If it feels like Chicago has less LGBTQ+ and gay bars than it used to, that's because it does. The trend holds nationwide too, data shows.
Experts say that could mean fewer spaces for some of the community, especially those with diverse backgrounds.
Barnes and Renauda Riddle opened Nobody's Darling in Andersonville in 2020. Nobody's Darling is a black, queer, and women owned and"women forward" bar. Their community-based bar has thrived during the pandemic and even earned a coveted James Beard Award nomination.In the two years since Nobody's Darling opened, more and more LGBTQ+ bars have closed."36.6% of gay bar listings disappeared between 2007 and 2019. So more than a third of gay bars closed in a 12 year period," he said.that in 2017 there were 38 gay bars listed in Chicago. In 2019 that number dropped to 34, and in 2021 it dropped to 26. That means 23.
In Chicago, Northalsted is a longtime home to many gay bars in the city. But some say many of those establishments may cater mainly to white gay men. As some LGBTQ+ bars close, gay men of color, transgender, non-binary people, and lesbians may lose out."If the only bar with a purpose-built drag stage closes, then it leaves drag queens and drag kings without a place to practice their art.
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