Carolyn Miles in 1995 in front of The Oasis (also known as Cowgirls Oasis) and Miles in 2022 in front her former bar’s current incarnation, The Chat Room Lounge.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, YesterQueer: The Fort Worth Gay History Project continues its series of Gay History Happy Hours with this month’s topic, “Where the Girls Were: What Happened to All of Our Lesbian Bars?” The event will feature guest speaker Carolyn Miles, former owner of Cowgirls Oasis, and takes place next Wednesday, March 15, at 7 p.m.
at Liberty Lounge, 515 S. Jennings Ave. at Pennsylvania Avenue. In 1995, Miles, a retired American Airlines employee, wanted to open a bar geared toward gay professional women.
But when neighborhood opposition arose, protests put the bar’s liquor license in jeopardy, which lead to a months-long legal battle.