Super Progressive, Portland, Maine, Only Has One Gay Bar

What happened to all the gay bars in Portland, Maine?

Portland, Maine, is a pretty progressive city and LGBTQ+ friendly. It's estimated that nearly 5% of Maine's population identifies as LGBTQ, and some estimates put Portland's population at over 5%. And only one gay bar? Yup.

What is Portland, Maine's only gay bar?

Cocktail Mary was a place where gays could hang out and have a good time, but according to the Portland Press Herald, they closed their doors for good at the end of January. The Press Herald spoke to Demetri Kirchberg, who described Cocktail Mary

Cocktail Mary has been a place of free expression — of queer joy to the nth degree, an oasis in hard times.

With that closing, one of the original gay bars in Portland is the only one that remains: Blackstones on Pine Street in Portland, Maine's West End.

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How has Blackstones survived as Portland, Maine's only gay bar?

It hasn't been easy. Having any business in Portland, Maine, for nearly 40 years is no small feat. Let alone a niche, 'controversial' business like a gay bar. But why is Blackstones the last remaining gay bar? What does this tiny neighborhood bar have that the others don't? Fiercely loyal customers. Blackstones bartender, Keith Bennett, told the Portland Press Herald,

Blackstones is a second home for people who don’t have families of their own.

Blackstones in Portland, Maine, is a throwback to the good ol' days

At one point in the 90s, there were 5 different gay bars in Portland, Maine. The biggest was The Underground (later Styxx). In the 80s and 90s, this was how you met other gays. It was before the internet, online dating, and all that came with the 2000s. Stepping into Blackstones is stepping back in time and remembering that awesome feeling of going out on the town as a gay person in Portland, Maine.