Just when Hell's Kitchen threatened to become a bit of a gay cliché, Industry Bar opened with a splash late last year and injected some new life. The hangout—courtesy of the folks who brought you Barracuda and Elmo—peps up the neighborhood seven nights a week, from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., with cruising, amusing, and drag queens. The bar is flashy, with different-colored panels making it look like a game show set constructed on crystal, and there's a side area, with balloon-like hanging lights and comfy banquettes, where the mood gets extra festive. It's all obviously decorated by gays—and so is the entertainment, from Diva! Mondays starring Marty Thomas and a special guest every week, to Thursday's Queen Night, featuring the bodacious house diva, Shequida. Best of all are the special events, which you can probably schmooze your way into—like the night Fran Drescher was swarmed with gays as Shequida announced, "I've loved this bitch since the '90s, when I was born." DJs include Scotty Rox, Kevin Graves, and DJ Dawson, and if you ever get over it, Therapy is right across the street. 355 West 52nd Street, 646-476-2747, industry-bar.com (10019)
Gender reassignment surgery elected by adults is also subject to several kinds of debate. One discussion involves the legal sex-gender status of transgender people, for marriage, retirement and insurance purposes, for example. Another involves whether such surgery is ethically sound.
Great pick - Love the bartenders here and the stiff drinks. It's a chillax after-work bar one hour, a sexy drag show venue the next hour, and an insane dance joint shortly thereafter.
