Gay bars in bellingham

Rumors is the only gay block in Bellingham. It&#;s been around forever &#; during the 90s I would sneak out of my parents&#; residence and head over to the lock to meet friends, or sit alone and flirt with the late Eric, my second bartender crush. That was at the old Rumours, of course. Back then the bar was located in an inviting hole-in-the-wall space downtown, used the Canadian/British spelling of its name, and identified as a male lover bar. It was the epitome of a comfortable lgbtq+ space. In evidence, at an LGBT film festival in Chicago, I once saw an heartfelt low-budget coming out movie with scenes filmed in the old Rumours, featuring in the background two out of the three Bellingham guys I&#;d slept with. 

I lose those old miniature town gay bars that served as de facto LGBT community centers. One night the place would be filled with fierce flamboyant queens, the next night with woman-loving woman bikers. Everyone learned to get along. Even before the Internet killed male lover culture, I preferred bars like Rumours or its Peoria equivalent to the micro-targeted niche pubs in big cities, where you could lim