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A lesbian bar (sometimes called a "women's bar") is a drinking establishment that caters exclusively or predominantly to lesbian women. While often conflated, the lesbian bar has a history distinct from that of the gay bar.
Lesbian bars predate feminist spaces such as bookstores [1] and coffeehouses, [2] [3] [4] and contemporary LGBT services such as community centers and health care centers. While few lesbian-specific bars exist today, lesbian bars have long been sites of refuge, validation, community, and resistance for women whose sexual orientations are considered "deviant" or non-normative. [5] They have been spaces for intergenerational community building, where women had the opportunity to come out without being "outed", which can result in the loss of jobs, family, and social status. [5] [6] They could, however, also be sites of intense isolation. [5]
While women in the United States have historically been barred from public spaces promoting alcohol consumption, women's saloon presence rose in the 1920s. Prohibition's speakeasies allowed women to drink publicly more freely. [7]
Meanwhile, in Weimar Germany, lesbian bars and night clubs were numerous, especially in Berlin. Entrepreneur Elsa Conrad ran several venues which catered to a lesbian intellectual elite. Her bar Mali und Igel hosted guests such as Marlene Dietrich. [8] [9] Lotte Hahm was another lesbian activist of that era who created the popular bar Violetta and other events. [10] In Paris during the 1920s, photographer Brassai brought attention to the underground lesbian bar scene with his photographs of customers at Le Monocle. [11] [12] Parisian bars and brasseries for lesbians were numerous in Montmartre as far back as the late 1800s and early 1900s; among them were Le Rat Mort, La Souris and the Hanneton. [13] [14]
San Francisco's Mona's 440 Club, opened in 1936, is widely cited as the first lesbian bar in the United States. [15] In the 1950s, bars began to emerge for working-class lesbians, white and black. [5] [16] Very characteristic of these (often referred to as "Old Gay" [17] ) bars was binary heterosexist models of coupling and an enforcement of a (white) butch/femme or (black) stud/femme binary. [18] Because of a lack of economic capital and segregation, house parties were popular among black lesbians. [19] Lesbians who changed roles were looked down upon and sometimes referred to as "KiKi" or "AC/DC". [20] [21] Out of this early organizing of lesbians came the homophile movement and the Daughters of Bilitis. [21]
Lesbian and gay identification and bar culture expanded exponentially with the migration and passing through of people in big cities during and after World War II. [5] [16] [17] [20] [22]
In the 1960s, with the rise of the gay liberation movement and an increasing identification with the term and identity "lesbian", women's bars increased in popularity. The 1970s saw the rise of lesbian feminism, and bars became important community activist spaces. Some lesbian bars in the U.S. also supported women's softball teams. [23]
Homosexual acts were illegal in the United States until gradual decriminalization from 1962 to 2003, and police raids were a risk at places where lesbianism was considered criminal indecency.[ citation needed ] Undercover [16] and off-duty police officers [5] have terrorized lesbian bars since their inception. Lesbians could be harassed and detained by the police for publicly gathering in a place where alcohol was being served, dancing with someone of the same gender, or failure to present identification. [5] Some San Francisco bar owners banded together in the Tavern Guild to fight back against this, collecting funds to defend patrons who had been arrested in raids. [21]
Men were often the landlords of lesbian bars, in order to secure liquor licenses and navigate relationships with the police and the Mafia. [24] [25] Bar owners often bribed police to warn them just prior to raids, upon which they would turn on the lights in the bar and lesbians would separate. [5]
As a form of protection, some bars covered their windows, did not have identifying signage, or could only be entered through a back door. [5] Some bar owners tried membership-based models, which heightened security but was also exclusionary. [5] [18]
In addition to drinking, lesbian bar culture has also revolved around community building, dancing, and pool playing. This targeted but not lucrative patronage was not always profitable and caused many bars to shut their doors. [5]
These pieces of history are being lost as the "neighborhood lesbian bar" is increasingly unable to make rent payments, and as gentrification contributes to declining patronage. Gay male bars persist as gay men have more economic capital, and the rise of internet dating culture is displacing the cultivation of intergenerational lesbian communities historically created in lesbian bars. [6] Because lesbian women are more likely to be primary caretakers of children than gay men, lesbian neighborhoods take on a different shape than gay neighborhoods, and as a result, lesbian night life decreases. [26]
Along with the increased mainstreaming of LGBTQ culture, use of the term "queer" for self-identification, instead of "lesbian", has grown among many younger members of the lesbian community; [27] [28] [29] and with the rise in internet dating culture, lesbian-specific bars became less common. [18] By 2023 there were only around two dozen in the country, according to the New York Times. [30] In the United States' largest city, New York City, only three remained. [30]
Some documentaries about the decline include:
 | The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(April 2023) |
Some lesbian bars have evolved into "queer" bars, welcoming not only lesbians but other members of the LGBTQ+ community. [34] [35] In 2021 Henrietta Hudson, which had opened in 1991 as a lesbian bar, evolved into "queer human bar built by lesbians." [36] Mobile, Alabama, bar Herz opened in 2019 as a lesbian bar [37] but by 2022 was welcoming customers with "a range of identities, including lesbian, bisexual, pansexual and more." [34] This rebrand appears to have had little impact on the number of attendees, as Herz closed in 2023. [38] In Paris, the lesbian bar Unity rebranded itself as a more inclusive "queer feminist" bar called La Mutinerie. [39]
Some new bars have opened with this business model. In 2023, bars Ruby Fruit and Honey's at Star Love opened in Los Angeles, California; the new bars describe themselves as a "queer bar" that caters to a more diverse group than the typical lesbian bar, and gay bars. [30] [40] [41] As You Are Bar opened with this model in Washington DC in 2022, describing themselves as "a lesbian-slash-queer bar." [42] They said that framing themselves this way (as well as many of their business practices, such as a dedication to anti-racist practices and inclusion of activities and beverages that do not contain alcohol) was the result of long conversations with the Washington D.C. queer community. [42] News outlets like Eater reported on both Ruby Fruit and Honey's as lesbian bars [40] [41] as did the Georgetown Voice for As You Are Bar [42] and that the clientele and ownership of all bars mentioned in these sections appears to not have shifted too far astray from their original attendees or owners.
The repositioning into queer spaces is, according to the Washington Post, sometimes viewed negatively, "particularly [by] older women who identify as lesbian, [who] bristle at that expansion". [35] According to Tagg Magazine, Henrietta Hudson's rebranding "proved to be controversial" on social media as to some it felt the bar was no longer lesbian-centered. [36] However, this controversy did not appear to prevent patrons in 2021 from filling reservations for their new space that served charcuterie and cocktails. [36] Henrietta Hudson's digital manager stated that, "It's not that we aren't lesbian-centric, we are built by lesbians. It's a more truthful renaming. We are a queer-centric bar, we are welcoming to the entire community. We want to acknowledge our history that we are built by lesbians and have been a lesbian bar, so we're centered in that way." [36]
There continues to be an interest in creating unique spaces that center around women loving women. For example, popups in the 2020s like Dave's Lesbian Bar in Queens, New York have fundraised for "a queer-centric mutual aid hub by day, and lesbian bar by night." [43] According to Autostraddle's Queer Girl City Guide, bookstores, cafes, and roving parties are also popular for lesbians and other queer women all around the world. [44]
Lesbian bars have become rare in Western culture nations, and there are signs of decline in parts of Asia as well. [45] However, there are some lesbian-friendly and gay-owned bars today that host "lesbian nights" or "queer women" nights. [6] Some current and past lesbian bars include:
Various nights occur regularly in Sydney catering to LGBTQ women.
By 2019, there were no lesbian bars left in Montreal, though events for queer women continued to be held. [60]
Other Parisian lesbian bars include La Mutinerie, Le Bar'Ouf, Le 3W Kafé, Ici Bar de Filles, and So What. [85]
According to a June 2021 article on PBS NewsHour , there were more than 200 lesbian bars across the United States in the late 1980s and that number has dropped to 21 due to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of dating apps, gentrification, and assimilation of queer people. [96]
In the late 1930s, 208 Bond Street was the location of a women's bar. [107] In the 1970s, the third floor of the M&K nightclub, a gay disco on Cookman Avenue, was for lesbians. [108] [109]
New York city comprises five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Many lesbian bars in the 1940s and 1950s were in North Beach [25] and included Tommy's Place/12 Adler Place, Anxious Asp, Artist's Club, Beaded Bag, The Beige Room, Blanco's, Chi-Chi Club, Copper Lantern, Front, Miss Smith's Tea Room, Tin Angel, Tommy 299, Our Club, and Paper Doll. [25] [22] The police raid of Kelly's Alamo Club in 1956 [170] [171] [172] and the arrest of 36 women on charges of "frequenting a house of ill repute" led the Daughters of Bilitis to publish a guide, "What To Do In Case of Arrest." [173]
In the East Bay, Mary's First and Last Chance Bar, in Oakland, was closed in 1958 for "catering to lesbians", but the bar challenged the ruling and won. [174] [175] In the 1970s and 1980s, other lesbian bars in the East Bay included Jubilee, Driftwood, Bachanal, and Ollie's. [176]
A gay village, also known as a gayborhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establishments, such as gay bars and pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, restaurants, boutiques, and bookstores.
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communities.
A dyke march is a lesbian visibility and protest march, much like the original Gay Pride parades and gay rights demonstrations. The main purpose of a dyke march is the encouragement of activism within the lesbian and sapphic community. Dyke marches commonly take place the Friday or Saturday before LGBTQ pride parades. Larger metropolitan areas usually have several Pride-related happenings both before and after the march to further community building; with social outreach to specific segments such as older women, women of color, and lesbian parenting groups.
Over the course of its history, the LGBTQ community has adopted certain symbols for self-identification to demonstrate unity, pride, shared values, and allegiance to one another. These symbols communicate ideas, concepts, and identity both within their communities and to mainstream culture. The two symbols most recognized internationally are the pink triangle and the rainbow flag.
The GLBT Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of archival materials, artifacts and graphic arts relating to the history of LGBTQ people in the United States, with a focus on the LGBT communities of San Francisco and Northern California.
CC Slaughters is a gay bar and nightclub located in Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Portland bar is located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, and the Puerto Vallarta bar is located in Zona Romántica.
LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community in San Francisco is one of the largest and most prominent LGBT communities in the United States, and is one of the most important in the history of American LGBT rights and activism alongside New York City. The city itself has been described as "the original 'gay-friendly city'". LGBT culture is also active within companies that are based in Silicon Valley, which is located within the southern San Francisco Bay Area.
New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."
The Lexington Club, often referred to as The Lex, was a dive bar, primarily catered towards queer women, in the Mission District in the American city of San Francisco, California. It was recognized as one of the central landmarks for LGBTQ culture, especially for lesbians and queer women, in San Francisco. The club was founded in 1997 and closed at the end of April 2015.
Esta Noche was the first Latino gay bar in San Francisco and notably contributed to queer Latin culture. It operated from 1979 to 2014, and was located at 3079 16th Street between Valencia Street and Mission Street in San Francisco, California.
Rikki Streicher (1922–1994) was an American activist and community leader in San Francisco's LGBTQ movement. In the 1960s, she had an active leadership role in the Society for Individual Rights, an organization that promoted equal rights for gays and lesbians. In 1966, she opened and ran Maud's, a year prior to the San Francisco’s Summer of Love; it stayed open for 23 years, at that time the longest continuously running lesbian-owned lesbian bar in the country. She opened a second bar, Amelia’s, in 1978 in the city’s Mission district, with both venues serving as makeshift community centers for lesbians who had very few accepting socializing options. In the early 1980s, she was a co-founder of the international Gay Olympics, later called Gay Games, she helped to create the Federation of Gay Games and served on the board of directors. In 1994, she received the Dr. Tom Waddell Award for her contribution to Gay Athletics.
Maud's was a lesbian bar at 937 Cole Street in San Francisco's Cole Valley neighborhood which opened in 1966 and closed in 1989. At the time of its closing, which was captured in the film, Last Call at Maud's, it was claimed to be the oldest lesbian bar in the United States. Its history, documented in the film and other media, spanned almost a quarter-century of LGBTQ events.
LGBT culture in Leeds, England, involves an active community of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender/transsexual. A BBC News Online article published in 2012 stated that, while Leeds City Council has not published statistics relating to the number of LGBT residents, the figure can be estimated at 10% of the overall population, which currently suggests a total of at least 77,000. The tenth year of the Leeds Pride march and celebration, held in 2016, was attended by over 40,000 people.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequities experienced by marginalized populations, and has had a significant impact on the LGBT community. Gay pride events were cancelled or postponed worldwide. More than 220 gay pride celebrations around the world were canceled or postponed in 2020, and in response a Global Pride event was hosted online. LGBTQ+ people also tend to be more likely to have pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma, HIV/AIDS, cancer, or obesity, that would worsen their chances of survival if they became infected with COVID-19. They are also more likely to smoke.
In Washington, D.C., LGBT culture is heavily influenced by the U.S. federal government and the many nonprofit organizations headquartered in the city.
Paradise is a gay nightclub in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It is known for its fundraisers and drag shows, most notable of which is the annual Miss Paradise pageant. The club is integrated with the Empress Hotel; both are owned by record producer Shep Pettibone. Paradise's 1999 opening is credited as one factor that improved Asbury Park's struggling economy and drew the LGBTQ community back to the city after a period of local unrest. The venue is a popular Jersey Shore destination in the summer, and it has received praise for its welcoming atmosphere. After several months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Paradise reopened its outdoor pool and bar area in summer 2020.
Henrietta Hudson, originally named Henrietta Hudson Bar & Girl, is a queer restaurant and lounge in Manhattan's West Village neighborhood. It operated as a lesbian bar from 1991 to 2014. Until it rebranded in 2021, it was one of three remaining lesbian bars in New York City. Henrietta Hudson's location is the original location of the Cubbyhole bar, which had the distinction of being lesbian-owned and managed.
Because the bar's clientele seemed to reproduce a heterosexist model of coupling, disinterested in analyzing their own oppression and just out for a good time, the Gateways was subject to a political 'Zap' action in 1970-70.
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