Side Piece, a new dive bar-style space connected to Rumors Cabaret, opened Feb. 11 as a rebrand of Miller’s Back Door, which had closed down in January.
Rumors Co-owner Drew Keith said Miller’s Back Door was no longer financially sustainable, but rather than leave the space empty, ownership chose to convert it into a more casual environment designed to foster connection within Bellingham’s queer community.
“We wanted the space to have a much more chill vibe, making it more of a conversation area,” Keith said.
He emphasized that Side Piece is meant to provide a more accessible space for community building for LGBTQ+ people amid rising national political pressure on LGBTQ+ rights from the Trump administration.
The opening comes as LGBTQ+ advocacy groups report a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation nationwide. The Human Rights Campaign previously declared a state of emergency before the 2024 presidential election in the United States, citing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and an increased volume of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals.
The number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the 2026 legislative session has surpassed 500, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Many of those proposed bills are directed at individuals who identify as transgender. So far, 34 of those bills have passed, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker.
The impacts of this aren’t felt by trans people alone; the HRC reported that 81% of LGBTQ+ adults feel that gender-affirming care bans worsen harmful stereotypes, discrimination, hate and stigma against the LGBTQ+ community.
“I think this space is much more appealing to people, especially because this is the one kind of dive bar for gay, queer and trans people,” said Ember Freitas, bartender at Rumors.
This is the intended vision for the space, according to Keith, who saw an opportunity to create a space that felt more accessible and served food in addition to the fun aesthetics of a dive bar.
Naszya Bradshaw, a Rumors regular, reiterated that Rumors is not just a space for queer people, but a space for people of color as well.
“Here, there’s room for people to express themselves and be heard, especially with the addition of Baddiez Night,” Bradshaw said.
Baddiez Night was added to the Rumors event schedule in February as a night that centers women, femme genderqueer people and people of color, or more specifically, queer people of color.
With the success of the first event, Rumors brought it back with Baddiez Night 2.0, which was hosted on April 11.
“We’ve had to change what being a safe space means for Rumors. We as a community need to stand taller and more loudly for the people [who] are being discriminated against the most,” Keith said.
According to Keith, Rumors serves not only as a safe space but as a source of mutual aid for queer people in the community by connecting them with resources and even money to support themselves.
The importance of community building and protecting queer people is not limited to Rumors Cabaret.
L&L Libations hosts the Bellingham Queer Collective’s FLINTA Nights, which aim to create an inclusive space for anyone identifying as female, lesbian, intersex, nonbinary, transgender or agender, according to the Bellingham Queer Collective’s website.
“[FLINTA] is a space where everyone feels really welcome and it feels very diverse in who shows up. People definitely go out of their way to make people comfortable their first time there. It’s just a wonderful environment,” said L&L Libations bar Owner Taylor Rae.
Freitas explains that some people see Rumors as only being a nightclub, but Side Piece allows people to sit with one another and connect, including the staff.
“You get to see little snippets of the staff back here too,” she said. Freitas explained that bartenders at Side Piece are allowed to pick what is played on the TVs, recalling some endearing interactions she’s had with patrons over cartoons she would play during a shift.
Even as venues have shifted and closed over time, Bradshaw said the need for spaces like this remains constant in times of great uncertainty for the LGBTQ+ community.
Bradshaw emphasized the community’s ability to persevere through mutual support, recognizing the uncertainty many LGBTQ+ people still navigate.
“That’s how community happens. Sometimes it stems from a bad thing, but it can be turned into a really beautiful thing, and that is like the most queer thing ever.”
Brodey O’Brien (he/him) is a junior at Western, majoring in news/editorial journalism and political science. He is one of The Front reporters responsible for writing about city news. When not writing for The Front, Brodey can be found running around Bellingham, hiking Mount Baker and saving up for gas. You can reach him at brodeyjob.thefront@gmail.com.
