriented event called Thursgays featuring cocktails and nonalcoholic dessert drinks. Zeller said he’s glad a large business is taking a step to embrace an LGBT-oriented event by agreeing to hold the brunches.īryan Chase, who established “Beers for Queers” event Tuesdays at Little Thistle Brewing Co., said more businesses are holding and supporting LGBT-centered events. “It’s a different demographic around here,” Burgess said, adding the events in Rochester will likely take more promotion than the Minneapolis event to help boost attendance. He heard from some of those people who said they regretted missing the Rochester event. Many of the people interested in drag brunch performances go out of town to attend them. Holding drag brunches here was something being explored for Rochester but managers were uncertain how it would be received. The Crave location in Minneapolis regularly holds drag brunches. “Rochester doesn’t really have a history of that,” Winter said. It’s an understandable assumption, Winter added. “There’s been this perceived sense that Rochester is a conservative town without queer-centric events going on,” said Julie Winter, founder and board member of Rochester Pride. The December brunch, a success with little lead time, appears to be a catalyst in what was a chicken and egg situation for LGBT-centered events in Rochester. A new cast of queens, competing for 100,000, must show off their performance skills in a talent show. “I think it’s opened a lot of minds and hearts and pointed things in the right direction.” “The whole weekend was amazing,” Zeller said. Zeller said the art opening event and other recent LGBT-focused events have helped create more interest and attendance for such events. Drag performance is a popular art used as self-expression and celebration of LGBT pride.

Crave drag brunch