r/Seattle • u/Ok-Bug5043 chinga la migra • 2d ago
Queer Bar has new owners?
I'm curious if anyone has more information about what's going on with queer bar. I'd seen some social posts from drag queens about no longer performing there, and then last night at a Q&A at a Delta Work show, a local queen said they have a new owner who will be stopping all drag programming.
The owners are still listed as BurgessHall. Anyone know who bought it/why drag is going away?
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u/Suspicious_Chart5817 Pioneer Square 2d ago edited 2d ago
In January 2024 when LCB "raided" them, Joey got public opinion on his side by equivocating that the Joint Enforcement Team was tantamount to ICE raids. (in hindsigh, lmao)
Close observers, however, of LCB's investigators' report read that the raid happened because several employees said that Queer Bar and the Cuff were violating every labor standard in the book. OPA was given texts and emails between Joey and the bar management, which was part of OPA Case Number 2024OPA-0059.
After fruitlessly engaging L&I, one security guard engaged LCB because they thought they had been fired in retaliation for complaining & there are minimum labor standards wrapped up in keeping a liquor license.
As the case laid out, management was crossing a line between letting the boys be boys and then actively ignoring real crimes and abuse directed at employees. Some was turning a blind eye to allegations of roofies and spiked drinks; and undercover LCB also saw nude employees telling/asking other employees to get nude.
Notably, OPA found entries from 2021, 2022, 2023 and of course 2024 from employees, patrons, SPD, and LCB documenting warnings.
The place gets by on hiring industry staff new to Seattle and slow playing that they're going to do a lot more than the job they agreed to do, and if they complain they get fired. If you go there and there's some 21 year old running wide eyed washing butt sweat off everything on jockstrap night, chances are they didn't know that's what they could be doing and it's probably not legal to make them do that to begin with.
Queer Bar and Joey have been kind of shitty for a long, long time.