The Alternative Bar (Lincoln, Nebraska Gay Bar/70's and 80's)

The Alternative — Lincoln, Nebraska Gay Bar Tee

The Alternative was a wonderfully appropriate name for a gay bar in Lincoln, Nebraska. In a city where queer nightlife was hardly advertised on every corner, finding a place where you could be yourself was already something worth celebrating.

Part of Lincoln's LGBTQ+ nightlife history, The Alternative belonged to a network of bars and gathering places that helped build a visible gay community in Nebraska's capital. College students, longtime locals, newcomers, and people from surrounding towns all needed places where they could meet others without having to travel to a bigger city.

And Lincoln had a queer culture of its own. With the University of Nebraska bringing young people into town and a local LGBTQ+ community finding ways to organize and socialize, gay bars played an important role in connecting people who might otherwise never have found one another.