This guide was written by Sierra Billingslea. Baltimore is a queer city โ from its history of John Waters and Divine to the flourishing trans community and radical fashion of today. Growing up in the rural area around the city, Baltimore was where I first encountered queerness in its lived sense; I went to Baltimore for restaurants, art festivals, and music. Four years ago I moved to Baltimore and what made me stay was a welcoming, open, and eccentric queer community.
Although Baltimore is not known as a tourist destination or a LGBTQ vacation spot, the city has an abundance of culture and beauty to offer its visitors and residents. The co-op goes out of their way to hire trans people of color, disabled people, and formerly incarcerated people. Normals is a collectively run bookstore and record shop featuring used books and small press titles at reasonable prices.
Normals also hosts local musicians and DJs in their performance space. An offshoot of Artifact Coffee and The Ivy Bookshop, Bird in Hand features a series where authors read their own poetry and short fiction , sell a small selection of books, and provide excellent vegan-friendly fare. Atomic books offers an excellent selection of zines, queer comics, and fiction from independent small presses.
Great for cosplayers, youth organizers, and DIYers. Willow recently opened in Remington and sells a number of non-flowering plants, succulents, and cacti, as well as terrariums, zinc, and gravel. Willow invites you to plant your new little green friend right in the shop and holds classes and workshops. Occasionally they host community events and taxidermy workshops.
Lots of floral rompers, normcore, ironic baseball caps, and cactus everything. I like coming in because the staff are sweet and I can find feminist slogans written in comic sans on clutches and candles.
