I initially developed this lesbian bar map in July 2022 as a personal project. The map is intended to be printed, and the orange circles can be filled in with bars that the map owner has visited. The Lesbian Bar Project was a popular topic of conversation in 2022, given that many of these bars relied on donations during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to survive. The need was particularly dire, given that so few bars remained. However, as the project gained traction, more lesbian bars opened in the following years. I have tried to update the map around once a year to include new bars.

When other people see this map, many ask how I selected which bars to include. When I respond that it includes all existing lesbian bars, many people are shocked that there are so few. While this is correct, the reason for the small number is not all bad. Some bars began to close in the early 2000s because lesbians were able to connect via digital spaces. Additionally, lesbian and queer centric spaces that were not focused on drinking began to emerge. Third, some of the bars that closed were run by transphobic lesbians who excluded transgender lesbians, and many lesbians boycotted these bars in support of their sisters.

Below, check out two earlier versions of the map: May 2023 (left) and July 2022 (right). Many bars have opened since the first iteration! Sadly, Herz has closed since 2022.