We haven’t been able to show our pride for two years.”Īssemblywoman Catalina Cruz of Queens helped to facilitate the purchase after learning the bar’s owners wanted to buy the building. “It’s also because we’ve had two years of the pandemic. “We prepared for big celebrations not only because we feel like we conquered something by having bought the building,” Valentín said. The bar has been open since 1989, but this year’s Pride weekend felt like one of the biggest yet, Valentín said. in Jackson Heights for an undisclosed amount.
It’s the first Pride celebration since the owners finalized a deal in November to buy the building at 78-11 Roosevelt Ave. This year has special significance because the bar’s owners, Eddie Valentín and Casimiro Villa, also own the building now. That is certainly true at Friend’s Tavern, considered the oldest gay bar in Queens. The outpouring of support during Pride Month has given the owners of gay and lesbian bars new reasons to be optimistic.
