There's a lot of sex, connection, and hookups that happen in men's clubs and bars. "Once they become connected and find a mate or someone they're dating, you won't see them in the club anymore. "It's very simple: For women, connecting and meeting is social," she explains. She also notes how lesbian relationships function differently from those of cisgender gay men. Burgos believes this to be the reason lesbian bars and spaces have dwindled. Queer women can marry and raise families. It's because of women like Cohen that lesbians can walk into any venue without fear. In South Florida, she played a significant role in the lesbian scene. Until her death, she lived in Miami with her wife, Beth. She opened one of the first LGBT women's clubs in the country in the 1970s, called the Sahara in the Village."įrom opening a popular lesbian nightclub to writing a memoir of her personal queer love story, Cohen's accomplishments are too vast to list in their entirety. I stand on her shoulders - as do all LGBT women, club promoters, and producers. "Cohen passed away last month from brain cancer. "Are you aware of the news of the passing of Leslie Cohen?" asks Burgos, adding that one can't discuss the lesbian nightlife scene without bringing up the LGBTQ+ activist. Lesbian bars and parties weren't merely entertaining spaces they were safe havens where queer women could be themselves.Īnd it all started with one woman: Leslie Cohen. Now married with a family, Burgos says living out and proud wasn't possible back in the day. While those sporadic events thrive, dedicated lesbian spaces continue to close down. We created the first Women's White Party, and after that, Girls in Wonderland, which is now the largest women's festival in the country." They just wanted to create something sexy, beautiful, and a really cool dance experience. They created one party and then a couple more, and then I joined them," Burgos says. They wanted to create just a cool, very sexy party.
9F in Wilton Manors is lesbian owned and operated, but it doesn't cater exclusively to a lesbian clientele.) Now there are about 15.Īnd after New Moon in Wilton Manors closed in 2014, there are no exclusively lesbian bars in all of Florida, leaving it up to events like Girls in Wonderland, the June party put on by Pandora, to maintain those lesbian spaces. In the 1980s, there were about 200 lesbian bars in the U.S. Maybe you think of Gramps with its drag nights, alluring cocktails, and welcoming environment. Likely, images of Miami Beach, with the hot sand between your toes and sun-scorched gays smiling in bright patterned swimsuits, pop up. When you think of Miami's LGBTQ+ scene, queer women and lesbian spaces rarely come to mind. You were out on Friday or Saturday night at our clubs."Īmid the cries of children at a mommy-and-me class, the co-owner of Pandora Events, founder of Aqua Girl, and board member of the Aqua Foundation reflects on what South Florida's lesbian scene used to be. There wasn't Facebook or Tinder or Hinge or Her. "You weren't walking Lincoln Road holding your partner's hand. "Back in the day, you weren't out," Alison Burgos says.
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