Williamsburg hotspot Metropolitan's vine-tangled patio, scattered with picnic tables and lawn chairs, draws throngs of tank-top-wearing, chain-smoking, $2-PBR-swilling gays from across the city seven nights a week—and the neighbors have had enough. Members of Community Board 1 unanimously rejected a proposal to renew the establishment's liquor license. It isn't that the gays are too proud, they say, it's just that they're too damn loud! more ›

Hundreds of people packed a Community Board 4 meeting in Hell's Kitchen last night to debate Boxers, the popular Chelsea gay sports bar that wants to open on 10th Avenue near 52nd Street. That's just down the block from Public School 111, and many parents are concerned about its proximity to their children—because of the "alcohol exposure," not because it's a gay bar, of course. All that firm, rippling gayness has nothing to do with it! Please let area resident Nivia Cefello, who has lived in Hell's Kitchen for 65 years, explain: more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] A man with a history of luring gay men with the intent to rob and assault them is charged with a hate crime after attacking a customer at NYC's oldest gay bar, according to the Anti-Violence Project. Suspect Frederick Giunta, 45, allegedly entered Julius in the West Village around 5:40 p.m. on October 11th and became infuriated when a bartender refused to serve him because he was already too intoxicated. He then unloaded on a customer, allegedly punching him while yelling anti-gay slurs. more ›

Governor Paterson has donned his trunks and splashed down in the warm, fetid waters of the "Ground Zero" mosque deep end. Of course Paterson is the last one in and a rotten egg, so we're going to have to be patient as he learns that conciliatory, sensitive peacemaking is of no use here. At a press conference earlier, he told reporters: more ›

Part of living in a city with a respectable number of tolerant, non-discriminating establishments is learning how to say goodbye to them. The Starlite Lounge, a somewhat incongruously-located gay bar, has been a fixture in Crown Heights since the 1960s. After months of rumors, its closure was confirmed by Brownstoner, with the bar's last day set at July 31st. more ›