Open to everyone
For Alan, a 55-year-old father, it was a “coming-out party.” Just one week after his wife filed divorce papers when she found him in stages of undress with another man, he came to a gay bar in Bloomington – his first time in a gay bar in 20 years. It felt like “the weight of the world” was lifted off his shoulders, he said. Whether they are first-time patrons celebrating their independence or regulars coming in to catch up with old friends, the owners of the two gay bars in town stressed everyone is welcome at the bars, regardless of sex or orientation. Many will also find that these bars attract straight customers and aren’t that different from any other Bloomington bar.







