{"id":1702,"date":"2016-11-16T13:00:41","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T12:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=61888"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:07","slug":"backstreet-boys-and-pink-stars-in-de-regenboog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/11\/16\/backstreet-boys-and-pink-stars-in-de-regenboog\/","title":{"rendered":"Backstreet Boys and ‘pink stars’ in De Regenboog"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An evening at the gay pub De Regenboog (or: The Rainbow) will teach you two things: it\u2019s a wonderfully cheery place, and extra lube is crucial for anal sex.<\/p>\n

This latter fact is clearly stated in the loos of this convivial pub, which is perhaps best described as an apr\u00e8s-ski bar for gays. A poster on the wall instructs guests on how to put on a condom, adding that extra lube for anal sex is \u201cabsolutely essential\u201d.<\/p>\n

So, an evening in De Regenboog is definitely a learning experience. And a fun one too, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure \u2013 like when a warm hand is laid on the back of Your Humble Narrator to indicate that someone would like to move past him.<\/p>\n

Look into my eyes<\/h3>
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In other pubs any small gesture like a pat could easily make things turn nasty, but here it seems to be a good way of getting some extra physical contact. The ambiance is never tense and everyone seems to be smiling, especially the bartender, who looks very<\/em> deeply into his guests\u2019 eyes. I would suggest keeping your eyes down.<\/p>\n

Call me Captain Obvious, but the majority of the guest singing along with the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys are male this Saturday night. And there\u2019s another thing: everyone<\/em> knows the lyrics and everyone<\/em> joins in.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not much room in this little caf\u00e9 where you can drink cloyingly sweet shots with names like \u201cpink star\u201d. I can\u2019t help noticing a tough-looking lady partying at the bar \u2013 she and her well-tattooed friends are clearly having a riot of a time.<\/p>\n

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But that\u2019s not to say there aren\u2019t any pretty girls \u2013 there certainly are, although they are few and far between and cling tightly to their gay best friends. Here they can enjoy an evening without attracting unwanted attention, an evening in a safe haven.<\/p>\n

By the way, that evening lasts until two in the morning, when the place closes and everyone crosses the road and sways, en masse, into De Unie, which is run by the same owner, leaving the mirror balls, feather boas and Backstreet Boys behind.<\/p>\n

I just can\u2019t get that one piece of advice from the toilets out of my head.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Een lijst van afbeeldingen<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
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