The number of bars intended specifically to serve lesbians in the US is decreasing. This decrease seems to relate to a variety of societal shifts: the economic downturn, the growth of online dating, and broader shifts in how women, queer, and trans individuals identify and gather socially.
(Click purple icons to get name and address information. See full list of 2014 bars with addresses and links below map.)
Lesbian Bars in New York City in 1994 (Total: 9)
Lesbian Bars in New York City in 2014 (Total: 4*, as of Feb 15, 2014)
* As of this writing, the bar Cubbyhole appears to serve a primarily mixed crowd (no longer majority lesbian) as well as a significant non-LGBTQ clientele, so its identity as a lesbian bar is currently in flux.
NYC Lesbian Bars in 2014
- Bum Bum Bar 63-14 Roosevelt Ave Queens NY 11377 No site, see Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bum-bum-bar-woodside
- Cubbyhole 281 W. 12th St. New York NY 10014 http://cubbyholebar.com/
- Ginger’s 363 Fifth Ave Brooklyn NY 11215 http://gingersbarbklyn.com/
- Henrietta Hudson 438 Hudson St. New York NY 10014 http://henriettahudson.com/
Sources for Historical Information
- The Lesbian & Gay Pink Pages, New York, Winter/Spring ‘94. Published by DAC Marketing, Inc., Chicago, IL.
- Betty & Pansy’s Severe Queer Review of New York City: An Irreverent, Opinionated Guide to the Bars, Clubs, Restaurants, Cruising Areas, Bookstores, and Other Attractions of Lesbian and Gay Manhattan. (Various/multiple authors.) Published by Bedpan Productions, San Francisco, 1994.
NOTE: I found these resources and others at The National Archive of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender History housed at New York City’s LBGT Community Center.
Sources for 2014 Information
- GO Magazine: http://www.gomag.com/
- New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/
- Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/
Wow. The info about Michigan is really off. Why would intersex or gender non-conforming folks not be included? Michigan is one if the only places where gender non-conforming women can just be without being called “he” or asked to transition.
Since the FIRST festival the Womyn-born-Womyn intention has been in place. It is decidedly not in reaction to nancy burkholder.
You might want to read some of the other books out there about festival or, I dunno, talk to Lisa Vogel and have your questions answered?
This is just promoting a lot of inaccurate information and once more deriding spaces for females who live outside gender expectations and lines. What’s new?
Thanks for your comment QN, I appreciate you taking the time to make it. My research into a variety of different spaces, Michigan among them, is ongoing. And yes, I have read 3 different books about the festival at this point. There are a lot of different perspectives at play and many other festivals to consider as well.
Best,
A