8 Knoxville Ways To Celebrate Gay Marriage

There are a lot of amazing ways to celebrate the effective legalization of gay marriage by the Supreme Court. Right now, too many bars and clubs in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago must be thumping away in revelry. However, if you're like me and are from Knoxville, Tennessee, there might not be a lot of places to honor the Supreme Court's recent decision, which found gay marriage bans unconstitutional. However, there are still at least a few places to let out your excitement. Here are eight ways to celebrate the verdict in Knoxville.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced TK that gay marriage has to be recognized by all states. East Tennessee might not take this news as well as more progressive parts of the country. In 2014, the state voted to uphold its same-sex marriage ban when two Tennessee residents married in Iowa and wanted the union recognized by their home state, according to The Atlantic. Governor Bill Haslam told The Nashville City Paper he did not believe in homosexual workplace discrimination but is not in favor of same-sex marriage.

Just because the red state won't be completely thrilled about the news doesn't mean you have to be in a huff too. There are plenty of openminded people and establishments where you can find your fun.

Club XYZ

As one of the few gay clubs in Knoxville, Club XYZ is surely a hot place to ring in gay marriage. The venue has karaoke, drag shows, and a great dance floor. It was voted "Best Gay Bar" in 2010 by MetroPulse Magazine and is fun for straight people and members of the LGBTQ community.

PrideFest

Knoxville's PrideFest will be held June 20 at the World's Fair Park. Go celebrate marriage equality with a parade, food, and music.

The Chrome Pony Saloon

Located just south of the Tennessee River, the Chrome Pony Saloon is a small bar with live shows and games. Once a biker bar, the place reinvented itself as a gay nightclub. They even have leather nights.

Eat Out With Pride

The Eat Out With Pride series will go through July and serves as a great way to dine in support of gay rights. If you go to participating local restaurants on certain nights, you can get special deals and support PrideFest. Participating restaurants include the Tomato Head, Abuelo's, Pelancho's, Sunspot, and Central Flats and Taps.

Kristtopher's

This relaxed bar has music of all kinds, including those for drag kings and queens. The owners host all sorts of shows like a cabaret night or a big toga party gay pride event.

The Knoxville Gay Men's Chorus

This group aims "to give entertaining high-quality performances that appeal to all audiences while shedding a positive light on the LGBT community," according to its website. Go support them in their August fundraising event, so all members can perform in an international concert in Denver.

The Edge

The very "edgy" club has live performances and drag shows, along with karaoke and signature cocktails. This might be your kind of place to celebrate marriage equality in K-town.

The Tennessee River

No, it's not directly related to gay pride, but the Tennessee River runs right through the city and is gorgeous from a restaurant like Calhoun's or Lakeside Tavern. So grab someone you love, sit by the water, and toast to the fact that everyone in America can get married now.

Images: Flickr/Frank Kehren; YouTube/serpentkeeper1; Getty Images; YouTube/MojoFlowTN; YouTube/lilbittn; Flickr/Joel Kramer