Are Lesbian Bars Making a Post-Lockdown Comeback?
Lesbian Bar Project has revealed that there are less than two dozen lesbian bars left in the United States, down from more than 200 in the 1980s, there's new hope for lesbian spaces in the post-lockdown era.Recent reporting by The New York Times delved into a growing trend in LGBTQ+ nightlife: the revival of the lesbian bar.
Citing the project's data, the paper examined if the desire and need for queer spaces have come back into focus.“We need a bar like this,” Erica Butts, a 26-year-old performer who attended Dave’s Lesbian Bar pop-up event in Queens, told the Times. “This is euphoric, it’s a dream.”Dave’s was created by Kristin Dausch, a nanny and performer in Astoria.
Dausch has announced a plan to open a neighborhood lesbian bar to promote local musicians, mutual aid organizations, and fundraising events.
They’ve been pooling donations with the intent to open a permanent space by the end of the year. Dausch isn’t alone. On the opposite coast, Lauren Richter, the founder of Hot Donna’s Clubhouse in Los Angeles, plans to turn that monthly event night into a brick-and-mortar venue this year as well. “It’s more of a safe haven than just a bar or a watering hole.
