The timing of the raid incensed the local gay community and its supporters. In Fort Worth, Police made several arrests for public intoxication, and one customer suffered severe brain and head injuries. Local police and TABC agents raided the then recently-opened bar on the 40th anniversary of the raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, which set off the Stonewall Riots and gave birth to the modern gay rights movement. In 2009, the Rainbow Lounge was the setting for a national news story. When the iconic Rainbow Lounge burned down in 2017, the 'gayborhood' permanently changed.
Just a few years ago, there was a growing gay bar scene in an area south of downtown.Back in the 1980s, there were as many as 18.There are only about half a dozen gay bars in Fort Worth.
