HONORABLE MENTIONS: Eastern Bloc, Therapy, Metropolitan Bar, Henrietta Hudson, Flaming Saddles Saloon, Industry, Barracuda Bar. The Cock is located at 29 2nd Avenue between East 1st and 2nd Streets in the East Village (21, ). You will probably watch at least five people have sex before you get your hands on your first beer, but hey, we're all adults here. But for those who brave the Cock, this hole-in-the-wall is the real deal. In 1970s or a bit early, drag queen shows began to become popular and served as an additional sensual entertainment in gay bars. It's also not the kind of place you bring your straight male friends, or host a bachelorette party. Nevertheless, the gay bars were taking the advantage of the Mafia’s own conflicts with state power, to strike a special balance of public and private sphere in New York City. There are now about a dozen gay sex clubs and back rooms in New York. THE COCK: This aptly-named East Village bar is divey as hell-peruse Yelp for vivid illustrations of how "sleazy," "dirty," "grimy," and "smelly" the space is, along with some slightly more graphic hookup descriptions-and certainly not for the faint of heart. In gay bars, 'there started to be make-out lounges go-go got lewder,' says. Stonewall is located at 53 Christopher Street between Waverly Place and West 4th Street in the West Village (21, ). Read up on more Stonewall's history here.
![gay bars new york city back room gay bars new york city back room](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/21a.stonewall.bar_.c.ta-rr.jpg)
Stonewall is naturally packed during Pride week (the parade takes place on the anniversary of the riots), so be prepared to get up close and personal with fellow bar-goers this weekend. Now an official New York City landmark, this West Village tavern launched the pride movement on June 28th, 1969, after continued police harassment against the gay community finally reached a tipping point. These days, most of the gay bars and clubs are centered around Hell’s Kitchen.
![gay bars new york city back room gay bars new york city back room](https://uploads.venuebook.com/media/photo/yt/FgX6DhIjRWTPdFtXqGdCdmggvA4Gh3/a9_1478208874476.jpg)
New York is now more suburbanized but it’s still the most exciting city in America and arguably the world. STONEWALL INN: No guide to the city's gay bar scene would be complete without a nod to the historic Stonewall Inn. The gentrification process has cleared out the crime but pushed up the rent.