Detroit's oldest gay-owned LGBTQ+ bar, Gigi's, hits 50

While LGBTQ+ spaces continue to dwindle, Gigi's on the west side is very much alive.

What's happening: The bar known for its drag shows, dancing and Miss Gigi's pageants is hosting a 50th anniversary party on March 7, Pridesource reports.

Flashback: The Gigi's building started as a bowling alley, then became a supper club with dancers and was eventually bought by a grocer, Tony Garneau, who "turned it all the way gay," Pridesource senior staffer ​​Jason Michael writes.

• In those days, "the straight people would start trouble out in the parking lot during the day," Lady T Tempest, Miss Gigi's 1983, told Pridesource. "Tony would say, 'Grab a stick, girls. Out we go.'; We'd all go out there with pool sticks and fight them off."

The bottom line: Gigi's has a "family feel" but still draws young LGBTQ+ folk, Michael writes.

• It's an "achievement" that it's been open so long, historian Tim Retzloff tells Michael.

Of note: Woodward Bar & Grill was considered the oldest gar bar in the city until it was destroyed in a fire last year.