Alesbian bar (sometimes called a "women's bar") is adrinking establishment that caters exclusively or predominantly tolesbian women. While often conflated, the lesbian bar has a history distinct from that of thegay bar.
Lesbian bars predate feminist spaces such asbookstores[1] andcoffeehouses,[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 tocome 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, inWeimar Germany, lesbian bars and night clubs were numerous, especially in Berlin. EntrepreneurElsa Conrad ran several venues which catered to a lesbian intellectual elite. Her barMali und Igel hosted guests such asMarlene Dietrich.[8][9]Lotte Hahm was another lesbian activist of that era who created the popular barVioletta and other events.[10] In Paris during the 1920s, photographerBrassai brought attention to the underground lesbian bar scene with his photographs of customers atLe Monocle.[11][12] Parisian bars andbrasseries for lesbians were numerous inMontmartre as far back as the late 1800s and early 1900s; among them wereLe Rat Mort,La Souris and theHanneton.[13][14]
San Francisco'sMona'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 thehomophile movement and theDaughters 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 oflesbian feminism, and bars became important community activist spaces. Some lesbian bars in the U.S. also supported women'ssoftball teams.[23]
Homosexual acts were illegal in the United States untilgradual 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 theTavern 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, live entertainment, 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 asgentrification 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] Even in queer hubs and centers across the United States, such as San Francisco'sCastro District, the decline of lesbian spaces has been notably felt.[27]
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;[28][29][30] 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 toThe New York Times.[31] In the United States' largest city, New York City, only three remained.[31]
Some documentaries about the decline include:
The Death of Lesbian Bars (focus on Australia).[32]
Last Call at Maud's (1993) (focus on San Francisco, United States)[33]
The Last Lesbian Bars (2015) (focus on the United States).[34]
Some lesbian bars have evolved into "queer" bars, welcoming not only lesbians but other members of the LGBTQ+ community.[36][37] In 2021Henrietta Hudson, which had opened in 1991 as a lesbian bar, evolved into "queer human bar built by lesbians."[38]Mobile, Alabama, barHerz opened in 2019 as a lesbian bar[39] but by 2022 was welcoming customers with "a range of identities, including lesbian, bisexual, pansexual and more."[36] This rebrand appears to have had little impact on the number of attendees, as Herz closed in 2023.[40] In Paris, the lesbian bar Unity rebranded itself as a more inclusive "queer feminist" bar called La Mutinerie.[41]
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, andgay bars.[31][42][43]As You Are Bar opened with this model in Washington DC in 2022, describing themselves as "a lesbian-slash-queer bar."[44] 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.[44] News outlets likeEater reported on both Ruby Fruit and Honey's as lesbian bars[42][43] as did theGeorgetown Voice for As You Are Bar[44] 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 theWashington Post, sometimes viewed negatively, "particularly [by] older women who identify as lesbian, [who] bristle at that expansion".[37] According toTagg Magazine, Henrietta Hudson's rebranding "proved to be controversial" on social media as to some it felt the bar was no longer lesbian-centered.[38] However, this controversy did not appear to prevent patrons in 2021 from filling reservations for their new space that served charcuterie and cocktails.[38] 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."[38]
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."[45] According toAutostraddle's Queer Girl City Guide, bookstores, cafes, and roving parties are also popular for lesbians and other queer women all around the world.[46]
Lesbian bars have become rare inWestern culture nations, and there are signs of decline in parts ofAsia as well.[47] 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.
Unicorns, created by Delsi the Cat, is a semi-regular party, generally with a warehouse vibe. It also occurs at other locations, such as Melbourne.[54]
GiRLTHING, described as a 'femme-queer' party, is run by Snatch&Grab monthly, generally at the Imperial Hotel.[55]
Birdcage was launched in 2012 and generally occurs weekly. It describes itself as, 'Enmore's Queerest Shin-Dig'.[56]
Melbourne (Australia)
Sundaylicious, a monthly Sunday session event held at various different venues across Melbourne.[57]
Friyay, a bi-monthly event held on every second and fourth Friday of the month, at Francseca's Bar in Northcote, Melbourne.[58]
Baby Face Disco, established in the late 1960s by Denise Cassidy (aka Babyface), was the first lesbian-only bar inMontreal.[60][61] It was followed by Chez Madame Arthur and Chez Jilly.[62]
Labyris, Lilith, and L'Exit were popular in the 1980s "Golden Age" of Montreal lesbian bars when a lesbian neighborhood in thePlateau Mont Royal flourished, with bookstores, community organizations and cafes.[62]
Tabou, Klytz, G-Spot and Magnolia were among a dozen bars for women that opened in the 1990s, though many of them were short-lived.[62]
By 2019, there were no lesbian bars left in Montreal, though events for queer women continued to be held.[62]
Daniel's, opened in late 1975, was one of the first lesbian bars in Spain and one of the first LGBT bars inBarcelona.[63][64] Opened by María del Carmen Tobar, it originally was a bar and billiards room but expanded to have a dance hall. In the early years of theSpanish democratic transition, the police would occasionally raid the bar. Tobar played an active role in making Daniel's the center of lesbian life in Barcelona, sponsoring sports teams and a theater group.[65] The bar later closed, but would be remembered in books and exhibits for its importance in the lesbian history of Spain.[66][64][67]
Berlin (Germany)
Violetta, owned byLotte Hahm, was one of the largest of the many lesbian bars and dance halls that flourished during theWeimar Republic (1918-1930), when a guidebook was published for women that included 14 different lesbian establishments. This bar featured the "calling card ladies ball", "fashion shows for masculine women and transvestites", and lesbian singalongs of "The Lavender Song."[68][69][70][8][71]
La Gata, the only lesbian bar in Frankfurt, opened in 1971. According to owner Erika "Ricky" Wild, it "is the world's oldest surviving lesbian bar."[74]
London (England)
Candy Bar inSoho, opened in 1996 and closed in 2014. Men were allowed if gay and accompanied by women.[75]
TheGateways Club inChelsea was one of the longest-surviving lesbian bars in the world. It opened in 1943 and closed in 1985. The bar was the setting for a scene in the 1968 filmThe Killing of Sister George, with real clientele dancing alongside its lead actresses.[76][77]
Paris (France)
Le Monocle (1920s-World War II) was one of Paris' first and most famous lesbian bars; some of its clientele were photographed byGeorge Brassai.[78][11][12]
Chez Moune, a lesbian cabaret opened by Monique Carton inPlace Pigalle in 1936, has been described as the first lesbian cabaret with dancing in Europe. It converted to a mixed music club in the 21st century.[79][80][81][82]
New Moon, also in Place Pigalle, began in the late 1800s and had been a jazz club and Impressionist hangout as well as a lesbian cabaret before it converted to a mixed music club in the 21st century.[83][84][85]
Pulp was a popularPulp Fiction movie style bar from 1997 to 2007.[86]
Other Parisian lesbian bars include La Mutinerie, Le Bar'Ouf, Le 3W Kafé, Ici Bar de Filles, and So What.[87]
Coup d'Etat, opened in 2006 during a ceasefire in Lebanon, claimed to be the Middle East's first openly lesbian bar. It did not attract enough business from either local gay women or tourists, and closed in 2007. By 2018, it had opened again.[91][92]
Istanbul (Turkey)
Bigudi was the first lesbian bar to open in Istanbul, and now attracts gay men as well.[93]
Tel Aviv (Israel)
Amazona, located at Lilienblum St 23, was the only lesbian bar operating in Tel Aviv. It closed in 2020.[94][95][96]
According to a June 2021 article onPBS 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic, the availability of dating apps, gentrification, and assimilation of queer people.[98]
Chez-Elle (also known as the Chez-L Lounge)[100][101] was founded in 1965 at 429 Cookman Avenue by former nun Margaret Hogan.[99][102][103] The bar "was part of a landmark court case in the 1960s...."[104]
The Key West Hotel was a lesbian resort with four bars, a restaurant, and pool.[105] It opened in 1981 and closed in 1990.[106][107][108]
The Owl and Pussycat, established in 1979 at 162 Main Street, was relocated to the Key West Hotel.[108]
In the late 1930s, 208 Bond Street was the location of a women's bar.[109] In the 1970s, the third floor of the M&K nightclub, a gay disco on Cookman Avenue, was for lesbians.[110][111]
Phase One was founded in the 2010s. The now-closed bar catered primarily toAfrican-American lesbians.[113][114]
Boston, Massachusetts
Dani's Queer Bar, established in 2024 on Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay, serves lesbians, non-binary, and queer-identifying women.[115][116][117]
Chicago, Illinois
Dorothy, located in theUkrainian Village neighborhood, opened in February 2020 but was forced to close temporarily for two years due to COVID restrictions, and reopened in July 2022. It describes itself as "a neighborhood lesbian cocktail lounge for every friend of Dorothy".[118][119]
Nobody's Darling, located in the Andersonville neighborhood, opened in 2021 in the space previously occupied by lesbian bar Joie De Vine (which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic). It was a 2022James Beard Foundation Award finalist for Outstanding Bar Program.[120][121]
Columbus, Ohio
Blazer's Pub, founded by Karen Blazer in 1994. One of the first lesbian owned establishments in the long part of the Short North. Known for performances by The Dyke Queens (lesbian variety show), H.I.S. Kings (drag king troupe) Ladies of Desire (lesbian strippers) and other local talent. Closed in September 2011.[122]
Jack's A Go-Go/Logan's Off Broadway/Summit Station, founded in 1971 and known colloquially as Jack's. Jack's was Ohio's longest running lesbian owned and operated bar. Located near the campus of The Ohio State University, the bar morphed from a neighborhood go-go bar into a women's bar in the early 1970's. Initially owned by Don and Cleta Logan, the bar became known as a lesbian bar when Peter Brown as hired to bartend. Peter was a classically trained musician and young lesbian when she started bartending on Sunday nights to support her music career. Word got out that a lesbian was behind the bar and soon flocks of lesbians gravitated to the bar. Peter took ownership in 1980 and operated the bar until its closure in 2008.[123]
Slammers, founded in 1993, is the only remaining lesbian bar in Ohio.[124]
Dallas, Texas
Sue Ellen's, founded in 1989, is the second longest running lesbian bar in the nation.[125][126]
The Pearl Bar became the city's only lesbian bar in 2013.[128]
Los Angeles, California
Honey's at Star Love, a live music venue and bar founded by Mo Faulk, Kate Greenberg, and Charlotte Gordon, opened inEast Hollywood in February 2023.[129][130][43]
The Ruby Fruit, a wine bar and restaurant founded by Mara Herbkersman and Emily Bielagus, opened in theSilver Lake neighborhood in February 2023. Its self-description states that it also caters to "non-binary, gender-nonconforming and trans people".[131][129][130][132]
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Walker's Pint, which opened in 2001, is the only surviving lesbian bar in Milwaukee.[133][134]
New York City, New York
New York city comprisesfive boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Bum Bum Bar in Queens opened in the early 1990s and closed in 2018.[135][136]
Cubbyhole in Manhattan opened in 1994 and is a predominantly lesbian bar.[137][138]
Eve's Hangout, also known as Eve Adams's Tearoom, was one of the first lesbian restaurant/bars in the United States. It was opened in 1925 byEva Kotchever and located at 129 MacDougal Street inGreenwich Village. The venue displayed a sign greeting visitors that read: "Men are admitted but not welcome." Eve's Hangout closed in 1926 after Kotchever was arrested and deported for obscenity. Following her deportation she was sent to theconcentration camp atAuschwitz where she was killed in 1943.[139][140][141]
Henrietta Hudson in Manhattan opened in 1991 and was formerly the longest-running lesbian bar in the New York City area.[144][138] In 2021 it was rebranded as a "queer human space built by Lesbians [sic]."[145][146]
Page 3, at Charles Street and Seventh Avenue in Greenwich Village, was lesbian-run and open from the mid-1950s until mid-1960s.[147]
Sisters was a lesbian bar that closed after 17 years of operation in 2013.[149][150]
Toasted Walnut Bar & Kitchen opened its doors in 2015 and closed in 2021. The bar was opened to cater to those who felt a void after the loss of Sisters bar. Although Toasted Walnut focused primarily on gay women, the establishment was not explicitly a lesbian bar.[151][152][153]
Richmond, Virginia
Babe's of Carytown opened in 1979 and is one of the oldest lesbian bars in the country.[154]
San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area, California
Clementina's Baybrick Inn (a.k.a. "The Brick"), at 1190 Folsom Street inSoMa, was a hostel, dance club, and nightclub for lesbians. It opened in 1982 and closed in 1987.[162][163]
The Lexington Club, at 3464 19th Street in the Mission district, opened in 1997 and closed in 2015. It was the last lesbian bar in the city.[6][164]
Mona's 440 Club (original name Mona's Club), at 440 Broadway in theNorth Beach area, was the first lesbian bar in San Francisco. Owned by Mona Sargent, it opened in 1936 and ran for 26 years.[167][168][169][170][171]
Peg's Place, at 4737 Geary Boulevard in theRichmond district, opened in the 1950s and closed in 1988. In March 1979, it was the site of alesbophobic attack by off-duty members of theS.F.P.D.[172][173]
Rikki's, located at 2223 Market Street in theCastro District, opened in June 2025. The lesbian-owned establishment is the city's first women's sports bar. Rikki's is named after San Francisco's pioneer lesbian bar owner, and gay and lesbian rights activist, Rikki Streicher.[174][175]
Wild Side West, at 424 Cortland Avenue inBernal Heights, defines itself as "a blend of lesbians, locals, eclectic art and neighborhood sports bar." It opened in 1962.[179][180][181]
In theEast Bay, Mary's First and Last Chance Bar, inOakland, was closed in 1958 for "catering to lesbians", but the bar challenged the ruling and won.[186][187] In the 1970s and 1980s, other lesbian bars in the East Bay included Jubilee, Driftwood, Bachanal, and Ollie's.[188]
Seattle, Washington
The Grand Union, entered through an unmarked door under an overpass, and Sappho's Tavern were lesbian bars of the 1950s.[189]
The Silver Slipper was a popular lesbian bar of the 1970s, when women's spaces proliferated.[190] In an oral history, a former customer spoke of the importance of being personally introduced and wearing the unofficial "jeans and flannel shirt" dress code inside the bar.[189]
The Wildrose was started in the early 1980s by a lesbian collective, and is the longest running lesbian bar on theWest Coast.[191][138]
Washington, D.C.
A League of Her Own occupies the basement floor of gay bar Pitchers and is frequented by lesbians, despite resisting the "lesbian bar" label.[192]
As You Are lesbian cafe and bar, located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, opened in 2022.[193][194]
Phase 1 was the oldest (45 years) continually operating lesbian bar in the United States until its closure in February 2016.[195]
XX+ opened in 2018, but closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[196]
West Hollywood, California
The Palms was founded in the 1960s, when the area now known as the City of West Hollywood was a Los Angeles neighborhood. It closed in 2013.[197][198]
Worcester, Massachusetts
Femme is a Lesbian Bar in the heart of Worcester and opened in March 2023.[199][200]
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^abcMorris, Bonnie J. (2016).The Disappearing L: Erasure of Lesbian Spaces and Culture. Albany, NY:SUNY Press. pp. 189–190.ISBN978-1438461779.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.
^abShaw, Randy (2015).The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime, and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco. San Francisco, CA: Urban Reality Press. pp. 1–100.ISBN9780692327234.
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