C. Aigner Ellis
- Feb 17, 2020
- 2 min read

New Gay Club Opening This Summer In Cincinnati

Gay couple starts new venture against trend of LGBT biz closings.

The young kids will never know the the magic of the "Tea Dance" , a Sunday afternoon dance party for house and techno music lovers. However, if everything goes according to one same-sex couple's plan. The popular queer institution will be available quite often in Cincinnati.

Tea dances are ancient. They started in the 1950s, when the kids weren't allowed to dance together in public. Instead, they gathered under the disguise of having afternoon tea.

My experience with such events came in the mid 2000's at a place called Parliament House in Orlando FL. What was particularly helpful to me as a high schooler was the lax security around a mid day get together and to be honest it was for the supposed "old kweens" and thus not a lot of people where sneaking to get it. It was also often free.

The affairs are generally very focused on fun; where things like labels and love take a backseat to the rhythm of the beat.

Richard Cooke & Marty Wagner currently host tea dances at various venues in Cincy but come this summer they plan on opening their very own gay owned, gay affirming club called E 19.

Turning The Tide

Just like many other cities across the country, Cincinnati has seen a decline in gay bookstores, nightclubs, and related businesses. Which is positive in the sense that LGBT people are encouraged to live more openly and freely than at any other time in this country's history; rendering gay bars as a less of a necessity. However, as the country once again become more polarized and we realize that technology is no replacement for real community, many people are coming back around to the idea of queer spaces.