Updated May 3, 2025 at 5:36 PM.
What was supposed to be a joyful night of queer celebration turned into a moment of surreal disruption on Friday when P Town Bar, a beloved LGBTQ establishment in Pittsburgh, was “raided” by approximately 20 Pennsylvania State Police officers and undercover agents during a drag event hosted by local drag icon Indica and featuring legendary guest Amanda Lepore.
The event, Another Party Pittsburgh, had just hit its stride when the police entered around 11:30 PM, mid-performance, as drag artist Blade Matthews took the stage. And not just with any number: Blade was in the middle of a theatrical rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. With the room captivated and the song in full swing, law enforcement had to stand back and wait.
“Blade literally chose the longest song ever and made the cops wait,” said one attendee. “It was iconic.”
Once the performance wrapped, officers instructed patrons and performers to exit the venue. According to attendees, the police offered little explanation beyond calling it a “compliance check,” but the scale and timing of the action left many shaken and deeply skeptical.
“It was an LCB raid taken to the extreme,” Indica told QBurgh. “We waited 30 minutes outside for them to inspect every crevice.” The officers appear to be from the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, not the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
In true drag fashion, Indica pivoted to performance-as-resistance. With the crowd displaced and the venue swarmed with law enforcement, she took to the street for an a cappella rendition of Pink Pony Club. The crowd joined in, turning the sidewalk into a spontaneous moment of queer solidarity.
“Queer people banded together and showed we are so much stronger than an attempt to make us scared or comply with their rules,” Indica said.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that only about 70 people, including staff and performers, were allowed back inside after the inspection. Many noted that officers refused to make eye contact with the queens inside, though interactions with the crowd were described as mostly calm. Some attendees questioned agents directly, asking why “raids” like this don’t happen at straight bars in the South Side or places like Tequila Cowboy. Those comments, reportedly, were ignored.
Adding a surreal twist, Indica reported that officers recognized Amanda Lepore and asked for selfies while the crowd was still forced to wait outside. Lepore, who rose to fame in New York’s club scene and lived through the era of outlaw parties and frequent police crackdowns, allegedly remarked that this was the first time she’d actually witnessed a “raid” mid-event, calling the night “iconic” in a darkly nostalgic sense.
While the situation was tense and confusing, multiple attendees praised the calm, grounded leadership shown by event host Indica and P Town Bar’s staff, many of whom worked quietly behind the scenes to keep the space as safe and emotionally steady as possible.
“I was very proud of how Indica and bar staff handled the situation and ensured patrons’ safety and nerves during the process,” said Corey Dunbar, who was working security at P Town last night. “Many people were shaken up after the raid was over.”
Whether comforting shaken-up patrons, singing in the rain, or simply refusing to let the night end in fear, P Town’s crew turned a potential trauma into a testament of queer resilience.
One witness, who asked to remain anonymous, described the scene as “jarring” and excessive.
“The raid was a jarring experience in 2025. Dozens of state police, geared up with bulletproof vests, flooded the bar and told us to get out. None of the officers would explain what was happening. We stood in the rain for maybe 30 minutes or so until most patrons were let back in. Fortunately the situation was calm and orderly, but they really just overtook this queer space with an entire fleet of police to ‘count heads’ or whatever their excuse was.”
The selective nature of the “raid” raises pressing questions. Was this truly a routine inspection? Or was P Town, and by extension Pittsburgh’s queer community, specifically targeted?
QBurgh has reached out to the State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, including whether P Town was acting in violation of any specific policy, or whether the “raid” was part of a broader enforcement sweep. We’ve also contacted the ownership of P Town Bar for comment and will update this article as more information becomes available.
Despite the interruption, the night became a moment of resistance, solidarity, and improvisational beauty. It reminded everyone there that drag isn’t just entertainment, it’s political. And when the music stops, the queens don’t.
They just take the stage wherever they need to, even if it’s the street.
