As queer acceptance rises more and more in the public sphere, a question has arisen about the need for queer-focused spaces. Is it still necessary for the queer community to have its own area? Would it not be more empowering to go completely into the mainstream as it were and go out openly, to socialize free of any boundaries?
The answer is multifaceted, and my research and thoughts went all over the place as well. But my starting point was quite clear. I want to go to a gay bar.
Disco lights. Hypnotizing music. Unabashedly tasty drinks. Sexy men and good conversation too?
Art credit: Vinyl Design by BLUMOO; Behance.net
Sign me the fuck up.
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Ok, but before we go down the seedily lit road towards sweaty gyrating men, let us discuss the fact that a gay bar is a place that is culturally significant and not just in the gay or queer community. Gay Bars have historically been a known haven for members of the queer commune.
The first recorded gay bar in the world was the Zanzibar in Cannes France. It opened in 1885 and was a spot for artists and socialites. This is a theme you will see repeated, that the queer community hotspots are often frequented by those in places of power and those who have a cultural taste. This is not a coincidence.
Many liberal places in Europe soon followed this trend from London to Berlin to Amsterdam. In the cases of counter culture, it is not so much the countries that adopt the seeds but areas and places, and queer culture has historically congregated around huge cities with lots of diversity where commonly marginalized people can also speak out.
But on the whole? It’s even more than that. I personally know women who feel safer in a gay bar than in a ‘straight’ bar, even though no bar advertises itself as hetro-normative. How boring would such a joint be, right?
Art credit: Yan Moryachuk; Behance.net
So, while companies join the queer bandwagon because it’s cool to be queer, remember that the space of queerness is a powerful space, and has been so historically.
Ok, let’s go back to gay bars. The USA has a lot of them as well. And while the European ones are known for their artistic significance and cultural value, American gay bars and drag bars have often been the sites for political protest. Be it the Black Cat bar in San Francisco and the homophile movement, then the Black Cat Tavern (different than the first one) in LA being raided for its LGBTQ support. Or there’s the Julius bar in Ney York where the Mattachine Society staged a protest against a law prohibiting the serving of alcoholic drinks to gay people.
Oh btw, look up the Mattachine society? A bunch of gay men in the 50’s who came together (no pun intended) to fight for gay and queer community rights at a time when even the acceptance of homosexuality was seen as scornful.
It’s sobering to recollect that. The shit the queer community has been and is still in many backward parts of the world, going through.
So yes, whenever these discussions of queer spaces prop up, let us not forget the fight so many previous members of our ilk have gone through for us to be able to even put pronouns in our Instagram bio. Or have the conversation about pronouns with non-queer people. Or even know that queer isn’t a one size fits all brush and recognize that every gay individual could be a different kind of gay.
Remember when all gay men were also thought to be trans? Every bad movie had a scene where the villain was a developmentally challenged idiot savant who liked to wear a dress? Queer coding sucks. Anyways…
Point is, the current surface-level acceptance of queer community aside, there are still many issues where the battle is not even close to complete. And regardless, misinformation is rampant. Safe spaces are less and reducing in number.
Queer space is a friendly space for people of all denominations and genders because we recognize the multiplicity of the human soul and don’t expect everyone to conform to one set portrayal.
Why do women feel safe in gay bars? Why is it that queer spaces turn out to be welcoming even to non-queer members of society? Why do artists flourish so well in queer spaces? Why are queer spaces always portrayed as trendy and up to date in movies?
Because the queer community has a strong voice and knows how to use it. Because we fight for inclusion and expression and are unabashed in our love for creativity. We aren’t afraid of liking all colours, fuck that, we own the rainbow, and we break the tired old black and white dualistic thought that society has struggled for so long with. (That colour metaphor was really on the point)
The fact is that this voice would be lessened were we not in queer-focused spaces. Historically,
Art credit: Juno Birch; Vogue Magazine
we have been robbed of our power and rights, and even the current acceptance of the queer community is not a comprehensive one. Around the globe, there are still many who are prosecuted just for being who they are.
Fight for spaces where expression is not shamed. Where women can have hair and a guy can have colours on his face and hair and nails. And where women and men aren’t the only labels, and where people are seen and welcomed as people.
Queer is more than a name. It is an idea. A culture. An explosion of colours in a grey world. Be proud of wearing it and stand for spaces where similarly minded people can also express and be safe. Because that’s not the case for all of us.
And until then, the struggle keeps on.
Written By: Keval Joshi
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