Fort wayne indiana gay bars
Fort Wayne, Indiana Gay Urban area Guide – Find Your Place Here
Even though Fort Wayne is the second-largest city in Indiana, it nevertheless manages to maintain a warm and amiable small-town vibe. This is a city with a perfect blend of distinct and character-filled historic neighborhoods and parks as good as more modern urban buildings Fort Wayne is home to Indiana University-Purdue University campus, and the students and faculty of the school are an essential part of the personality of the town. Fort Wayne is also known for being a gay-friendly place to inhabit and visit, that bids visitors and residents alike plenty to see and do.
A Bit of Fort Wayne’s History
Fort Wayne was initially founded in 1794 as a fort for the United States Army under the direction and leadership of revolutionary war general Anthony Wayne, for whom it was named. As time went on, early settlers and Native Americans alike referred to Fort Wayne as a “crossroads” because of its location at the convergence of the Saint Mary, Saint Joseph, and Maumee Rivers. In the 1830s, the famous Wabash and Erie Canal was assembled in Fort Wayne, earning it the nickname "Summit City" because it was the
Fort Wayne Gay Guide
Fort Wayne is located in Allen County. It sits at the crossroads of three rivers so it was a city of strategic importance. The metropolis is named after General Anthony Wayne who first established the fort.
Fort Wayne Hotels
Fort Wayne is no longer a settler hub fought over by cowboys and Indians. It's considered to be a highly liveable city. Be sure to visit the Old Fort when you're in town.
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Fort Wayne Gay Bars
After Dark
After Dark is the main queer club in Fort Wayne. It's also the longest-running lgbtq+ bar in town. It hosts regular drag shows and is open seven days a week until the initial hours. After Black is the ideal bar to leave to if you're looking for affordable drinks and a karaoke sing-along. It is always a fun time at this welcoming and vibrant bar in Fort Wayne.
Mon:15:00 - 03:00
Tue:15:00 - 03:00
Wed:15:00 - 03:00
Thu:15:00 - 03:00
Fri:15:00 - 03:00
Sat:18:00 - 03:00
Sun:18:00 - 03:00
Last updated on: 24 Jun 2025
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Last updated on: 24-Jun-2025
Fort Wayne Pride Spotlight: After Shadowy & Babylon Nightclub
When Charles Miller opened Fort Wayne’s first gay bar in 1971, it was a very different moment — in our community, land and history. Meeting with resistance from everyone from neighbors to the local police, Miller had to fight for acceptance from the day he opened. Within the next few years, the bar traded hands a couple of times until current After Dark owner Leo Vodde took over in 1982. But through all of those changes, Miller was never far away and has served as a musician and the club’s program director for 33 years, helping Vodde grow After Dark into a popular and well-accepted member of the local club scene.
While there have been external changes — including several address changes before After Dark landing at its current home on Masterson — at the heart of After Dark is Vodde, who has provided not only an entertainment venue but a guarded haven for many of its regulars and performers.
“I would not be able to contain the experiences I do without Leo providing the venue,” said Della Licious, a performer and the club’s weekend emcee. “Years ago I was let g
Legendary choreographer and “unsung gay hero” Charles Allen sat with a tape recorder in his Fort Wayne house, a veritable art museum awaiting curation. Sipping gin and orange juice from an empty peanut butter jar, he began to document his life. Notorious for self-mythologizing—once claiming to have killed a man using “voodoo and black magic”—some of the anecdotes he fed the tape no disbelieve were embellished.[1] These would prove unnecessary, however, as his legacy speaks for itself. Not only did Allen provide “birth to generations of dancers and . . . change the way people looked at the world around him,” but he inspired and empowered LGBTQ+ Hoosiers, perhaps unintentionally. Upon Allen’s 1980 death, Jerry Jokay wrote in TROIS, Fort Wayne’s gay newsletter, that “Although he probably wouldn’t have seen it this way, one of his greatest contributions was that he was a gay hero. And he is a gay hero simply because his gayness was a trivial issue in his life even in spite of the oppression it caused him.”[2] Allen, on the other hand, would probably consider his greatest contributions to be advancing performing arts