This is part of a collection of stories celebrating lesbian bars across the US and other parts of the world. Read more here.
It’s not often that an Olympic gold medalist name-drops a bar in their retirement speech, as former WNBA star Sue Bird did in harkening to her “adventures at the Rose.” But Wildrose is that important. It can be found at the corner of E. Pike St. and 11th Ave in Seattle, where it has stood for 40 years. As a queer Seattleite, I am incredibly proud it still exists.
Old, wide-plank wood floors creak with every step when you enter. One neon sign outlines a woman’s silhouette from behind, another reads “Wildrose, est. 1984.” It all started that year, on New Year’s Eve, which isn’t a traditional business decision—that’s a lot of licenses and taxes to secure for a calendar year that’s about to be over. But Bryher Herak, one of the five original owners of Wildrose, was impatient to open and give the city’s queer women a place to go. The line wrapped around the block on opening night. As Herak told The Seattle Times, “People wanted so badly to have a place like the Rose open, it was just such a naked celebration.”
Historically in the states, gay and lesbian bars were hidden in the shadows on the outskirts of town, accessible only via an alley or basement. But Wildrose is on the ground floor of the Winston Building in Capitol Hill—Seattle’s now loud and proud queer heart—and has enormous windows. When current owner Martha Manning interviewed to tend bar at Wildrose in the 1990s, her boss and former owner Joann Panayiotou pointed to them: “She says, ‘You see these? It’s a big deal. You can see in and we can see out. They’ve been broken and they’ll be broken again.’ She wanted me to understand the significance.”
Many powerful queer women have passed through this tiny, two-room watering hole on the way to success. Brandi Carlisle was a regular Sunday performer before she was even 21. Patti Hearn, Seattle Pride Executive Director, who is busy planning the city’s 50th Pride (set to take place from June 28-30, 2024), recalls early days at Wildrose spent hanging out “under the watchful eyes of Joan Jett,” whose portrait hangs behind the bar at the highest possible point.
Jen Barnes, founder of women-first sports bar Rough & Tumble, credits Wildrose with shaping her queer ‘90s youth. “Wildrose is a critical, beloved space that honors the lesbian community,” she says. “As a young queer woman coming out in the ‘90s, having a place to go to meet other women and queer people was vital. At that time, it was really one of the only places to find other people like me and I was so grateful for it.” Barnes has celebrated many milestones there: her 21st birthday, first dates, new jobs, legal rights wins, and even television history.
