Queer Across America: El Paso, Texas

Queer Across America is my roadtrip around the United States checking out queer communities in each city to show that, wherever you are, you’re not alone. There’s many ways to be queer, so I’m on a journey to explore all of the different cultures.

This week I’m in the scorching heat of El Paso, Texas. I’m not sure what to expect from the LGBTQ+ community in El Paso or if there even is one, but I’m ready to find out!

My friend Rio and I arrive at the peak of the afternoon. Though I’m relieved to finally be off the desolate Texas highway, I have a nagging nervousness. Rio is unapologetically flamboyant. And I mean FLAMBOYANT. His dazzling nails complement his pastel crop top, and fishnets peek out at his waist beneath his baggy jeans. I love his bold queerness as well as my own, but I’m afraid Texas won’t.

When we arrive, Rio and I rejoice in the air conditioning of a queer bar called ToolBox. I’m surprised to see how big the venue is with a large, square bar in the center and arches leading to a dance floor covered in neon signs behind it. It’s much less subtle of an LGBTQ+ space than I expected in a conservative state.

The bartender is kind enough to offer us a free drink, probably to keep Rio’s mouth occupied so it will stop yapping about the newest season of Rupaul’s Drag Race. Unfortunately, the drink is the bartender’s choice, and he lands on peanut butter whiskey. We don’t want to be rude, so we down the repulsive liquor and heed the bartender’s suggestion of  Chiquitas just around the corner. 

This bar is a bit more dive-y. A group of older men that look like Tios at a backyard barbecue hang around outside, their eyes following Rio as if the queer circus just came to town and landed right in front of them. As soon as we enter, Rio’s glossy nails sparkle beneath the spotlights as he vogues to the Tejano music all the way to the bar.

Bartender Tio serves us a round, clearly holding back laughter before he sends us to another venue. I’m starting to think that everyone is dismissing us to other bars to parade Rio’s pizzaz. Regardless, we explore Dillinger’s and its speakeasy vibe, pool table, bar sports, dance floor, and a T.V. showcasing Rupaul’s Drag Race.

Standing at the bar is a man sporting red board shorts, flip flops, and a blue tank top that says “U.S.A.” in gold letters over an eagle that’s inexplicably shooting AK-47s. 

I suggest to Rio that we should leave because, if the painfully heterosexual man finds out he’s in a queer bar, he might exercise what he thinks the Second Amendment means and open fire. Unfortunately, Rio lives for drama and is willing to die for it too, so he marches up to the aggressively American man and asks him why he’s here. 

The man explains that he’s in the Army stationed at a base nearby, and Dillinger’s is his favorite spot. I grow even more nervous as the man looks annoyed by Rio’s incessant questions. 

The T.V. screen next to us returns to Rupaul’s Drag Race after a commercial break. Nothing in the world makes Rio happier than expressing an opinion nobody asks for. He states that Onya Nurve is going to dominate the season. To my astonishment, the AK-47 connoisseur responds saying that there is no way that’s true because it’s Suzie Toot’s season all the way. 

I stare at the two polar opposite individuals before me as they debate a drag show for the next 20 minutes. In this moment, I realize how wrong I was with my judgment of El Paso. It may be in a red state, but there is a prominent queer community with allies. They just look much different than other cities.

The man kindly offers to buy us a round of shots. I’m relieved to have made an unlikely friend but, unfortunately for our stomachs, he orders us peanut butter whiskey. We can’t be rude, so Rio and I drink them. Why that’s the go-to drink of queer El Paso, I’ll never know. 

Check back next week to read about the next leg of my journey traveling around the United States as I visit New Orleans for a five-day queer leadership conference, take a trans history tour, and explore the oldest LGBTQ+ bar in the country.