Industrial expansion made it possible for working-class women to get jobs that didn't involve changing diapers or scrubbing floors, and they started moving to cities for work. World War I meant fewer men were around keeping lesbians apart, however. Because a lady who wanted to enjoy the company of other ladies had to do this in private, same-sex socializing was possible for rich women and prostitutes, and off-limits to pretty much anyone else. However, before the 1920s, lesbian socializing was limited mostly to parties and gatherings in private homes women unaccompanied by men were often labeled prostitutes and refused service in bars or restaurants. In an era of legalized gay marriage, lesbian talk show hosts, and billboards selling cell phone plans to queer couples, our lesbian ancestors' clandestine and closeted pasts are more fascinating than ever.Īs long as there have been people who are women, some of them have had sex with each other. Even though Reed is part of a vibrant queer community, she is still "aching for dyke-focused spaces with a link to my elders-physical spaces where I could meet people younger and older."Īn exploration of the information we do have turns up colorful names-Maud's, Bingo's, Sisters, Charlene's, Rubyfruit Jungle, The Duchess, Meow Mix-and evocative stories of establishments that can seem like foreign countries. For a song in their recent show, "Rocky and Rhoda's Lesbian Past," queer performers Ariel Speed Wagon and Damien Luxe crowdsourced a massive list of lesbian bars this September, artist Macon Reed also compiled her own list of bars and dance nights for a dyke bar installation at a Brooklyn gallery. Lauren Tabak and Susie Smith have made a film about the Lexington Club, an iconic San Francisco dyke bar that closed in 2014. In New Orleans, which currently has no lesbian bar, artists are collecting stories and images from the bars that thrived during previous decades.