Mashable is celebrating Pride Month by exploring the modern LGBTQ world, from the people who make up the community to the spaces where they congregate, both online and off.
With vaccination numbers on the rise andloosened restrictions on restaurants and bars in New York City, the excitement around Pride is palpable,according to Mike Zuco, co-owner of two queer venues.
While ebullient energy courses through recently reopened queer bars and clubs, what was inescapable last Pride, and in 2020 generally, was stress and uncertainty. During the pandemic, the queer community's safe spaces struggled; some shut down entirely, and those that didn't had to make due without last Pride Month's boost in revenue amid the confusion of complying with COVID safety rules.
You May Also Like
"Like many small business owners who have put everything we have into these establishments, there was a time when we thought we had lost everything," said Zuco.
This June, queer bar owners are more optimistic as cities around the U.S. reopen due to falling case numbers. President Biden promised this summerwill be one of freedom and joy. While the pandemic is far from over, with each passing day it feels safer to celebrate, at least in the U.S.
Especially during Pride Month.
Doors are open at both of Zuco's bars simultaneously for the first time ever. C'mon Everybody, a Brooklyn venue Zuco and co-owner Eric Sosa, reopened this May after COVID restrictions forced it to close in March 2020 for over a year. Their other venue, Good Judy, had its grand opening last July. It was set to debut in March, but the pandemic delayed Zuco and Sosa's plans. Good Judy could run while C'mon Everybody was shut down because it has a backyard for outdoor dining, while C'mon Everybody is just an indoor space. As Sosa told Esquire, the landlord was flexible and gave them more backyard space and reduced rent for most of 2020.
Opening Good Judy last summer was a rollercoaster, said Zuco. While the bar has been operating since July, the staff have had to navigate tight regulations and worry about health risks.
Credit: bob al-greene / mashable Like C'mon Everybody, Cubbyhole, one of the few remaining lesbian barsin the United States, closed last March. It was the first time owner Lisa Menichino had ever had to shut Cubbyhole's doors in its 27 years of operation, and she was devastated.
But the outpouring of support Menechino received lifted her out of that state. "People were sending me all sorts of messages about how important Cubby was to them — like celebrating their milestones in life there — and jolted me out of my funk," she said.
With a limited budget and a staff that didn't previously have to wait on tables, she reopened for outdoor seating during the summer. Due to heating regulations, she closed it again in December— but this time with a different attitude.
SEE ALSO: How Black Lives Matter could change Pride for the betterShe reached out for help, which she was previously uncomfortable doing. She called the support for Cubbyhole, both physically and financially, amazing. Volunteers stepped in to help, from building an outdoor dining structure that adhered to New York City's ever-changing guidelines, to constructing side barriers to fit in more seating, to decorating. The hope was to reopen in March 2021, but because of the weather it didn't happen until April.
Cubbyhole had to prepare for Pride activities amid rapidly shifting CDC and local guidelines about capacity, masks, and distancing. The guidelines are so in flux that Cubbyhole changed their rules just in the past two weeks: Cubbyhole used to require reservations on weekends, but now that's no more.
The hurtling towards some sort of normalcy had also caused confusion about official Pride activities: Menichino had heard conflicting information about what Pride 2021 would be like in New York City. Were events going to be in-person? Virtual?
NYC Pride organizersannounced near the end of May they they're planning a televised parade, but the route would be kept secret so as not to draw too-big crowds.
While the parade won't be like in years passed, NYC Pride is offering a new experience called "Pop Ups," which will utilize outdoor space from local businesses to reimagine typical parade floats. Organizers' hope the Pop Ups lead to more foot traffic for these businesses, add vitality to the streets, and provide work for designers and artists. "All in-person elements will be produced in accordance with the most current guidelines for public events in the city," NYC Pride stated vaguely in its parade announcement.
Over in Los Angeles, Pride organizers canceled the parade, but promised some in-person events, like a movie screening and an event at Dodger Stadium.
Credit: bob al-greene / mashable Even though official Los Angeles Pride happenings aren't the same as years past, queer venues are still opening up and planning their own celebrations. Like Menichino, these owners reiterated the importance of customer help as they navigated their own new normal. David Cooley, CEO and owner of West Hollywood gay bar The Abbey, said the outpouring of support, from the community and the bar's neighbors, made reopening a humbling experience.
While grateful for the support, Cooley — who in addition to The Abbey owns fellow West Hollywood gay bars The Chapel and Within — couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between the governmental response to AIDS in the '80s and subsequently COVID.
"During the AIDS crisis our government left our communities to fend for ourselves, giving us hardly any assistance to battle a disease that claimed the lives [of] our friends and loved ones," said Cooley. It was the first time in the community's history, he said, that they experienced a crisis of that magnitude.
When COVID hit, the community was in the same boat again. "This time however, we had a stronger sense of supporting one another," Cooley explained, "largely due to our government’s leadership helping and urging us all to rally together to stop the spread of another disease."
Scott Craig, one of two owners of Los Angeles-based Akbar, echoed this appreciation of community support — and the need for government help in times of crisis. "Our future will be the new normal where we have learned and now know how much our friends and community mean to us," he said, "and how very important a responsible and caring government is necessary for our well-being."
Coming out of last year's hardship — and painful reminders of past suffering — Cooley and The Abbey have reason to celebrate: The bar will commemorate its 30th anniversary this Pride Month.
"We’re excited to see the return of our drag shows, gogo dancers, in-person events and customers being able to dance, be free, and of course buy an Abbey martini at the bar from their favorite bartender," he said.
Akbar also has events planned for Los Angeles' mid-June Pride Weekend, such as a fundraising walk called Tutus 'N Heelsand the live return of bimonthly dance party Reddy Freddy.
While Pride 2021 certainly isn't typical, it's also a world of difference from Pride 2020. Opening Good Judy and reopening C'mon Everybody is still an emotional situation, Zuco said.
"We’ve heard great things from people who are so grateful to be engaging with their community again in a way they haven’t since pre-pandemic," he said, "and we’re looking forward to an exciting month ahead."
These bars are so beloved because they're not just bars; they're safe spaces to experience the same freedom and joy Biden promised for post-pandemic life. And, thankfully, they're back.
"This place, it's almost transcendent of a physical edifice," Menichino said of Cubbyhole. "There's an emotional connection there. I never realized how deep it was for so many people."