A Giant Gay Bar

The largest gay bar in Texas is roaring into Houston: And you'd better bring your cowboy boots

For those still reeling from the sudden demise of Brazos River Bottom . . . lament no more.

Houston is gearing up to become home to the largest LGBT country-western bar in Texas thanks to the new Neon Boots, which is set to throw open its doors for the first time on Aug. 22 for a full weekend of kickin', steppin' and shufflin'.

Situated on Hempstead Highway just below 34th Street, the new 10,000-square-foot dance hall has risen from the ashes of the Esquire Ballroom — the storied music venue that played hosted to country music legends like Jim Reeves and George Jones.

The largest gay bar in Texas is roaring into Houston: And you'd better bring your cowboy boots

The one and only Willie Nelson penned the song "Night Life" chronicling his days performing at the iconic ballroom, which just so happens to be the setting for the Broadway musical Always . . . Patsy Cline.

Now, it's being touted as the largest gay bar in all of Texas.

"You can almost visualize Patsy on the stage," laughs Neon Boots co-owner Jim Moore. "There's such an amazing history here. The renovation has truly been a labor of love for us."

"You can almost visualize Patsy on the stage," laughs co-owner Jim Moore.

After the Esquire closed in 1995, the building has hosted a hodgepodge of other ventures, including its most recent incarnation — a space-themed gay club Planeta Rojo.

"When we first got here, the walls were completely covered in black and there were stars and planets painted on the ceiling. It's been quite the project turning the place back to the country and western club."

The interior's undergone a Lone Star makeover fit for polkas and line dancing — a blue and red color scheme broken up by swaths of cedar-plank paneling and corrugated metal wall treatments. A performance stage backed by a huge Texas flag overlooks the biggest country dance floor in Houston. The owners hope to install a mechanical bull, sand volleyball court and an area for horseshoes.

In addition to its five drinking stations, Neon Boots has carved out a separate bar called the Esquire Room that will be dedicated to the building's past.

Moore and his fellow owners hope their club will fill the void left after the closure of Brazos River Bottom while crafting a new country-western hangout steeped in Texas music traditions.

"When the BRB closed, there was no place for us all to get together and dance," Moores says. "We're excited to finally have a home again."

Neon Boots opens Aug. 22 at the storied Esquire Ballroom on Hempstead Highway.

Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon sign August 2013

Photo courtesy of Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon

Neon Boots opens Aug. 22 at the storied Esquire Ballroom on Hempstead Highway.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”