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What's your Pink Pony Club? Readers share stories of queer belonging
Chappell Roan in the 'Pink Pony Club' single artwork.
Chappell Roan's hit song is inspiring Out readers to share their stories about finding community and coming to terms with their queer identities.
The LGBTQ+ community has fell even deeper in love with 2024 Out100 honoree Chappell Roan after learning more about one of her hit songs, "Pink Pony Club," which was inspired by the singer's actual experience going out to a gay club for the first time — helping her not only understand her queer identity better, but also find a community and chosen family that embraced her for who she is.
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The concept of a "Pink Pony Club" is quickly evolving into a term for queer people to discuss a specific place, moment in time, cultural event, local community, and/or high-profile celebrity that helped them come to terms with their queerness, live as their most authentic selves, and find a community that not only accepted — but also celebrated — who they are.
This week, Spotify set up a "Pink Pony Club" pop-up shop at the Abbey in West Hollywood — which is literally the queer space that inspired Roan's song in the first place. To celebrate the huge year that Roan just experienced, the launch of this pop-shop, and the fact she's been nominated for six Grammy Awards, we asked our readers: "What's your Pink Pony Club?"
Keep scrolling to read some of the adorable, earnest, and hilarious answers submitted by Out readers! In the meantime, you can listen to Chappell Roan's debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, on all music streaming services.
My Pink Pony Club was a well known local gay bar in New Hope, PA, named the Prelude, and was painted purple, so she was known as the Purple Prelude.
It was 1982, I had turned 21, and knew I was a lesbian. Went to a party, and some friends told me to go talk to "Jim", we might have a lot in common. TA DA!!! We're both queer, he's a gay man. Says "Let's ditch this party, and go to the Prelude. When will we ever get the chance again? Let's go right now." I had a car, so we did.
It was a warm end of May night. The bar was PACKED. As soon as I'm inside, it's LOUD it's GLORIA and I feel like I'm HOME. Wall to wall sweaty joyous gay men, with a few lesbians. Agreed to meet Jim in an hour. Met a girl, danced, and finally felt like I belonged somewhere. Met back up with Jim, he felt exactly the same.
That night is one of my fondest memories, I'm 63 now and lez married. I'm sent right back there every time I hear "Gloria". It really was a magical queer night.
— Vickie, via email
Pulse in Orlando. We spent so much time there dancing and seeing the best drag shows ever. It still hurts to know so many beautiful souls were taken.
— @theothervictorhugo, via Instagram
For me it was joining the Gay-Straight Alliance in freshman year of high school and beginning my journey of coming out as queer by senior year. And watching Rent for the first time and feeling like there was a community out there where I belonged.
— @jhbochichio, via Instagram
I used to live in Miami, but I got threatened to be kicked out during the pandemic for dying my hair orange for a music video I was filming for a song I had written. I always knew I was queer, but writing music was the only way I could express it. That was the final straw that lead me to pack my things and move to California!
My Pink Pony Club moment happened when my now roomie/main girlie pop Ari took me and our girl Ashley to WeHo for the first time. It was pure magic!!! Driving up and seeing those rainbow lights they had hung up for pride! Dancing to 'Bad Romance' with a room full of ppl that just got it! I still smile thinking about it. My journey hasn't been easy, but it's just my right of passage. I'm finally HOME! Thank you for being a soundtrack for so many of our lives.
— @lolchrisrojas, via Instagram
My PPC place was called Club Colours in Richmond, VA. Felt authentically myself and accepted.
— Tai, via Facebook
I don't normally jump at the opportunity to share of myself in this way. I guess that's because I'm wary of sharing my story and having it get lost in the din.
Anyway, I'm digressing already. My name is Dustin and I'm 40 years old. I was raised by a pastor and knew I was gay from a preternaturally young age. I came out to my parents in freshman year of high school. I made friends with a girl named Kelly. We used to smoke weed in her bedroom and listen to Ani DiFranco and Sleater-Kinney. She also accompanied me to my first WeHo Pride.
For the first decade of my out life, I was more excited for June than I ever was for Christmas or my birthday. That community I built during my formative years provided me with the permission structure to never distrust that part of my identity.
I take the Pink Pony Club wherever I go. And I hope that the freedom that internal permission structure affords me permeates the people around me.
Sorry if this came off trite or self-aggrandizing, I have a million hilarious anecdotes about the past 25+ years — but this just felt right.
— Dusty, via email
I had moved to New York from Kansas and was struggling to figure out who I was. The moment I walked into Henrietta Hudson, I felt seen, and it was the first time I knew who I was and where I belonged!
I was very lucky to find some of my chosen family there. There is nothing like the feeling of walking into your first queer bar knowing often for the first time that you fit in and that you are not alone and spending so many nights turning strangers into friends.
— @stacylentz, via Instagram
My first clubs that I felt that I belonged were Arena / Disco in Hollywood when it was all ages. Also, Circus / Disco in Hollywood. Those places don't exist anymore.
— Javier, via email
Downloading Bobby Blake videos from Kaaza on the family computer.
— John Duff, via Instagram
No better place than @marysatl!
— @getlostbrittany, via Instagram
For me it was @c4nwa in college from 2014-2018. This place raised me and made me into who I am today.
@kennedycottrell, via Instagram
When I moved to LA, a friend told me to meet them one night at @thesatellitela for @gayasstrology.
That first night, and every party after, being in community, in the line outside wrapping along Silver Lake Blvd, dancing under the sapphire and gold Saturn ringed disco ball, following it when it changed locations after the Satellite went away in 2020, watching queers keep the party alive, because they/we were keeping ourselves alive…
Gay Asstrology will always be my Pink Pony Club.
@kimhoffman, via Instagram
I was home in Missouri and Pink Pony Club came up on my shuffle in 2020. I had been debating for months whether or not I was gonna make the move to New York and the song helped me parse through my feelings that I needed to leave home and find a place to find a queer community. I got to New York and had a month to figure out a job and an apartment, listened to Pink Pony Club every single day to shake off the anxiety that this wasn't gonna work.
I eventually found a job, and a place to live and was able to celebrate at a queer bar in Brooklyn with what would become my queer family here.
Thank you so much, Chappell, from one Midwest Princess to another.
— @chris.banez, via Instagram
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
