
Long Island's LGBTQ+ night spots are havens for the community, but not always close by

Alex Cevallos, center, dances with club co-owner Kyle Savage, left, and Ilana Stan at the Halo Night Club last month. Credit: Howard Simmons
On a recent Saturday night, a halo and angel wings neon sign set a tight dance floor ablaze in a pink glow at a small queer bar off an Oceanside roadway.
The signs of divine protection were all around Halo Nightclub that evening as regulars and curious newcomers ventured inside the LGBTQ+ bar. Inside, some enjoyed what they had as a DJ blared electronic music, while other patrons laughed, danced and watched the Knicks' loss in the NBA playoffs on TV.
"It’s not just coming to a bar," said Kyle Savage, a Long Beach resident and co-owner of the nightclub. "You’re coming to experience, you know, the ability to be free, the ability to be seen and also to be celebrated."
As the nation celebrates Pride month, including the Pride parade in Huntington Village on Sunday, there is an evolving landscape of nightlife for the LGBTQ+ community. Some community members say their favorite haunts are also important sanctuaries at a time when they feel under threat.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Finding a night spot for the LGBTQ+ community can be difficult on Long Island, outside of seasonal hot spots like Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove.
- The Long Island gay night scene provides a sanctuary for the LGBTQ+ community amid an uncertain political climate.
- National research shows a significant decline in gay bars that cater primarily to men across the country.
The Trump administration has targeted DEI and gender-affirming programs, attempted to ban transgender people in the military and is looking to remove the name of Harvey Milk, a renowned gay activist, from a U.S. Navy ship.
Savage and others within Long Island’s LGBTQ+ community lament that there are vast stretches of the region where it is challenging to find a close, year-round queer nightlife space outside of seasonal hot spots on Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove.

Alex Cevallos with co-owner Kyle Savage at the Halo Nightclub last month. Credit: Howard Simmons
Several LGBTQ+ members and individuals working within Long Island’s nightlife community say the scene was more vibrant in the 1990s and early 2000s.
With the decline in drinking among young adults, greater acceptance of queer people in the straight scene, the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic and other factors, it has become difficult for these spaces to thrive in the way they might have decades ago, they say.
Going to a queer bar can mean traveling long distances to New York City via train or car and spending a significant amount of money along the way. Some have turned to holding LGBTQ+-oriented events such as social mixers.
A 'scarcity of gay spaces'
Isaiah Negron, a drag performer known as Bella Noche, said they could think of just a few places on Long Island that provide a "blanket aura of, like, come as you are."
Negron, who uses they/them pronouns, said they often perform in predominantly heterosexual spaces on Long Island, whether that be a drag brunch or a children’s story hour.
"It is difficult to find spaces, especially when you're not hired to perform, or not hired to work at the bar, to go and feel like, ‘Oh no, I belong here,’" they said.
Negron said they believe the passage of same-sex marriage and dating apps have meant people aren't necessarily searching out nightlife.
"You're settled down, you're out in Long Island, you have your ... husband or your wife, and, you know, people weren't going out as much," said Negron.

Kyle Savage dances with Jason Schaefer of Freeport. Credit: Howard Simmons
Jason Schaefer, a Freeport resident who is a regular at Halo Nightclub, said, "There's a scarcity of gay spaces."
Schaefer says places like Halo Nightclub allow people to be safe despite the anxiety queer people often feel amid the current political climate, which includes efforts at transgender athlete bans in Nassau and federal rollbacks of LGBTQ+ protections.
"You know, there's a lot of hate in the world right now, honestly, and this is a sanctuary," Schaefer said while standing outside Halo Nightclub. "When I come here, I feel I can ... leave all that fear at the door."
Changes in LGBTQ+ spaces nationwide
Across the country, LGBTQ+ spaces are in flux, according to research from Greggor Mattson, chair of the sociology department at Oberlin College and Conservatory, who has been tracking LGBTQ+ bars nationwide.
There were 730 LGBTQ+ bars in the United States in 2021, 805 in 2023 and 788 this year thus far, according to the research. But earlier research by Mattson, which analyzed travel guide listings, showed that there were more than 1,500 queer bars in the mid-80s.
Certain groups saw significant changes, according to recent work by Mattson. For instance, lesbian bars grew from 15 nationwide in 2021 to roughly 45 already in 2025, the research shows. Mattson said he believes some of the increase can be attributed to straight bars that host lesbian events.
Queer bars serving primarily men experienced the steepest decline, dropping from 342 in 2021 to 175 so far this year, his research showed.
Since 1972, gay bars have taken root in parts of Long Island, including Deer Park, East Northport and Bayville, according to research shared with Newsday by Mattson. But not all have managed to stay open.
For instance, BTW bar, a shortening of the phrase "Born This Way," closed in 2022, with one of its owners previously telling Newsday, "COVID killed us." The location of BTW bar is currently Halo Nightclub. There is also Farmingdale’s Nu Bar, which is gay-owned and operated.
Mattson said gay bars are undergoing a transformation. In the '80s, a gay bar would put a sign out front and people who found the location would find entertainment among themselves, he said. Some gay bars at the time might not welcome lesbians or people of color, he said.
Today, he said, surviving as an LGBTQ+ bar involves getting people off their phones, possibly serving food and emphasizing entertainment that caters to different interests, which can include drag shows, karaoke and Super Bowl parties.
Creating queer spaces
Wading River resident Makai Ballo, a lesbian who uses they/them pronouns, said they looked around the eastern part of Long Island in 2021 and couldn’t find any queer spaces to go without venturing to Fire Island or Nassau County.
"We would travel to New York City to, you know, one of the queer bars in the city, or Brooklyn, you know, or just go to Fire Island," they said. "Before I was married to my wife, I would take the ferry to go on dates in Connecticut."

The exterior of the Halo Nightclub in Oceanside. Credit: Howard Simmons
To fill the void, Ballo started Queerli — a nonprofit social group that hosts events that help people in the LGBTQ+ community connect, primarily in Suffolk County. The organization is hosting a Pride Prom for adults this month — some of whom might not have been out when they were teenagers — to allow them to celebrate their "authentic selves," Ballo said in a phone interview.
The organization also hosts other events, such as queer speed friending, which often attracts over 75 people. Queerli also fundraises to support community members with expenses such as name changes and adoptions.
In the future, Ballo said they hope to start a sober and alcohol-serving place in Suffolk, featuring queer artists from various backgrounds.
"The queer and trans communities continually change, and there's so many different demographics of people within the communities that may want different types of nights," they said.
The Lizard Lounge in Bohemia recently revived its LGBTQ+ night, called Circus Sundays. The nights are usually held on Sunday before a Monday holiday. They sometimes feature drag performances, tarot card reading, face painting and other entertainment.
The karaoke bar initially hosted the LGBTQ+ night on Wednesday from 2008 to 2013, but discontinued the event due to heavy competition from other venues.
"There were many choices back in the day, and then also, competition was a little friendly, but also tough," said AJ Reddy, a manager at the lounge. Fast forward to today, he said in a phone interview, there's pretty much no nightlife for people within the LGBTQ+ community, so patrons began asking to bring back an event for them.
Although about 30 people were at Halo Night on the recent Saturday, Savage said it’s been hard to keep the business afloat since it opened last year.
Business is not as robust as he would have hoped, despite hosting trivia nights, private events and giving back to local LGBTQ+ organizations. This month, the nightclub will host a Pride festival featuring drag performances, a vendor fair and other entertainment.
Still, Savage said he’s trying to persevere because he believes the community needs this place of exaltation and acceptance.
"We are just trying to keep the doors open and the halo glowing for this community that needs it," he said.
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