https://www.them.us/story/gay-bars-are-closing-doorsby Mathew Rodriguez
February 18, 2026
Higher upfront costs combined with lower foot traffic have caused a nationwide problem for the service and food industries, which is exacerbated in queer spaces, which deal with smaller demographics than the average bar or restaurant. And of course, there’s the fact that many people, especially younger people, just don’t go out or have a third space anymore.
It’s hard to say whether anything can economy-proof the gay bar. In the past year alone, the U.S. has seen closures of long-running queer spaces, such as the Bay Area’s Ginger’s, which was open for 47 years, or Rochester, New York’s, Avenue Pub, which just inched past five decades of serving queers. New businesses aren’t exactly faring better, with bars such as Iowa’s General Wood Shop and Brooklyn’s Club Lambda having opened and closed within the span of just a couple years.
(excerpt... warning: the web site is pro-LGBTQ, so keep those biases in mind when reading the full article)
