Gay Bar Shuts Down Without Notice on Christmas Eve
Facebook post on December 24.“It has been an incredible six years serving you, Cincinnati,” the post read. “We’ve had our ups and downs but will forever be grateful to have played our part for the Greater Cincinnati LGBTQIA+ community.
We are permanently closed for business but want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kawanzaa, and Prosperous New Year.The Birdcage first opened its doors at 927 Race St.
in Cincinnati in 2018, taking over the space that formerly housed the gay bar Shooters. Each night, the bar would feature a drag show, followed by a dance party.
In June 2023, the bar relocated to 412 Central Ave., the former site of the Rebel Mettle Brewery, but kept its old location open, renaming the Race Street property “The Flock,” attempting to rebrand it as a low-key lounge environment for the LGBTQ community that could complement The Birdcage’s more festive nightclub feel.Ignite Management, the owners of The Birdcage, operate several other Cincinnati non-LGBTQ nightlife venues, including The Butcher and Barrel, Ché, O’Malley’s in the Alley, The Blind Pig, Gypsy’s Mainstrasse, and Coffee at Lola’s.Performers and event planners who worked at The Birdcage were blindsided by the closure.“We all woke up on Christmas Eve and were scrolling on Facebook and suddenly, without contacting any of us, half of us had our pictures just thrown on a poster and an, ‘Alright goodbye, we’re closed,'” Honey, one of the performers and a former producer at The Birdcage, told Cincinnati FOX affiliate WXIX.“It was like a shock to the system,” drag performer Fifi said, telling WXIX that, with the closure of The Birdcage and The Flock, there are now only two official gay bars left in Cincinnati’s Downtown neighborhood. “To see these places slowly disappearing is really, really hard not only for us as entertainers but for the community as a whole.”The announcement triggered tremendous backlash and uproar online. “Fun way to find out, on the holiday!” commented.
