Juls Bergman started Collingswood Area Queer Connection — a Facebook group for South Jersey locals to meet each other and develop in-person gatherings — in 2021.
But she had difficulty finding a restaurant or other facility within a drivable distance in Camden County that would host the group for its events. The owner of one bar in Haddon Township chased a trans woman out of the women’s bathroom during one event. The group also faced pushback at a Collingswood location when they asked to place temporary and removable paper signs during events that would create inclusive bathrooms in their designated area.
But that’s all changed since she discovered Bayer’s Tavern — a little bar tucked between a school and an industrial park along the Delaware River in blue-collar Gloucester City.
“This is the first time that we’ve had a dedicated spot that we could feel safe and included without having to go to Philadelphia,” she said, calling the bar essential. “It’s been a long time coming, and it was badly needed.”
Karaoke is on Mondays, trivia on Tuesdays, and BINGO on Wednesdays. There are singles meet-ups and collaborations with Sip City South Jersey. Board games are available, and an outdoor space for family picnics and dog days is emerging. Additionally, someone in the community wants to start a book club.
A full list of each month’s upcoming events is listed on the bar’s Facebook page, Bayer’s Tavern Gloucester City. Bergman said that having a supportive space to host events has empowered the group’s members to dream up new ideas they wouldn’t have been able to implement in the past.
Sapphics — who have often said they lack a safe and affirming place to go in Philadelphia — are beginning to claim their own space there too.
“The possibilities are endless,” Bergman said. “It’s going to be our queer Cheers.”
But she didn’t even know the bar existed until last month — after bartender Kimberly Knowland posted on social media about a sudden decline in patrons.
“This is what a local boycott looks like when you have a queer owned bar,” the text of her post reads above a photo that shows rows of completely empty seats in the vacant tavern. “Since Drag Queen Karaoke started last month, we have been abandoned by the regulars.”
In her post, Knowland noted that the bar’s new drag events have been a success but that they won’t keep the bar afloat and asked for people to come in and show support to the owners, Justin Benoit and Blaze — who are gay.
“I love them and appreciate them,” Knowland said. “I want this bar to succeed for a lot of reasons, but my biggest one is having a safe space.”
She and others at Bayer’s Tavern learned about the boycott through word-of-mouth, information shared from other bar owners, and social media posts made about the former patrons’ decisions. Knowland, who said the owners struggled to pay employees in the early weeks of the boycott, felt like it was her fault because she’d helped to organize the drag queen events.
“It felt like a slap in the face,” said Benoit, who has always supported the patrons and staff he inherited.
Benoit said he has never hid that the bar’s new ownership is queer — and there have only been some minor issues in the past. Some people have been banned for using racist slurs and homophobic language.
But many of his own LGBTQ+ friends often came to weekend events and have always felt safe with the crowd that’s present during those times. Even though the former patrons weren’t present during drag events, the idea of the bar even hosting those events seemed to cross a line that drove them away.
But a strong presence of queer community and allies has emerged more recently and the bar’s events have grown. Benoit said that he’s thankful for Knowland’s post because it has helped LGBTQ+ people find Bayer’s Tavern, as many didn’t know there was a safe place to go on this side of the river.
She also noted that the few longtime regulars who have remained loyal to the bar despite the boycott want to be queer-affirming and respectful even though they’ve occasionally been accidentally offensive or problematic. They’re sometimes ignorant of culture or how to navigate situations, but they’re learning.
“Everyone is safe there. That’s important to me as an advocate,” said Knowland, who is also the co-founder of Moorestown Pride — a group that focuses on supporting and connecting LGBTQ+ students and residents in a nearby town where she resides. “Everyone’s so kind to each other now. There’s no drama. It’s beautiful.”
“We don’t want everyone to feel segregated,” Benoit said about pushback he received from people who believed he might turn the space into a “gay” bar — which he doesn’t believe is true of Bayer’s as he believes it’s a place for all people who want to enjoy a diverse community. “We want everyone to co-exist and mingle.”
Benoit, who believes he’s likely the first Black bar owner in Gloucester, said other bar owners have been supportive of Bayer’s Tavern since he bought the establishment about a year ago — defying the stereotypes and stigmas that accompany Gloucester City as a majority-white, working-class town.
But, again, not everyone has been so welcoming.
He and his partner moved to Brooklawn — a tiny town that sits adjacent to Gloucester City — when they bought the bar. According to a report by Data USA, Brooklawn is home to under 1800 people living in under 900 households with roughly 200 Black or African American residents. Benoit said his neighbor has been racist and homophobic. Knowland alleges that neighbors have acted in hostile and intimidating ways — even engaging in behavior that could be described as threatening. But, they said, police aren’t taking concerns seriously.
A friend of Benoit’s neighbor told PGN that she doesn’t believe her friend is racist or homophobic — that this is a conflict between two parties who simply do not share the same values, who have both been problematic toward each other, and who disagree.
But patrons who have found a safe haven at Bayer’s Tavern are staging a call to action, hoping to help Benoit feel safer at home. They’re hosting a protest at the Brooklawn Police Department on Saturday, May 17 at 1 p.m. in hopes that the police take action.
After the demonstration, things will continue as usual at the tavern with a weekend of karaoke events.
Benoit, who has also worked at Bob and Barbara’s Lounge in Philadelphia for 13 years, hired Knowland — and others who had little to no experience bartending — because he liked their energy and appreciated their passion for community-building. He’s looking for more new employees and is ready to train new mixologists as long as they’re ready to help him cultivate a fun and welcoming vibe.