No, Girl Bars Are Not Obsolete: The Reason We Still Need Safe Spaces For Queer Women
I didn’t realize I was a lesbian until I was 20 years old. At the time, I lived in Virginia and would journey up to DC every few weeks to let loose at Phase One, a lauded lesbian bar that had welcomed women like me for almost half a century. Upon entering those doors, catcalling ceased, a flirty look at a cute girl was welcomed, and it was safe to fully enjoy myself.
At straight bars and gay bars alike, DC-area men harangued me with disgusting comments — “You just haven’t f*cked the right man yet” or “Lesbians are so gross, I would never do what you all do.” Phase One offered safety from that harassment. When I left Virginia, The Palms offered that safety to the women of my new home base: LA.
Unfortunately, neither of those bars exists anymore. Today there are only 24 lesbian bars in the United States — compared to over 200 in the 1980s. And you might think that in 2023, these bars aren’t needed anymore, but…
- Discrimination against LGBTQ+ folks continues to impact every aspect of our lives and these bars provide safe spaces for queer women (cis & trans), non-binary and genderqueer folks, and trans men to simply exist
- In the age of technology, unsolicited dick pics flood women’s DMs, and lesbian bars allow queer women and…
