Support a Lesbian/Queer Women's Bar today!

It's no secret that lesbian/queer women-centric bars around the country have been suffering for more than a decade. According to The Lesbian Bar Project (which helped raise over one hundred thousand dollars for the remaining bars), lesbian bars went from around two hundred spaces in the late 1980s to just fifteen today. That's an over 85% drop!

Add in the decimation of the bar and nightlife industry during Covid-19 and many of these bars are struggling harder than ever before. So, how can you help when we're still in the throws of a pandemic? That's where the idea behind "Buy a Virtual Drink" (ok it's not actually a drink, it's a donation!) was born. I reached out to every remaining lesbian bar and heard back from twelve of them: A League of Her Own, Blush and Blu, Boycott Bar, Cubbyhole, Gossip Grill, HERZ, Jolene's, Lipstick Lounge, My Sister's Room, Pearl Bar, Slammers, and The Wildrose Bar.

These nine bars dot the country from sunny San Diego to Mobile, Seattle to NYC. Most of us who don't live in a major metropolitan area are probably a significant distance from one of these bars. Even if we can't just roll up, there are ways to support these spaces. If you ever went to a lesbian bar and felt like you were home for the first time, consider sending a few bucks to one or more of these bars.

Whatever you decide to send, every little bit helps keep an important part of lesbian and queer women's culture going for another day.