June Zarrinnaal attends their first East Bay Baddie Billiards meetup at The Avenue in Oakland on March 16, 2026. Zarrinnaal found the group through Instagram and traveled from the South Bay to attend the gathering. (Estefany Gonzalez/COYOTE Media Collective)
In 2021, Mad Fernstrom needed a change. She had just gotten out of a relationship and was feeling unmoored, looking for something to do to reconnect with people. “I walked into Ruby Room by myself one day, and decided I was gonna play pool. I was alone, and I wanted to be around people, and the table was there, people were playing, and I said ‘fuck it.’” She lost. In fact, Fernstrom is quick to admit that at first she was terrible. But something about it hooked her. “I kept writing my name up on the board.”
The pool itself kept Fernstrom coming back to the bar; then she began branching out and trying tables across the East Bay. The angles, the strategy, the precision. The way the tides can turn with every stroke. Every shot is another chance to make a move.
But there were elements of the experience she didn’t like. “I would play against all these aggressive, straight cis men. It’s not a friendly environment. I had to earn my respect.” Fernstrom didn’t let it get to her too much — she just kept playing and getting better. Eventually, she met Desshanea “Tinker,” who shared Fernstrom’s frustrations about the unwelcoming environment. Together, they co-founded East Bay Baddie Billiards: a community dedicated to making the pool table a more inviting space for women, non-binary, trans, and queer folks in the East Bay. Nearly every Tuesday, the Baddies gather at bars across the East Bay to play, trade tips, and connect with one another. And last week, COYOTE photographer Estefany and I rocked up to The Avenue in Oakland to try our hand at pool and meet the group.
(L) Mad Fernstrom, an East Bay Baddie Billiards co-founder, clears names off the whiteboard wait list to play pool at The Avenue. (R) Fernstrom wears a specialty billiards glove. (Estefany Gonzalez/COYOTE Media Collective)
Shaheen Dhanji, left, and Mad Fernstrom, an East Bay Baddie Billiards co-founder, watch a game of billiards at The Avenue. (Estefany Gonzalez/COYOTE Media Collective)
Throughout the night, Baddies arrive and write their names up on the whiteboard to play. Over and over they tell me about how difficult it can be to play in certain spaces — even if you’re skilled. Britt Ray, for example, used to captain a team in the American Pool Association. “It was a lot of men,” she says, “and the comments you get, the jokes the guys on my team would make, it was frustrating.” At bars, it’s the same. “I get very unwanted comments and attention,” says Amelia Bonilla. Either you get casually hit on or harassed, or you get demeaned and treated like you knew nothing about pool. Sometimes it’s all of the above.
On Tuesdays with the Baddies, things are different. “This is a much more positive environment. It’s really supportive and encouraging,” Ray says. Bonilla nods. “It’s nice to actually play without worrying about anyone telling you something crude, something offensive, making an unwanted remark at you.” The motto of East Bay Baddies Billiards? “Don’t tell us how to play.”
Britt Ray, a member of the East Bay Baddie Billiards, plays a game of pool at The Avenue. (Estefany Gonzalez/COYOTE Media Collective)
That doesn’t mean that nobody is learning. Shaheen Dhanji says that coming to play on Tuesdays has upped her game. “There’s a lot of things that can surprise you about pool, which is what I’m learning from playing [with] the Baddies,” she says. “Before I was just like, ‘I’m going to sink this shot.’ But now I’m like, ‘Where’s the ball going to go after for the next shot?’”
Bonilla grew up watching her dad and uncles play, but they never taught her how. Now that she practices with the Baddies, she can hold her own. “I like that I can connect with my dad now. I’ve played him once and I beat him,” she says with a laugh. “I think he let me win, because I’m not that good, but still.”
Like most members, Amelia Bonilla, found the East Bay Baddie Billiards via Instagram. (Estefany Gonzalez/COYOTE Media Collective)
Eventually, my turn to play came up. Don’t worry, I’m not about to reveal to you that I'm secretly brilliant at pool. I got absolutely wrecked by June Zarrinnaal, who was playing with the Baddies for the first time. (I should have known I was in trouble when she pulled out her own cue that she had brought from home.) But throughout the game, the Baddies gave me tips and advice — what to think about, what shots to try. When I sunk a ball, everybody cheered.
“People here are really trying to, of course, play pool and have a lot of fun with that. But I think there is this really underlying feeling of just being connected to queer communities specifically,” Dhanji tells me. “Everyone’s really welcoming. Everyone’s willing to teach. Everyone's willing to take it easy. It’s a really, really sweet environment.”
(L)Britt Ray racks billiard balls (R) June Zarrinnaal, left, and Amelia Bonilla play a game of billiards. (Estefany Gonzalez/COYOTE Media Collective)
The East Bay Baddie Billiards pose for a group photo. (Estefany Gonzalez/COYOTE Media Collective)
You can find the East Bay Baddie Billiards schedule on their Instagram. Meetup locations change each week.
Reo Eveleth is an award-winning reporter and writer who has covered everything from fake tumbleweed farms to million-dollar baccarat heists. Their work has been nominated for a Peabody, an Emmy, and an Eisner Award.
