Meeting trans individuals in St. Paul can sometimes be a challenge. Not because the city is transphobic, but because it’s very open and diverse.
Whether you’re new in town or a longtime resident, finding specific places and resources for the transgender community can take time.
In this article, I’ll make it easy for you by talking about the best ways to connect with trans individuals in St. Paul both online and offline.
That includes not only night venues and community centers but also the best online dating sites and more.
Table of Contents
List of TG Friendly Venues in St. Paul
1. Bars and Clubs
It’s common to think about St. Paul in conjunction with Minneapolis as together, they make up the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
But note that, here we’re exclusively talking about St. Paul. We have a separate guide for the best places to meet trans in Minneapolis in case you’re interested.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s help you explore some of your options.
Black Hart – It’s hard to find places where you’re almost guaranteed to find trans folks, but this bar is an exception. You’ll find plenty of regulars here enjoying incredible drag shows.
Camp Bar and Cabaret – This place hosts regular shows in its mini theaters where you can also find trans performers alongside crossdressers.
Apostle Supper Club – An inclusive restaurant with a tiki bar. It’s a popular night spot among LGBTQ folks.
Amsterdam Bar & Hall – Find trans, queer, and cis individuals all under one roof enjoying live musical performances. Keep in mind that you’ll find a lot of young people looking for hookups.
2. Community Centers and Organizations
While there isn’t an LGBT+ community center in St. Paul, there are organizations like OutFront Minnesota.
They host meetups and screen LGBTQ+ movies that are great for meeting trans individuals.
Another organization is Reclaim that focuses more on providing mental health support to queer and trans youth.
You can become a volunteer for their support groups and events to connect with the trans community.
3. Trans Dating Sites
Online dating sites are another great way to meet trans folks in St. Paul.
Now, figuring out which app is “the best” is a bit tricky, because realistically, you can even find trans individuals on Tinder.
But I’ve noticed that TGs are a bit more reluctant to openly come out on these apps.
Instead, I had a better experience on more lowkey apps like HER. It’s an app geared towards queer women, but I saw a lot of trans and gnc folks using it in St. Paul.
You can use it to not only make friends but also for dating purposes – though most users are looking for something serious.
If you’re interested in casually dating trans men and women then TSDates is the better choice.
It’s a platform that mainly focuses on T4M hookups but you can also find some cis women on the site.
4. Online Groups & Pages
There are numerous LGBT+ groups in the Twin Cities. One of the largest is Queer Exchange.
With over 15,000 members, it’s safe to say that you’ll also find a lot of trans individuals here.
Joining LGBTQ+ Twin Cities is also worth it as the members here regularly post about upcoming events and meetups.
Another group is Trans/Nonbinary Exchange which isn’t just exclusive to the Twin Cities but has users from all across Minnesota.
Lastly, you can also find queer/trans focused events on sites like Meetup.com. So make sure to keep an eye on their event page!
What It’s Like to Be Transgender in St. Paul
St. Paul combined with Minneapolis act as a sanctuary for trans folks.
For those who don’t know, Minnesota also recently passed the “trans refugee” legislation.
This is a great initiative as it shows that trans folks are loved and welcomed in the state.
Even based on my personal experience, throughout the months I lived in the city, I never felt threatened.
Heck, even the suburbs, which are considerably more conservative also felt pretty safe.
The only thing I’d say could improve is for St. Paul to have more TG focused venues.
For now, trans folks are spread all across the city, and finding them can be difficult at times.
But you can rely on some of the methods we’ve discussed above to make the process easier.
Wrapping Up: Enjoy Meeting Trans in St. Paul
St. Paul shines as an inclusive and safe haven for trans individuals and the city as a whole is a welcoming place for the community.
However, it’s worth noting that you’ll find the majority of venues that attract TGs near University Avenue and Saint Anthony Park.
But of course, you should never limit your interactions. There are many other ways to forge connections with local trans men and women.
So whether you volunteer for organizations, use trans dating sites, or join social media groups – the choice is yours!
