LGBTQ+ Local Guide

The same is true of the city’s offerings that openly cater to or welcome gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals, be they locals or visitors. These features can be slightly more niche than general-interest attractions and establishments. But there’s a key word there: slightly. Indy’s LGBTQ-friendly spots range from beat-laden martini bars to low-key java havens, unassuming sandwich shops to packed-house music venues.

The cultural evolution in Indy, and in its Midwest sister cities and beyond, has it that many venues are no longer LGBTQ-exclusive, if ever they were. Instead, they’re integrated. In the past few years, locals and visitors alike adopted a “come as you are, and bring your best people” mentality. They don’t want to live in silos. They don’t crave segregation of backgrounds. This fusion finds that they simply relish good times. If you don't believe us, just ask OUT Magazine, who recently named Indy one the best places to travel in 2018.

Many in the LGBTQ community pride themselves on having a sophisticated palate. They’re adventurous. There’s also the so-called meat-and-potatoes set within that community. (I know, as I’ve dated some of those people.) For those types - lovers of well-crafted pizzas, burgers, and chicken dishes - the likes of Mass Ave’s Bru Burger and Goodfellas Pizzeria satiate the need. New to Fountain Square, Kuma’s Corner does the same - with a heavy-metal motif (that Black Sabbath Burger!) and quite possibly The Most Polite Hirsute Bartenders You’ll Ever Meet (certainly a niche category).

Flipping the script, quite literally, the Kurt Vonnegut Museum And Library relishes in Indy son Vonnegut’s fiendish humor and vaunted writings, from Slaughterhouse-Five to less widely read pieces well worth a second look. Vonnegut didn’t often address LGBTQ culture or homosexuality at large, but he would have supported Indiana’s same-sex marriage and civil-rights updates by delivering his patented, sharp jeremiads. And he did offer this hilarious (if you understand his cynical, acerbic humor) quote for all of time: “Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.”

Speaking to the city’s integrated culture, the burlesque shows and club-sized band dates at White Rabbit Cabaret and Radio Radio, both in Fountain Square, feature performers ranging from homegrown acts to international stars-in-waiting. LGBTQ-friendly and-featuring groups such as Angel Burlesque and IndyProv (a “sketchy comedy” troupe) often play White Rabbit. Grassroots music also plays into the lineup at the Hi-Fi, newer and prominent in the same district of town. Rock, folk, and hip-hop artists all alight upon that spot.

If it’s a comedy of errors, in the best meaning of the phrase, you want, also consider CSz Indianapolis on Mass Ave, a slender room of a theater that (barely) contains the brimming personalities of the city’s Comedy Sportz performers. Veterans including Claire Wilcher, Chad Woodward, and more sultans of sass put on a guffaw-inducing spectacular many times a month that’s as good as any abdominal workout. The same can be said of nearby musical-and-play venues Phoenix Theatre and Theatre on the Square, which put on buzzed-about national shows with local and guest actors alike, as well as the work of lesser-known and Indy-abiding playwrights and scribes. A mention of LGBTQ-featuring performing arts in Indy must also include three tried-and-true organizations: Footlite Musicals in Herron-Morton Place, with decades of performances under its collective belt, the Pride Of Indy Band & Color Guard, venerable and talented musicians and visual artists keen on preserving and documenting Indy’s LGBTQ heritage while entertaining all comers, and the Indianapolis Men's Chorus, a volunteer chorus that gracefully interprets everything from classical, spiritual, Broadway, and world music with agility and panache.

With a spectrum of offerings deep and wide, the LGBTQ cultural scene in Indianapolis has an attraction for any and all travelers. Indy’s easily navigated grid of one-way streets downtown makes for a compact and walkable experience. Surrounding neighborhoods and districts are populated with friendly and helpful locals eager to share their city with you. The times, they are always a-changin’ - and that won’t cease anytime soon. At press time, new features are in play, albeit with unreleased go-live dates. You can be sure that the LGBTQ community in Indianapolis will continue to collaborate, innovate, and entertain under an umbrella of pride, respect, laughter, and creativity. Come out and play!