The bar, affectionately known as the SOCH, is a 30+ year old institution in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As the oldest gay bar in our city, SOCH has been a safe place for thousands of queer and trans folks over the decades.
It is situated a few blocks from Morningside Park in Nob Hill, which is where in 1977 the city’s first Pride Parade was held and where the community continues to hold rallies and vigils during Pride Week and throughout the year. The area has such significance to the LGBTQ community that the city commemorated it with rainbow crosswalks for Pride 2019.
The history of the SOCH dates back to the early ’70s when the bar first opened as The Heights just two years after the Stonewall riots in New York prompted the de facto beginning of the modern gay liberation movement.
By 1983, and several name changes later, the Albuquerque Social Club was up and running.
During its earlier years, the club was one of the few places in the city where gay men and women could gather and socialize while enjoying being “out” in a safe space. It became a second home to many during a time when it could be outright dangerous to be openly gay.
The Albuquerque Social Club spent much of its early days as a resource for the community during the AIDS crisis. Members affected by the crisis would hold services, remembrances and drag shows as fundraisers there. It was a refuge for members of the community tossed aside by society and a place to find community and belonging.
Today, our services continue supporting the wide LGBTQ community that previous generations fought so hard to make space for. We offer viewings of TV shows, dance parties of various themes, drag shows, pageants and community fundraisers. Because we are a social club and all our members are considered part owners of the club, we are one of the only LGBTQ spaces that has such a tight connection to its membership.
It is often compared to the fictional “Cheers”, a home bar where no one is a stranger for long. Whether there to watch a fun drag show, dancing the night away on Friday dance nights, or a quiet night of games and sharing stories with friends, SOCH has always been a place for everyone.
- By Adam Baker
- By Pilar Martinez/ Albuquerque Journal Staff Writer