KANSAS CITY, Mo — Q Kansas City, a new nightclub for the LGBTQ+ community, is set to open this October in the Westport Entertainment District.
For eight years, Owner Lance Pierce has been hosting a pop-up called Queer Bar Takeovers.
The second Saturday of each month, they select a straight bar and turn it into a queer bar for the night.
Pierce felt it was time to take all that learning and establish their rightful place in the heart of Westport’s social scene.
Over 20,000 people come to the entertainment district each weekend.
“We’re really excited to kind of take that into the next chapter and provide a full, permanent space for the queer community to come together, thrive, connect and find a place to belong,” said Pierce. “The beauty, too, is we’ve got a space now where we can start to gather community leaders together and talk about what we want as a community. How we wanna push things forward on the political front, how we want to push things forward from a health standpoint, and how we want to support the community at large.”
Pierce hopes the space will become a place where patrons can find friends, community and resources. The focus is on inclusivity and safety. The bar also will provide a full menu of mocktails for sober patrons.
The two-story venue will have a stage, dance floor, an outdoor patio and a speakeasy upstairs that highlights queer trailblazers who paved the way.
“I think queer community is one of the communities that understands the full spectrum of humanity and how to hold space for that entire spectrum," Pierce said. "And I’m really excited for this space to model that behavior for the rest of Kansas City."
Kansas City, Missouri, councilman Crispin Rea visited the bar to offer support in his official capacity.
“We need to make sure that as policy makers we continue to create policies, laws and programs that keep all communities in mind — LGBTQ folks included,” said Rea. “We are on a national and international stage right now and that’s only going to continue through the World Cup and beyond. I believe that’ll be a launch pad for Kansas City and the world’s gonna look to us as a welcoming and safe city and that's important.”
As Kansas City continues to demand attention on a national and international stage, all say it is a critical moment in history for the tone the city sets.
“When more spaces like this are created, they are supported. You know, not just by their queer community — by the allies, by the council, by the city, by the state, by the neighboring bars because this is important,” said Landon Patterson, a local drag artist and trans advocate.
As a trans woman, safety is a conversation she often has with her friends before a night out. She has personally experienced harassment and discrimination because of the way she identifies.
“It is like scary to walk into spaces and not know if it’s a safe space for you, or not know if they have your back,” said Patterson “Trans, queer, non-binary, anybody coming in your bar — the safety of everybody should be important. So I think places like this are setting the standard and it is just an example for what the further community and world should do.”
Q Kansas City will be a community-driven bar. Pierce says they will hosting three community tours during the $150,000 renovation process so that future patrons can voice what they want to see on opening day.
For tour dates and times, click here.
