Lesbian Bars Are Popping Up and Popping Off in NYC and LA

[Celerity]

These new bars provide hope that more are on the way.

https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/new-york/lesbian-bars-new-york-los-angeles



In 1980, there were 206 lesbian bars across the country. In 2021, that number dropped to just 15. At bewildering rates, dedicated nightlife spaces for queer womxn and lesbians have closed their doors over the past few decades. Exacerbated by the pandemic, this shift can be attributed to a multitude of factors: from the gentrification of gayborhoods (leading to an inability to pay rent) and pay inequality to more nuanced realities within the LGBTQ+ community for gay and queer womxn such as imposed gender constructs and lack of societal acceptance. But not all is lost. In a year when the LGBTQ+ community is battling anti-drag and anti-trans laws across the country, beacons of hope have appeared in the shape of new lesbian bars. Half-way through 2023, 28 lesbian bars are now in operation across the US.



If you’re still a bit muddled on what qualifies as a lesbian bar, the beauty of the answer lies in its fluidity. In the words of The Lesbian Bar Project, a fundraising organization/documentary series with a mission to uplift and empower the remaining lesbian bars in the United States, “the label lesbian belongs to all people who feel that it empowers them.” Lesbian bars create an inclusive space for “people of marginalized genders including women (regardless if they are cis or trans), non-binary folks, and trans men.” In New York and LA, a crew of new lesbian bars have popped up that embody this mission statement while honoring the long, storied, and turbulent history of lesbian bars in these cities.



The Bush, NYC

For friends, co-owners, and long-time New Yorkers Nikke Alleyne and Justine LaViolette, The Bush, now open in the Brooklyn neighborhood Bushwick, is a passion project seven years in the making. As a young girl in Jersey City, Alleyne often found herself hanging around the West Village lesbian bar Cubbyhole. “But I can’t pinpoint a favorite [lesbian bar],” says Alleyne. “They all made me feel so safe, so seen, and so happy to be a dyke.” In 2016, it became apparent to Alleyne and LaViolette that the city heavily lacked nightlife options that catered to their community. “We spent a lot of time going to parties at gay bars or straight bars that were hosting a lesbian or queer-centered night, where we were the guests,” says LaViolette. “We wanted to create a space of our own where it’s basically a bar for the queer community that doesn’t center around gay men.”



Enter The Bush. Opened in April 2023, the new watering hole differentiates itself from other lesbian bars through its selection of bespoke cocktails, which are organized by flavor profile. For example, a smoky and sour craving will lead you to the Guest Star (mezcal, passion fruit, aperol, lemon, Tajín), while a hankering for something floral and boozy sends you in the direction of the Venus Fly Trap (gin, lychee liqueur, dry vermouth, Cocchi Americano). “We loved the existing bars [in NYC], but we wanted a place where we could go and have a cocktail,” says LaViolette. “At the time, none of the [NYC] spaces had cocktail offerings. We want and deserve more options.” When asked about what the duo hopes to see in the future for the lesbian bar community, they answered, “We dream of a world where we can do a dyke bar crawl in North Brooklyn alone.”



The Ruby Fruit, LA................

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