Should Straight People Be Allowed In Gay Clubs?
The answer is more complex than you might think at first
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It’s one of the ultimate ethical conundrums of our generation, one might say; a question worth pondering as we enter another Pride month, a time when more spaces and events catering to the LGBTQ community arise.
Who should be allowed in them, and who, if anyone, should regulate them?
Are gay people allowed in straight clubs? Not really. Depending on where you go as a queer person, you might deal with fetishization (especially as a sapphic), harassment, or even straight-up violence. LGBTQ spaces are born out of need because the cis- and heteronormative spaces are unwelcoming to queer folk.
Most nightlife is heteronormative, so there is no need for straight people to frequent the few locations that don’t center them.
There are only 32 lesbian bars left in the U.S., and it shouldn’t feel like a tall order to expect these few bars to be safe spaces for queer women and femmes.
What about straight women? Straight bars are dominated by straight men trying to get laid, and they can get aggressive in their advances, making women uneasy and unsafe. If a cishet woman wants to…
