The number of LGBTQIA+ bars across the country has nearly halved over the last two decades, though some pockets, including New York City, have seen increases in the past several years despite the pandemic’s devastating impact on the hospitality industry.
New York has at least 48 LGBTQIA+ bars, an increase from 36 in 2019, Gothamist reports, citing a report from Oberlin College and Conservatory professor Greggor Mattson. By contrast, the number of such bars went down 45% nationally between 2002 and 2023, per the report.
Reasons cited for the decline include the fact that safe spaces are no longer as necessary as they once were and that people…