Trash Panda Drinking Club to bring Stonewall Inn to Houston for one night pop-up

HOUSTON - This Pride month, one Houston bar is bringing one of the most historic LGBTQ+ establishments here to the city for one night only.

New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded as the birthplace of the gay rights movement in America. It started with an uprising in June 1969, patrons of Stonewall fought back against routine police raids and arrests inside predominately gay bars.

"I mean, they pretty much started it all," said Trash Panda Drinking Club executive chef Adriana Maldonado. "The Stonewall Riots started LGBTQ+ rights, all that stuff, so it’s very important. It’s a historical monument, and it’s very important to all of us."

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More than 50 years later, that piece of history is coming to Houston on June 6 in the form of a pop-up at the Trash Panda Drinking Club.

"I’m bringing two of their bartenders, their house DJ whose been DJing there for 20 years, and then just the vibe," she said. "I think it’s going to be very important. We’ve really been planning on this."

It’s all the more special for Maldonado who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community herself, explaining, "I think it’s a reminder of we got to keep on fighting because people are after us. Little by little, they start chipping our away at our rights and stuff. It’s important to remember what everyone else has gone through."

She says they’ve received some backlash and harsh criticism since the event has been announced, but the excitement hasn’t wavered.

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"It’s very exciting. We’ve had a lot of people come up and want to be a part of it. We have two brands that are backing us up, which are big brands, and everybody seems to be more excited. There’s more positive than negative," Maldonado said.

That’s not the only Pride event you can expect at trash panda this month. On June 13, they’ll be welcoming the NYC-based Cubby Hole, known as one of the most famous lesbian bars in the country.