by Amin Ghaziani
Princeton University Press
2/17/2026, paperback
SKU: 9780691255071
It's closing time for an alarming number of gay bars in cities around the globe--but it's definitely not the last dance
In this exhilarating journey into underground parties, pulsating with life and limitless possibility, acclaimed author Amin Ghaziani unveils the unexpected revolution revitalizing urban nightlife.
Far from the gay bar with its largely white, gay male clientele, here is a dazzling scene of secret parties--club nights--wherein culture creatives, many of whom are queer, trans, and racial minorities, reclaim the night in the name of those too long left out. Episodic, nomadic, and radically inclusive, club nights are refashioning queer nightlife in boundlessly imaginative and powerfully defiant ways.
Drawing on Ghaziani's immersive encounters at underground parties in London and more than one hundred riveting interviews with everyone from bar owners to party producers, revelers to rabble-rousers, Long Live Queer Nightlife showcases a spectacular, if seldom-seen, vision of a queer world shimmering with self-empowerment, inventiveness, and joy.
Reviews:
"Are you worried about queer spaces closing? Me too. But guess what: they'll never shut down all the queer pop-up nights. If you live to dress up and go out, but you also appreciate beautiful, thorough research, you're going to love this book. Grab your leather choker and DM for the address--we're going underground." -- Krista Burton, author of Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America
"It's no secret that gay bars are important community hubs -- and unfortunately closing in droves across the country. On top of that, judgment and a yearning for a different kind of connection has scared a generation of queers away from walking into their local clubs. But that doesn't mean that the party is stopping, especially for those who know where to look. It's a world that author Amin Ghaziani dives into in his new book.... From the safety of my couch, I'm living through him vicariously!" -- Carson Mlnarik, Queerty
About the Author:
Amin Ghaziani is professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include A Decade of HAART, The Dividends of Dissent, There Goes the Gayborhood?, Sex Cultures, and Imagining Queer Methods. His work has been featured widely in international media outlets, including The New York Times, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian.