But as it expanded its focus across the country, the project embarked on a monthlong campaign, raising $117,504 for the remaining bars.īetween their individual GoFundMe accounts and the donations they received from the Lesbian Bar Project, all of the New York-based bar owners said they had been able to pay their rent throughout the uncertain year, but investing in the future of the lesbian bar scene still feels vital to many patrons. “We did six months of research and couldn’t find some of these bars.”Įarly in the pandemic, the Lesbian Bar Project began as a way to bring attention to fund-raisers for the New York spots, Ginger’s, Cubbyhole and Henrietta Hudson. “But that’s part of the problem, right?” she said. Initially, the group feared there were only 15 across the United States, but it recently added a “ new discoveries” section to the effort, bringing the count to 19. “We did have people from our community reaching out and telling us about other local bars that we missed,” said Lily Ali-Oshatz, a former producer with the Lesbian Bar Project. This makes the city’s lack of lesbian spaces especially perplexing. New York City, which boasted about 2,100 bars before the pandemic, offers options catering to nearly any niche, from gay “Coyote Ugly” bars to speakeasies tucked behind barbershops or ice cream parlors. NYPL, Manuscripts and Archives Division, Mattachine Society of New York Records.
