Legendary leather bar can move ahead in Phoenix after intense legal battle

Barracks Bar, you are safe to slay another day!

Mark Mark
Jul 21, 2026 - 20:00
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Legendary leather bar can move ahead in Phoenix after intense legal battle
A stock image of an older man with a gray beard posing in front of a wooden wall dressed in black leather.

The world-famous leather bar set to plant its roots in Phoenix, Arizona is safe to slay another day.

In April, we reported on Barracks Bar making its move to the Grand Canyon State after surprisingly shutting its doors in Palm Springs back in August 2024.

But this week, its spiritual and physical rebirth was almost halted completely.

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According to the Phoenix New Times, the proposed Melrose District spot found itself at the center of an “expensive legal battle” due to community concerns from its neighbors: The Fry Bread House and the heir to the U-Haul fortune, Stuart Shoen.

Basically, Shoen owns a property next door where he stores his and his family’s vehicles, and thought a legendary leather club might, erm, “negatively affect property value.” And The Fry Bread House complained about the potential parking and sound situation in their “family” neighborhood. Boo!

But after a reported eight-hour debate — and what New Times billed as “an impromptu lesson in queer history,” LOL — the Arizona State Liquor Board gave Barrack Bar the go-ahead to proceed.

Apparently, there was deep insights into “cruising, the hanky code, and leather traditions” and significant support from the Phoenix LGBTQ+ community — to the point that a board member had to tell that the crowd that this was not a debate over leather culture.

Mostly, it came down to ownership. There was concern from the Arizona Police Department about bar owner Matthew Moody’s former business partner Richard “Scott” Murchison, who co-owned Barracks in its California days, due to investigations at the former location regarding “public sexual activity, nudity, and lewd conduct.”

But at the end of the day, the board approved the liquor license in a 5-1-1 vote. And now, Moody has 90 days to ensure Murchison’s interested are fully divested.

It’s a major win for the Phoenix gays and Moody, who stressed the importance of maintaining these queer third places, and the roles they’ve placed in LGBTQ+ history. “We’re losing these spaces,” he told New Times. “If we don’t preserve them, they’re just gone.”

Plus, it’s a pivotal addition to the Phoenix scene at a time when the state needs LGBTQ+ visibility and celebration more than ever.

“I don’t want some kid thinking, ‘I have to leave Phoenix to be gay,’ the way I felt I had to leave Iowa,” he added. “This is about the future.”

Indeed, according to its Instagram bio: “The Barracks has never been just a leather bar. For 32 years, it has been a place where people found each other. Found freedom. Found pride.”

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