Dempsey’s

Dempsey’s Brass Rail 


909 W 1st Avenue

1987-2011


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Dempsey’s was more than just a bar; it was a community—a family. Starting as an Irish restaurant, it evolved into Spokane’s premier gay establishment, symbolizing love, acceptance, and celebration. It offered music, dancing, drag shows, pool, darts, movies, karaoke, comedy, and cabaret, providing a space for Spokane’s LGBTQ+ community to socialize and express themselves freely.


Despite increasing acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in the United States, the popularity of gay bars has diminished somewhat. However, they remain essential as safe places for LGBTQ+ individuals. Dempsey’s, though not the only gay bar in the Inland Northwest, holds nostalgic memories for many.


Dempsey’s began in the late 80s in a 2-story building that housed the Spokane Press Club. It was remodeled into an Irish Restaurant and Bar, “Dempsey’s Brass Rail,” and became Spokane’s most popular gay bar for nearly two decades.


 In the mid-90s, a group of drag queens formed a revue known for their humor and irony. Miss Myler Black was the creator and star of the show. Known as “The Dempsey’s Divas”, they were entertainers, philanthropists, and leaders. They brought light to the inland northwest. Over time these queens became empresses, gay title holders, and representatives of the queer community. Without them and Dempsey’s, today’s vibrant community might not exist. Though Dempsey’s basement is condemned and the dresses moldy, the legacy and impact live on.


This was evident during the Dempsey’s Reunion Show when Spokane Pride, nYne, and Crystal Marche brought together Spokane’s beloved drag queens from the past, present, and future to preserve this rich history. The money raised from the show contributed to the Pride and History Remembrance Project. 


Dempsey’s may have closed its doors in 2011, but its legacy endures. As a sanctuary of acceptance and celebration, it fostered a sense of belonging and unity within Spokane’s LGBTQ+ community. Through its lively events, unforgettable drag shows, and welcoming atmosphere, Dempsey’s created lasting memories and a profound impact on those who passed through its doors. Though the bar is gone, the spirit of Dempsey’s continues to inspire and remind us of the importance of welcoming, safe, and inclusive spaces for all.


When asked about “Dempsey’s Brass Rail “The Bar”, Miss Myler wrote the following. 


Most people have a local hangout that they generally go to that becomes “the bar” for their particular group of friends, Dempsey’s Brass Rail was that bar for me.


The bar was someplace that my group of friends would go to after our theatre productions or even our rehearsals (we were young, we could still stay up late and get up for work the next day). At that time in Spokane, we only had three gay bars: Hour Place, Pumps II, and Dempsey’s which was “nicer” because of the two levels, so if you were in the mood to dance you could hang upstairs and if you wanted to chill or take in a show, there was always plenty to do downstairs. When I started going out in 1995, Spokane was still making it painfully obvious that if you were part of a fringe community you were going to all have to congregate in the same places. The sense of community that stemmed from basically being forced to spend time together truly bonded all of us in the face of whatever might rear its head. The amount of fundraisers and memorials, and birthdays, anniversaries, etc. we all went to at the bar is staggering because we all knew one another, we may have fought, but we were a family found. Young and old, fem and butch, drag and leather, gay and straight, brothers and sisters. People were still passing away from HIV/AIDS and the stigma around caring for patients was still rife, so we took care of our own, raised money, delivered food, arranged funerals. The bar was essentially sort of a community center for LGBTQ adults.


When I started working at Dempsey’s, Monty and Rod were the owners and they had a white baby grand piano that was part of the 1984 summer Olympics somehow and wanted to make use of it at the bar. On top of bringing me on to do drag shows, we had also had live pianists that would get the crowds going with a sing-along or two, or even bring in the Broadway Across America touring productions to come in and do shows, it was an exciting time to be gay in Spokane and Dempsey’s was a big part of it for many people.


Dempsey’s was able to bring together people in a way I don’t think will be replicated anywhere anytime soon and it’s a shame because it was truly a gathering spot and I met many lifelong friends and cherish all the crazy memories I have, both sad and joyous, and Dempsey's was that for a lot of people in Spokane at the time, not just me.

I’m so glad I got to be part of something so amazing at a political time when being gay was getting more acceptance and we were all able to come together and fight harder for more. It never feels like you’re part of something special until you look back at what we’ve lost. But then I guess that’s what makes us wax nostalgic and take time to write these things down…yes, it's for future generations, but it's also for ourselves so we can look back and smile and hopefully reconnect with old friends and maybe cause a little more trouble before we die. 


My wish is for everyone to have a “the bar” that they go to even when being openly gay is just accepted everywhere as the normal, because the people you meet when you get outside your own social circles will open your eyes to such wonder. People are inherently worthwhile and when we interact together we break down barriers, and that creates more room to love or at least respect one another. Right now we seem to be slipping backwards in this country and as someone who spent a lot of time fighting for our rights, it saddens me. Remember our revolutionary mothers from Stonewall and ACT UP and keep true to yourselves and never let hate and bigotry win. 


Dempsey’s…thank you for all the fun, but mostly the people. 


XOXOXOXO, Miss Mylar


Quotes:

  • “I was the first place I felt that family since graduating high school. I felt safe and the number of times the queens had my back is what I remember. I have always felt a fondness when thinking back.” —- Aquasha DeLusty 

  • “To be honest…I felt safe there. Safe to do my drag and to be gay. And no matter if someone liked you or not, if something went down that to threaten our safety, people came to your defense. I loved the camaraderie and feeling of belonging that I didn’t always feel in the family I was born into.” -Ifeelya Cummings

  • Two months after turning 21 and being officially “out,” I discovered Dempsey’s. My new “lifestyle” was so foreign to me. Dempsey’s made me feel safe and accepted. After seeing Mrs. Mylar perform, I talked her into putting me into drag. It was like a light switch had been flipped—the community, the acceptance, the theatre—was EVERYTHING! I performed with my sisters off and on for 9 years! The memories we made were some of my fondest. Community shows, Prides near and far, stages at EWU and local fundraisers, fights and hugs and laughs and tears, we did it all. Getting to recreate these memories and see these “ladies” perform again for this project has been amazing! Thanks, my Dempsey’s family, for being so impactful in our lives! And thank you to the Pride Center for helping us get our “groove” back! —- Micky Olson/Nome Marlow

  • "The Spokesman Review described Dempsey’s in 1998 as, “a little bit of everything in a clean, tasteful, comfortable environment.”

  • "In 1999, Monty Railing, a writer for the WSU newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, said that Dempsey’s was one of two bars worth driving to Spokane for. He wrote, “As far as gettin’ down goes, Dempsey’s is about the only place in Spokane to cut a rug. As an added bonus, there are live drag shows every weekend as well as a karaoke piano bar."

  • "In 2005, Inlander writer Michael Bowen visited Dempsey’s and wrote, “Faces here are smiling, varied, freed from constraints. From the two guys dressed like lumberjacks, to the AARP matron in sheer black top and slit dress, to the girl in tie-dye leaning over a pool table, to Eric the cheerful bartender ("What can I get ya, hon?"), there's a convivial sense of forget-what's-out-there, I'm-in-here-now at Dempsey's.”

  • "Bar owner, Larry Brown, was known for saying, “We’re a gay bar, but we’re straight-friendly.”

  • "Yelp reviewer, Craig, wrote, “Unlike other gay bars in good old conservative, button-downed Spokane, this is the only place I have ever seen the straights and gays mix openly and on friendly terms.”

  • "Upon Dempsey’s sudden closing in 2011, Jason Johnson, otherwise known as Nova Kaine, reflected, “The saddest part was looking at all the messages we wrote on each other's mirrors with lipstick. The walls are covered with graffiti and signatures and messages from drag queens from across the country. Some of these signatures date back to 1987 and sort of reveal the secret society or sisterhood of the drag.”