Need an excuse to wash your hand for the CDC-recommended 20 seconds? Gaze upon the display of vintage pin-up style photos just above the sinks. The restrooms are themselves museums of queer culture, their walls plastered with iconic imagery: magazine photos of Jane Lynch and the original cast of “The L Word,” newspaper clippings from Pride marches of decades past, and more. And in the back lives the ancient pool table, plus a brand-new mobile stage. Two large flags, pride and Irish, preside over the main room. With more than 20 years of business under its belt, it is a reflection of Brooklyn’s vibrant queer history with an Irish twist, and more specifically, the lesbian roots of the neighborhood once known as “Dyke Slope.”īelow a bright orange-you could call it ginger-ceiling, there’s something for everyone: the athlete (a shelf of sports trophies), the activist (protest posters), the artist (queer masterpieces), the elder (historical queer memorabilia). Located on Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue, Ginger’s Bar, owned by Sheila Frayne, is a local institution. “I used to love ‘The L Word’ watch parties on Sundays-it always got crazy.” While one lines up a shot, her companion reminisces over time spent in the bar over the years. It’s a rainy Sunday evening at Brooklyn’s only lesbian bar and two local women are kicking off a round of pool.
