This time last year we reviewed The Lesbian Project a documentary by Executive Produced Lea De Laria that highlighted the demise of lesbian bars in the US that were on the actual brink of being extinct species. This year there has not been a dramatic change, but one piece of good news a new queer women’s bar has just opened in Portland Oregon.
It’s called the SPORTS BRA (and no, that is not a typo) and owner Jenny Nquyen told NBC News that her mission is to expose as many people as possible to women’s sports. You’ll spot that as soon as you walk into the bar festooned with posters and TVs playing nothing but that
Nguyen is both a Portland native and avid women’s basketball fan, opened the Sports Bra near the corner of Northeast Broadway and 25th Avenue to jampacked crowds on April 1. She chose that date as it was the launch of the NCAA women’s Final Four basketball tournament, and the Bar has kept busy ever since. On any given day, patrons might catch a game of college softball, volleyball or soccer. But the bar features plenty of other women’s sports including football, tennis, golf, swimming and even those not typically seen in sports bars, such as gymnastics, cheerleading and ultimate frisbee.
And wait for it, there is even more good news. Asides from its exclusive focus on women’s sports, the bar has some other feminist features. Its 21 taps all come from local women-led breweries and cideries, and its outdoor picnic tables were made by Girls Build, a local nonprofit that teaches girls construction skills. Then there’s the drink menu, featuring signature cocktails such as Title IX and the Triple Axel, named after former U.S. figure skater Tonya Harding, a Portlander. The food menu includes various vegan and vegetarian options containing ingredients from women-owned businesses. It also features some Vietnamese family dishes from Nguyen, whose parents immigrated from Vietnam.
SPORTS BRA 2512 NE Broadway Portland, Oregon 97232 https://www.thesportsbrapdx.com/ Wednesday through Sunday, 11am-11pm
Labels: 2022, Jenny Nyugen, lesbian bar, Oregon, Portland, Sports Bra
