The Muscle Marys at my gay bar

Every single time I go to my gay bar (Silverado's in Portland, OR), which for me is only once every few weeks, the same group of Muscle Marys is always there, rain or shine. They always stand together and talk only to each other. The center of the group is a porn actor (Shay Michaels) and his older boyfriend. I have no idea why they all go there because they only speak to the same people--they never seem to cruise or anything. They just stand around and talk and drink. The strippers know them and go to talk to them, but they rarely tip the strippers. Also weird: some of the guys who used to strip there, and who are ostensibly heterosexual (and have girlfriends), come back to the bar every night to hang out, and talk with this group. What's up with all of this? Why go to a gay strip bar with loud music if you're not there to pick up?

curious
• [quote]Why go to a gay strip bar with loud music if you're not there to pick up? This may surprise you, but not everyone is a whore, only going out so they could perhaps get laid. There are other reasons people chose to socialize with others in a setting where they are comfortable.

• They go to have a drink and socialize and to pick up other muscle dudes for sex.

• The straight strippers obviously know you are not gay if you give it up for a muscled guy. Just guys doing guy stuff, that's all.

• What do gay Oregonians look like? Do they have green rubbery skin?

• They have birds in their hair and berries growing out of their pits.

• Most of the "straight" strippers are also gay-for-pay escort, so they probably were there on their off-night to work the room to scrounge up some clients. I know this one "straight" go-go boy who dances in NYC. He's early 30s (and looks it) but he has an amazing face and body (fitness model type features). Just an extremely good looking guy all-around. We've chatted a few times, and he told me that he's never worked a day in his life. Between stripping and escorting and older sugar daddies along the way, he's been able to live quite comfortably. He claims he has a regular set of clients, all wealthy, and that he is limited to getting sucked and muscle worship. I kind of feel sorry for him. He seems lost and almost clueless to the fact that once his looks fade, his face and body will no longer be a commodity and he'll have nothing to fall back on.

• Sorry, OP, but a lot of us go to gay bars (these days at least) just because we like hanging out with "our kind." Doesn't mean we're cruising for tricks, or even looking to get to know anyone casually. If we want to get laid, there's always Grindr.

• [quote]We've chatted a few times, and he told me that he's never worked a day in his life. Between stripping and escorting and older sugar daddies along the way, he's been able to live quite comfortably. Escorting is not working???

• Wouldn't you prefer to socialize at a quieter gay bar than a loud strip club, though? There are quieter gay bars in Portland that are better for conversation: Crush, Scandals, Starky's.

• Haha, r8, are you an escort?

  r6

• [quote] Sorry, OP, but a lot of us go to gay bars (these days at least) just because we like hanging out with "our kind." Doesn't mean we're cruising for tricks, or even looking to get to know anyone casually. If we want to get laid, there's always Grindr. Agreed but OP has a point. He mentioned loud music. Unless you're there to dance, how much hanging out can you do. Conversation isn't easy.

• I go out all the time to hang out with my friends at the bar. We dont go there to cruise, most of us are coupled and just want a place to hang out with our own kind. I have gone to straight bars and restaurants like that and trust me, there have been times when we didn't feel comfortable. At one place this guy at another table next to us was getting drunk and saying things like "way don't THEY go to their own dam places!"

• Jealous much OP? Maybe they just are not into you.

• In small towns like Portland there's probably no other place than a loud gay bar for gays to go and hang out with their friends. Just like on Queer as Folk.

• Good lord. Portland's gay scene must be about 100 people. It doesn't make any sense to start creating cliques. It's just so junior high school. Get over yourselves, girls. You'll become ugly one day.