Queer Happy Hour Event Reminds Syracuse Residents That Pride Doesn’t End With June

Queer Happy Hour attendees mingled over drinks at Salt City Coffee & Bar on Friday, July 11, 2025. Photo by Remi Turner 

Typical Pride Month celebrations involve marches and drag shows. This year, some of central New York’s queer community, like Alastair Murray, chose not to celebrate because of intimidation from the current political climate and fear for physical safety at large events. Come Out CNY offered a solution for queer individuals and allies to casually celebrate queer visibility post June: a recurring happy hour in a low-pressure environment. 

Salt City Coffee & Bar in downtown Syracuse hosted Come Out CNY’s first Queer Happy Hour of the month on Friday, July 11, from 5-9 p.m. The happy hour offered free attendance and discounted drinks alongside an open space for networking. Attendees wore handwritten name tags–pronouns included–to encourage more natural introductions. 

Queer Happy Hour provided a space for the queer community to regroup following local Pride Month events like the CNY Pride Parade, which featured over 22,000 attendees. Murray attended Queer Happy Hour because they wanted to meet other members of the queer community after they had chosen not to partake in Pride Month celebrations. “Coming to the mixer tonight was kind of like a first step in getting back into celebrating, even though it's post Pride,” said Murray.

Attendees conversed over craft cocktails, or mocktails--like fresh lemonade with anise syrup--while queer anthems like Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” played through the bar speakers, accompanied by their music videos on a large screen. 

Founder of Come Out CNY, Kevin Bailey, said this social event met two of the local queer communities' common needs: visibility and consistency. “ [Queer Happy Hour] really helps signal that Syracuse is a place for LGBTQ+ people. We're welcome here. We're not just tolerating. We are part of the fabric of this community,” said Bailey. 

Queer Happy Hour allowed Pride celebrations to carry on throughout the rest of the year, even if they are more low-key. “Do I wish that every month was June? I think I'd be exhausted. But just having some more visibility the other 11 months of the year is important,” said Jimmy Monto, President of CNY Pride and the first out LGBTQIA+ common councilor for the City of Syracuse. 

Hazel Guerrero said she attended the happy hour to meet new people in the local LGBTQIA+ community and celebrate Pride in new ways. “You don't take a break from being queer. I mean, you're queer 24/7, right? It's nice to be able to build community and not have to wait until it's June to get to know other people,” said Guerrero, an attendee at Queer Happy Hour.  

Come Out CNY hosts monthly events to connect members of the queer community. They will host Sizzle & Sass: A Cabaret Experience tonight at Gilded Club.