When the LGBTQ+ bar Tronix closed in 2015 after an 11-year run, The Reno Gay Page opined, “Slowly, ‘gay’ bars are heading the way of the dinosaur, extinction” and listed 17 others that had closed in the preceding decades.
“What happened to the gay bar community … is that we became more and more accepted to go anywhere we wanted to go, so therefore, the gay bar wasn’t really a necessity anymore because it wasn’t needed,” said Nicholas Dismang, a married gay man and owner of the Polo Lounge since 2017, in a recent interview with the RN&R.
But in 2025, it’s a different story.
“We’re going backwards,” Dismang said. “Now, gay bars are becoming needed again because … we’re not being as accepted as we used to be.”
Dismang is also the owner of the new Out of the Closet Bar and Nightclub, abbreviated as OTC, located in the former Tronix space at 340 Kietzke Lane, between Second and Mill streets. It joins Carl’s Saloon and the 5 Star Saloon as the area’s only gay bars. Another gay bar, The Selden—owned by Tyler Colton, owner of The Emerson—is slated to open soon in Midtown Reno.
OTC soft-opened on Halloween and fully opened this month, but Dismang can already say, “This bar has a huge amount of history to me.”
He worked security there when it was Tronix. He was also a part-owner of the Coyote Saloon, a country bar that closed earlier this year at the same location.
OTC’s modern, 3,000-square-foot interior has plenty of room for dancing, black walls, colorful LED lights, pool tables, platforms for go-go dancers, and a pole for, well, pole dancing. There’s a patio out back where Dismang is glad he can offer ample seating for smokers. (“Smoking’s come back around,” he observed. “It’s funny, I think people are getting more and more nervous about the vapes.”)
Dismang said he hopes the new bar appeals to all members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies.
“I don’t want to be guy-exclusive or female-exclusive,” he said. “I want to be inclusive to everybody.”
This includes non-drinkers. OTC currently serves Curious Elixirs bottled NA craft cocktails, and Dismang said his goal is to develop a substantial menu of house-made mocktails as well.
OTC has hosted a few charity events so far. “We had a leather night where we did a toy drive, and we got an insane amount of toys; it was amazing,” Dismang said. The bar also hosted a fundraiser for Kitty Kisses Cat Cafe’s rescue efforts.
Dismang said that in 2026, there will be more charity events, along with drag shows, karaoke and DJ events.
“My goal thus far is to bring family, to bring what gay bars used to be,” Dismang said. “You walk into a gay bar; most people know each other; they’re all friends. It’s a place you’re safe and you’re comfortable.”
Out of the Closet Bar and Nightclub is located at 340 Kietzke Lane, in Reno. Regular hours are 2 p.m. to close, Thursday through Saturday, and may expand in the near future. OTC’s next big event is a New Year’s Eve party on Wednesday, Dec. 31, featuring drag and burlesque performers and a DJ. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the drag show is slated to start at 11 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door. For details, visit otcreno.com.