Iconic gay bar closes suddenly and people are wondering why

The Barracks Bar, a long-standing leather bar in the Palm Springs area, has abruptly closed and residents are wondering whether or not the owner’s reasons are truthful.

Opened in Cathedral City in 1992 as “Wolf’s,” the venue hosted some of the most popular leather events in the Coachella Valley.

The bar’s owner, Scott Murchison, posted on Facebook that the bar was closing after the state revoked its liquor license. He plans to open another location in Phoenix instead.

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But a local news station investigated and couldn’t find any record of the revocation. Instead, they report that the California Department of Beverage Control filed a legal action against the bar for lewd conduct on the premises.

The bar’s Facebook page also became a hotbed of speculation as to why the venue was closing. One poster, Michael Valdez, claimed to have filed a Public Records Act request that turned up a complaint about sexual activity at the bar.

Others pointed out that the building’s owner had let the premises fall into disrepair and speculated that the cost of repairs would be too costly for the tenant.

The gossipmongering was overshadowed, though, by former and current patrons from around the world who bemoaned the loss of a Coachella Valley staple.

“Just sad,” Jude Sanchez posted. “I’m sure gonna miss this place.”