In other words, they’re the only place where queer people can reliably meet other queer people in public,” Mattson said. “Yet in most parts of the country, gay bars are the only public LGBTQ+ places. That means 23.5% of Chicago’s gay bars were lost in two years. In 2019, that number dropped to 34 and in 2021 to 26. This is also shown by his data that Chicago had 38 gay bars listed in 2017. So more than a third of gay bars have closed in a 12-year period,” he said. “36.6% of gay bar listings disappeared between 20. Greggor Mattson, professor of sociology at Oberlin College, examines this worrying trend. In the two years since Nobody’s Darling opened, a growing number of LGBTQ+ bars have closed. “We fill a niche that most bars in town don’t have,” Riddle said.
Their community-based bar has done well during the pandemic, even earning a nomination for the coveted James Beard Award. “People are so excited that we own this bar because they get to see themselves in us, queer women of color,” Riddle said. Nobody’s Darling is a black, queer, female-owned and “women forward” bar. “Our experience has been going to bars in our community and not necessarily feeling welcome,” Angela Barne said.īarnes and Renauda Riddle opened Nobody’s Darling in Andersonville in 2020. Experts say it could mean fewer rooms for some of the community, especially those from different backgrounds. Chicago - The number of LBGTQ+ and gay bars in Chicago and nationwide is declining, data shows.
