Queer bars in New York City are stepping up to support wildfire relief efforts, LGBTQ establishments, and community groups impacted by the ongoing fires in Los Angeles.
Some are encouraging donations to various community organizations and pet shelters, while others are calling on folks to support a pair of embattled lesbian bars in Los Angeles.
One LA-based lesbian bar, The Ruby Fruit, announced it was shutting down indefinitely, and another one, Honey’s LA, said it was closing for a weekend out of respect for the ongoing fires, which have killed at least 25 people and displaced more than 100,000 individuals.
The Ruby Fruit announced on Jan. 12 that it shuttred “due to financial impact from the current natural disaster.”
“The devastation felt within our small community, as well as the unfathomable destruction that continues day after day, is truly beyond comprehension,” the bar wrote in an Instagram post. “Sadly, along with all the feelings of grief and shock that we have experienced over the last few days, also came this undeniable reality: that running our small business is no longer sustainable. The hospitality industry functions on a day-by-day basis and right now, as they say – the math just isn’t mathing.”
The bar’s post, however, expressed that the owners “remain steadfast” in their commitment to serving the queer community, adding, “As such, we hope this is not goodbye; that hopefully this is just ‘see ya later.'”
Two days later, The Ruby Fruit subsequently posted a note thanking community members for their support and saying it would soon share “hopeful future plans.”
“In the meantime, we want to re-amplify the GoFundMe we created on behalf of our employees to help them as we navigate this transition,” the bar noted.
Henrietta Hudson, a Manhattan-based “queer human bar built by dykes,” and Cubbyhole, another Manhattan queer bar popular among lesbian patrons, is hosting a posted calls to action on their respective social media platforms in a bid to draw support for folks in Los Angeles.
Henrietta Hudson scheduled a “Sunday Fund(raiser) Day” on Jan. 19 featuring multiple ways for folks to give back, including at a drag bingo event and a late-night dance party. All in all, 10% of sales for the day will be donated to wildlife relief funds, the bar said in an Instagram post.
On Jan. 13, Cubbyhole hosted a “flash fundraiser,” complete with $5 raffle tickets, supporting the LA LGBT Center and the not-profit Pasadena Humane. Cubbyhole also called on folks to support a fundraiser led by Pearl Bar — a lesbian bar in Houston — benefitting the staff at Honey’s.
Among other spots, C’mon everybody, a queer bar in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn, posted on Instagram to publicize a Jan. 18 “fundraiser tea dance” at the bar to support Pasadena Humane and World Central Kitchen. All funds will be donated, according to the bar.
The Stonewall Inn posted a “How to Donate” guide on its own Instagram page featuring five different places to donate, including the California Fire Foundation, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, and more.
