It was like Austin didn’t want me to go - and, suddenly, I finally had a reason to stay. There’s an inescapable irony that surfaces when you find what you’ve been searching for just when you’re about to leave. But when I looked around at the faces mingling - covered in glitter, wearing Doc Martens, Birkenstocks, and stilettos, and sporting mullets, shaved heads, and pink wigs - I had to smile.
I was 21 years old, mere months away from graduating from university and working furiously to plot my escape from Texas. The interior was cozy and understated - you know, the perfect dive bar - but it was the outdoors that really got me, with a pink parachute tent ceiling and a craggy rock wall that loomed over the space like a fortress. The first time I walked into my first queer bar, it felt like coming home. To celebrate Pride, we’ve teamed up with Absolut - proud 40+-year ally and year-round supporter of the LGBTQ community - to shed light on stories of self-discovery, acceptance, and joy.
