Hamilton has growing queer spaces and has become such an inclusive city, for the most part. We have queer nights at Nivara Lounge and Biddies. However, we are yet to have solely a gay club! The nearest gay club is on K Road in Auckland. As a broke student with hardly any spare time, this is a nightmare.

Short answer, we need more gay clubs. Not just because the drinks are stronger, the music is better, and the bathrooms are a safe haven for deep therapy sessions with strangers (though all of these are true). We need more gay clubs because the world is still catching up to the idea that queer joy deserves a space of its own. We are constantly fighting that pride isn’t cringe, with a Hamilton gay club, we wouldn’t need to do this anymore.

Think about it. Straight people have clubs in every shape and form- sports bars, dive bars. The straights have Outback and Coyotes. Meanwhile, we have to wait for a few queer nights. More gay clubs mean fewer awkward moments when someone asks, “So who’s the man in the relationship?” before we politely send them back to their natural habitat. More gay clubs mean more places where trans and nonbinary people don’t have to justify their existence before ordering a vodka soda. More gay clubs mean we get to dance, sweat, and exist without being a spectacle or a token.

And let’s be real- if the world had more gay clubs, the DJ playlists would be fire, the drama would be cinematic, and the economy would flourish because of all the sequins and harnesses sold. It’s a win-win. And imagine Gaga night, need I say more?