Searching for the Last Lesbian Bars in America
Searching for the Last Lesbian Bars in America
yewtu.be
Searching for the Last Lesbian Bars in America
San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, and New Orleans are four of the biggest gay party meccas in America, yet the cities' lesbian bars keep shutting down. Why are lesbian bars dying while gay male clubs continue to thrive? Is it because of rising rent prices, the stereotype of lesbians moving in after the first date, the rise of the trans rights movement, or something more complex? Broadly host JD Samson travels across America to find the answer.
Thank you for posting this. It's strange and sad and interesting to watch how spaces specifically built for once-maligned people are closing down as those lifestyles become more accepted in the wider culture. It also highlights the continued need for dedicated spaces, both for people who are still not accepted and because the reasons those spaces are useful may have changed over time. There is a new book just released in June (still waiting on my copy) about this same thing - Moby Dyke by Krista Burton .
the question moving forward would be, what kinds of community areas specifically can replace these spaces? cafes? i can’t really think of many options even
I think that there needs to be a discussion about what is actually needed at this point in time from a local level. In addition to the wider cultural/societal acceptance of lesbianism (or whatever -ism/-ality is pertinent) over time there were multiple other factors (death by capitalism, changes in management, etc.) that led to the decline of these spaces, and while books and videos like these are great for capturing and highlighting the overall trends I think that the solutions have to be implemented at the community level.
What type of resources and support the lesbian community in my area needs may be different from another city in the same state, likewise it may be different in rural areas vs urban, east/west, north/south - speaking from a USofA perspective.
Personally I see a need today for spaces that can accommodate teens as well as adults, so cafes or community centers could be a good start. Adults have options for dealing with negative behavior and access to places that people under 18/21 do not. There has also been a shrinking of other types of spaces that were open to teens and younger adults over time, places like arcades, non-religious community spaces, etc. that could/did provide places to express things or interact with people that might not be acceptable at school or home.
Even now as an adult I would love somewhere that I could go and feel like I could engage or just be there without having the pressure to buy something to justify my presence. The only place around my area that fits the second criteria is the library but I wouldn't consider it a safe space for meeting or discussing my issues with others.
I think you have a space between the brackets and parentheses, because I still see the markdown used to make the link and the URL instead of seeing Moby Dyke by Krista Burton as an actual clickable link.
Thank you! I didn't realize there couldn't be a space there. The markdown guide (as seen on my phone) looked like there should be a space.
Edit: Sorry for multiple replies, wefwef kept telling me the reply failed.