With historical and ongoing discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, R Bar and Lounge in Fort Collins, Colo., the only queer bar in Northern Colo., is a space that holds a lot of power for this group. Bringing to light an obvious issue in our community, why is there such a lack of inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ community? R Bar and Lounge, “R” being a spin-off of “our bar,” is trying to combat this problem by offering a space where anyone can comfortably express themselves in an area where there are not many spaces to do so. 

Amanda Jo Reisenweber, an employee at the bar, started bar backing and door tending in 2022, by offering her help purely out of her love for the environment. In an interview with Reisenweber about the lack of welcoming spaces for this community she touches on why the owners created R Bar. “I think the most beautiful thing about it is the people who do end up here are immediately family, they’re immediately welcomed, that’s the most common thing people say when they’re talking about R Bar is that I immediately felt welcomed, I felt at home, I could be myself, I felt safe, and so that’s really what this space is all about,” said Reisenweber.

The bar offers a plethora of events like the All-Ages Drag Brunch held every first and third Sunday of the month. Featuring mimosas, food, games, and entertainment from regular drag queens at the bar Khloe Katz, Trina Tuckit, and Hunnie Bun. This has become a very popular event in the community, and like Sunday, Mar. 7, they had reached capacity by the start time of the show. From children bursting with excitement for the drag queens to make their debut on stage, to people ordering mimosas, smiling laughing, and clapping. Even as a new face in the crowd, I felt comfortable expressing myself, personal sexual orientation aside, R Bar has created a space of comfort for people of any kind, which is the goal for any Fort Collins community member.

Gianna Cole, from Colorado Springs, Colo., a new face at the All-Ages Drag Brunch on Sunday, expressed her frustrations about the lack of inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community in the area. Cole also referred to the 2022 shooting at gay club, Club Q in Colorado Springs that took the lives of five. “A few of my friends knew people who passed away in the Club Q shooting in my hometown, and it is angering to me that a knowingly targeted community has such a lack of security in those spaces especially considering the roller rink down the street even has security guards,” said Cole.

Another new face in the brunch crowd, Laken Rye, was excited to experience a drag show as she had never seen one before. “It is surprising and interesting to me that this is the only gay bar in the area, and it makes me wonder why,” said Rye. Many in the community are unaware of this situation, leading to a lack of safety for community members who identify as queer. “Being that this is the only gay bar in the area I feel like it is safe to say that people might not even feel safe going because it could be so targeted and there really should be more options,” said Rye. 

Other than door tending employees, there is no organized police security during events at R Bar, and this is due to the fact that this issue in our community almost goes invisible. Although these events gather a rather large crowd usually exceeding the capacity of the building, there are still plenty of queer-identifying community members who do not feel comfortable attending because of a lack of security.

From the positive emotions that are immediately felt when walking into R Bar and Lounge, it truly goes to show how much the LGBTQ+ community would thrive off of even more options of inclusive spaces not just in Fort Collins, but throughout Northern Colo., and this is an issue that deserves a lot more notice than it does in our community.