Ripcord, the oldest gay leather bar in Texas, celebrates 40 years this weekend – Houston Chronicle

Ripcord doesn’t look like much from the outside. You could easily miss the brown, nondescript building at the corner of Fairview and Crocker if you weren’t looking for it.

But inside, for the past four decades, Ripcord has been a haven for Houston’s LGBTQ+ community. Leather daddies and jocks. Bearded drag queens and lesbians. Outcasts and in crowds, “the wild, the weird, and the kinky.” They’ve all passed through the dimly lit bar, congregated around the pool table and slurped down Jell-O shots on the outside patio.

Ripcord celebrates its 40th anniversary with a host of events all weekend, including drag performers, fire spinners, kink demos and community speakers. There will even be a Krampus-themed drag show and photo ops. And as always, never a dress code and never a cover.

“Ripcord is a place that has remained unique to the time it was established and relevant to the time it currently exists,” says Daniel Perez, who has DJ-ed at the club. “The bartenders and staff deserve a huge shout out for working to maintain and adapt the space to the time.”

It’s that something-for-everyone philosophy that has helped the bar endure changing tastes and crowds. Ripcord opened Dec. 10, 1982, using the tagline, “If you worry about your image, you don’t have one.” In the beginning, Ripcord catered aggressively to a men-only crowd. It was a popular cruising spot, a place to pick up guys before apps such as Grindr and Scruff. Women and drag queens could only enter if they were accompanied by a male, and even then it was frowned upon.

Today, Ripcord has adopted a more inclusive attitude. Women and drag queens and everyone under the rainbow is welcome. There are weekly shows featuring drag performers Reign and Adriana LaRue and numerous fundraisers throughout the year. Various groups use it as a meeting place. It is one of the oldest gay bars in Houston and the longest-running gay leather in Texas.

And it’s still the prime meeting place for those into kink and leather, whether you’re an expert or exploring.

“You can feel all the love from the community in this bar,” says Piero Arevalo, assistant manager. He has worked at Ripcord since 2017. 

Indeed, weekends come alive inside, and just outside, the long-standing bar. Crowds filter through regularly on weekends, from lone wolfs to large groups. You’ll likely always run into someone you know. Sir Rat Leather, located inside, sells T-shirts, harnesses and more adult fare. A food truck is parked just outside the door, perfect for pre, post or between-bar energy boosts.

Ripcord’s outdoor patio is one of the big draws, an expanse space with seating and its own bar. Jell-O shots, often sold as a fundraiser by local groups, are a must. It’s a fun, festive atmosphere.

But most importantly it’s a much-needed place of community for those who haven’t always had one.

“Everyone from leather daddies to circuit queens stops by Ripcord to either start or end their night. And it’s still remains a safe place for all the ones who aren’t the typical cookie-cutter gays.”

Several Ripcord customers shared their memories on social media:

“The hot dogs outside with a friend, after a night of partying, is a great way to end the night,” Austin Abernathy

“I DJ-ed there for a couple of years. Always a fun crowd,” Tad Dvorak

The Ripcord was the first bar I ever wandered into after moving to Houston,” Tommy Grubbs

“I went there in the ’80s, in chaps, with no covering on the bum. It was a shock to the system oh-so long ago. and it was dark, very dark and seemed dangerous to a young’un,” Donna Newton

“My girlfriend owns the house next door. How she ever got any sleep, I’ll never know,” La Lisa Hernandez

“Years past the pool table was stacked high with shrimp, benches and tables lined the walls with desserts. Big thank you to their customers,” Bob Houghton

“While I was in graduate school at the University of Florida, I came to Houston for an academic conference that by coincidence fell on LUEY weekend 2001. That Saturday night (at Ripcord), I spotted a man, Dwayne, sitting by the door. We long-distance dated for a short while, but before the end of the year, AIDS had taken him. The brief time with him took me out of a dark place at the time. And it certainly contributed to my decision to move to Houston five years later,” Woodja Flanigan

“Taking off my wig and fighting some transphobic gay.” Jessie Cruz

“Oh I can’t share those lollll but they r good,” Alexye’us Paris

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