The Death of the Gay Bar?
Filed under: Politics & Issues, Saturday Submissions
Author: Reader Submissions
Date: Jun 3, 2009
In 2007, Entrepreneur Magazine ran an article entitled 10 Businesses Facing Extinction in 10 Years. Along with the obvious picks which included Camera Film Manufacturing, Newspapers, and Pay Phones, a not so obvious selection stood out for me. Gay Bars.
Citing an Orlando Sentinel article which brought to light the fact that an alarming number of gay venues had been shutting their doors, one owner stated that “A gay nightclub is obsolete…It’s something that has served its purpose”. I can only assume that he is referring to the fact that gays bars once (and still are) a safe haven from bigotry, violence and a safe social gathering place for gays. There has been a shifting social acceptance in North America towards gays and lesbians, and some may argue that because of this, the social scene has opened it’s barriers. Gays go to straight clubs, straights can party at gay clubs, essentially blurring the lines and re-writing the label of who exactly the club caters to.
Another culprit cited is the emergence of online dating and social media. Some may argue that gays can meet online, which eliminates the need for a social gathering place.
I don’t buy either argument. I do agree that it is easier, as a gay person, to go to a straight club and it is more accepting for a straight person to come to a gay club than it used to be. That said, on a Friday or Saturday night when the vodka a-flowing during the pre-drinking hours, the default consensus is to hit up gayest of gay clubs. There’s no potential awkwardness when you accidentally hit on the hotter straight brother of the gay boy. There’s no odd sequels from the 19 year old straight girls proclaiming “I loooooove gay guys…Oh my gawd..”. I am not a zoo animal.
I really don’t buy the online dating argument either. Although the online dating thing can be fun to explore, it’s more a background distraction and side entertainment than an actual social outlet. Bars have always been an unofficial speed dating experience. Make eyes. Converse. Accesses Chemistry. Repeat. Nothing can beat that level of efficiency, not even you E-Harmony.
Loading ...I see this as a pure business issue. In business, if you don’t evolve, adapt, change you will be crushed by someone who does. Slapping a label on a club as “gay” no longer ensures the long terms success of any venue. Resting on that label works only as long as it keeps the interest of the clientèle, no matter the sexual orientation of the customer. If one club closes, there should be a ready market for a hungry entrepreneur. It’s no different than any other business.
Yes, a lot of gay clubs with history have been shutting their doors, but without the freshness and creativity to cater to a market with an attention span of a bumble bee, that is exactly what the club will be. History.
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Tommy D
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
It’s interesting that you posted this. I have always been saying that I think online dating had ruined the gay bar. I’m not going to sit here and pretend I haven’t used a hook up site because I was totally the self proclaimed miss manhunt 2006, and I can say that I think online dating is the major factor in the gay bar going down.
There’s no need to go out and pick up, you can just sit in the comfort of your own home, with no fear of getting rejected to your face.
I will say, however, that online gets very old very fast. And all the interesting people on there don’t stay on for more that a year (I wasn’t miss manhunt 2007, it got tired) and they do go out sometimes.
I also think that the gay bars are not doing anything really fresh or exciting. But, it does get hard if the community doesn’t help out either.
It’s the old chicken-or-egg problem. Don’t make money without people there, dont get peopel there without spending money.
Le Sigh.
Blair Smith
June 3rd, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Their WILL be an Odyssey in 10 years, we have a few new locations under consideration. I do believe that the death of so many gay bars is due to not offering what their clientel wants. It has become a normal business, not the ‘old fashioned’ they will come even if the carpets smell foul, paint is peeling and we gouge on prices. Those gay bars are gone. I will admit that The O has become a little tired, but they knew that location had a limited lifespan. But with their great staff and entertainment in a new ‘fabulous’ location, it will survive beyond 10 years time for the next generation again.
Allan
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Tommy – I’m pretty much in agreement with you for the most part but I’m wondering what you might suggest as a way to evolve the gay bar? A bar is basically a bar. Hot people (you hope), good music, dancing, and drinks. Sure you want the space to be cool but what makes a bar fresh and exciting?
Kyle
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Tommy you and i have had this conversation over and over again, and i still sort of come to the same conclusion – lines are too blurred now for gay bars to really stand out anymore. Gays are in almost every bar now. it’s not like we need a safe haven – the more socially acceptable being a moe is the more gay bars will suffer.
there are some scenes that aren’t quite kosher yet – you won’t see me haunting every spot on granville, but chances are just about any place with an electro, house or indie lineup will be packed with us.
there are more places to choose from now.
i think gays are over being typecast, and any bar that assumes all people of one sexual preference like the same thing is bound to fail.
and any gay bar that tries to have a different night for everything probably isn’t going to do any of those nights particularly well.
i dunno… gay bars? i’m kinda over ‘em.
Adam
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:07 pm
We may be more and more seen in “straight venues” but still, I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable making out with a beau at a girl talk does richards on richards concert… maybe it’s just me.
(no, i probably shouldn’t be ‘making out’ at a club… but i like the option to be there ;)
Adam
June 4th, 2009 at 9:02 am
We may be more and more seen in “straight venues” but still, I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable making out with a beau at a girl talk does richards on richards concert… maybe it’s just me.
(no, i probably shouldn’t be ‘making out’ at a club… but i like the option to be there ;)
BTW I love your blog!
Nic O.
June 4th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
No I completely agree. Societies just not there yet Adam, it’s not just you. But I’m as well not going to profess some unseen knowledge of what it’s going to be like in the coming years. Hell, I didn’t think that gay marriage would take such a forward leap in my lifetime as it has. Still, the haven of having people around with common interests, and not just in reference to the gay community, is one reason i can’t fathom a world without a bar to call my own. Also though, our culture has been built on dancing, something that once started as a sign of freedom and liberation, and evolved into something more; music and socializing is just ingrained into the culture itself. Online dating and the few freedoms we’ve gained in the last few years doesn’t compensate for the very roots we were built on. Not to mention that group and social interaction doesn’t compensate for online chats and one on one late night meetings, but that’s an argument for another time and one that involves all human beings, not just the gay community itself. :p
Riley
June 12th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
I think the problems with online dating have extended well beyond vacant clubs. Now that it is easier to date or ‘hook up’ (number two was always my preference) I think that the need for many social functions in the gay world has ceased. I am trying to think of when I first came out. When I try hard to make my way through the happy go lucky, rose coloured memories to what it was actually like….I do really believe people go out less…not just to clubs. I personally think this is sad.
On the other hand, gay clubs can’t just hang some tacky crap on the walls and charge crazy prices for drinks just because it is gay. We are a fashionable, trendy culture that wants our social hangouts to reflect our tastes.
Mike G
June 18th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Gay bars will always be around. They may become more mixed but there will always be a demand for gay night clubs. And as for the lines between straight and gay disappearing. PLEASE, do you really think the stereotype of the heterosexual or homosexual male is changing anytime soon? A lot of gay people live in a bubble, you forget what the other 90% of population is like.