Community Protecting Community: Frankie J’s Sponsors Security at Queer Roots
At Queer Roots, creating space for queer artists means creating a space where our community can gather, celebrate, and feel safe doing it. That’s why we’re especially proud to welcome Nashville’s Frankie J’s as a Queer Roots sponsor, with their support directly helping provide security for this year’s event.
And if you know Frankie J’s, the partnership makes a whole lot of sense.
Located in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood, Frankie J’s calls itself a “friendly neighborhood queer bar,” built around a simple idea: everybody’s welcome. But their commitment to community extends far beyond the walls of the bar.
Proactive, Not Just Reactive
In 2026, Frankie J’s became part of the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Safe Place initiative. Participating businesses provide a safe public location for someone experiencing or fleeing a hate crime and contact emergency services on their behalf.
Frankie J’s owner Jay Kill described the philosophy behind joining the program simply: they want to be proactive about preventing harm rather than only responding after something happens.
Feeding the Community
That same commitment to taking care of community shows up in other ways, too. Frankie J’s is a proud supporter of Nashville Launch Pad, an organization creating safer, affirming shelter and resources for unhoused young adults, with particular focus on LGBTQ+ young people. Frankie J’s has committed to providing meals when Launch Pad doesn’t have a meal volunteer available, serving an incredible 800 individual meals during one shelter season.
They’ve also intentionally created space for parts of Nashville’s queer community that haven’t always felt represented elsewhere. Frankie J’s was designed as a laid-back, welcoming neighborhood gathering place. Somewhere people can actually sit together, talk, connect and feel at home.
★ Everybody’s welcome ★
Why This Partnership Matters
That idea of community care is exactly why their support of Queer Roots means so much to us. By sponsoring security for this year’s event, Frankie J’s is helping us create a night where queer artists can take the stage, our community can show up for them, and everyone in the room can focus on what brought us together in the first place: music, connection and belonging.
Safe spaces don’t just happen. We build them together.
Thank you, Frankie J’s, for helping us take care of our people — in Nashville and beyond.