Unless you’ve been living under a stone for the past few years, you will know that the demise of Lesbian Bars, particularly in the US, has been alarming. However, what most of us may not know is exactly how they are on the actual brink of being extinct species. If you thought 200 was a low number back in 2008, then how does 21 seem to you now? And even that is fiercely optimistic as other sources say that the COVID lockdown has already ended up killing even more off.
In 2020 the Lesbian Bar Project PSA and fundraising campaign was specifically launched to help the country’s lesbian bars survive the coronavirus pandemic, and in turn that inspired a new documentary short that aims to highlight the 21 bars with the hopes of keeping their doors open.
The film, from executive producer Lea DeLaria (Orange Is the New Black) and also the proprietor of The Club in Ptown, highlights the owners and patrons of lesbian bars in three cities: New York City, New York; Mobile, Alabama; and Washington, D.C. Co-directed by Erica Rose and Elina Street, the documentary is also sponsored by Jägermeister’s Save The Night campaign, which hosts charity initiatives to raise money for nightlife venues
Now The Lesbian Bar Project has just dropped the trailer for a new upcoming docuseries, debuting on the Roku Channel this October.
The docuseries will tell “the heartfelt and human stories behind” three of the country’s remaining lesbian bars says series co-creator and director Elina Street in a message posted on Instagram. The limited-run series will stream for three episodes, and will feature Henrietta Hudson in New York City, Pearl Bar in Houston, and Boycott Bar in Phoenix.
The trailer features snippets from the upcoming series, including testimony from bar owners and their community members.
“We’ve been telling you for the past two years now that there aren’t many lesbian bars left in the U.S.,” says lesbian comic and series producer Lea DeLaria in the opening moments of the trail. “But this isn’t a sob story.”
View this post on Instagram
PS You may also want to check out https://queerguru.com/can-the-lesbian-bar-project-save-the-few-remaining-lesbian-bars-in-the-us/
