Comments on: Entrepreneur.com Predicts Gay Bars Face Extinction In 10 Years

By: julian halevy

julian halevy — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:55:46 +0000

Notwithstanding a few typos, I stand by my statement. In order to contain an element of mystery, bars should a little risque,atmospheric,libertine. After all, the basic conflict between sexuality and respectability continues to apply, and papering it over with antiseptic alternative locales can never satisfy the sense of adventure that goes along with a dark haunt!

By: julian halevy

julian halevy — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:45:44 +0000

Gay bars provide a kind of community. Any idea of them as “skeevy,” or even, “sleazy” comes from the direction of mock bourgeois gentility. Why long for the wholesomeness of suburban life when being gay is not “wholesome,” not really, and neither is living in or being in a great city. I love the somewhat noir environment of a gay bar, especially ones where bugarrones congregate, like the old Stella’s in midtown Manhattan. But even the friendly, very bar Monster in the Village is, for me, any indispensable aspect of home-erotic community life. All missing in Bloomberg’s sad, straight-laced vision of the contemporary metropolis.

By: NickC

NickC — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:21:31 +0000

My three kids (ages 25 to 30 and all straight) love to go out to gay bars with me, whether here in DC where I live or when I visit them in New York. I always say it’s because gay bars serve bigger drinks. Plus, Dad’s paying!

More seriously, I do think we’re seeing the demise of the traditional dark, dreary gay bar that existed primarily as a place for pick-ups. But almost everywhere I travel–from Chicago and LA to Omaha, Nebraska–the bright, attractive lounge-style gay bars are packed.

Certainly, there’s some cruising and pick-ups going on in these bars, too–as in all straight bars I’ve ever visited. But they function primarily as settings to socialize with friends, or for dancing later at night, rather than for covert sexual encounters.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:57:29 +0000

Marc,
You’re forgetting about all the out-of wedlock children and single-parent homes that more than make up for the hetero-couples not having as many kids.
While it’s true the gay population will ebb and flow along with the general population, I don’t see anything suggesting our population is dwindling.

By: Marc5

Marc5 — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:27:13 +0000

I agree that gay bars aren’t going to go out of existence,but I think bar hopping in general is down because of the internet, smoking ban, drunk driving laws, etc. I also wonder if gay bars aren’t going to see a shortage of clientelle in future years because of less gays being born. SInce hetero couples no longer have that many children (usually an average of two), it seems like the statistical chances of one being gay drops. I don’t think gays will cease to exist, but I think their numbers will be less in 50 years.

By: ebohlman

ebohlman — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:34:29 +0000

I can’t see the type of gay bar that serves the same function as a straight singles bar going away any time soon. Mixed venues aren’t going to replace it for reasons of simple math: unless you like really big crowds, you’re only going to run into a handful of gay men in a mixed venue. Assuming that 5% of men are gay and that a mixed venue usually has a 50/50 gender mix, you’re only going to encounter 2-3 gay men per 100 patrons. It doesn’t matter if all the straight men are accepting and don’t beat you up if you hit on them; finding a suitable partner is still going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack (and with only a handful of gay men, the chances that none of them are your type or that you aren’t any of their types become pretty great).

OTOH, the type of bar that’s primarily a place for listening to music or dancing (really any non-cruisy bar) is going to be less likely to be “gay” or “straight” in the future.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:21:38 +0000

Tim,
That is true, I know a few straight couples who love going to the bars because they love dancing and they say the gay bars are just “more friendly” than the straight ones.

By: Timothy Kincaid

Timothy Kincaid — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:08:42 +0000

Alas, Jim, in Los Angeles you do sometimes have to wonder if the guy is gay… in a gay bar. While some venues are becoming more gay friendly, the gay bars are finding themselves to be more appealing to friendly straights.

By: GayAsXmas

GayAsXmas — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:47:03 +0000

I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I wrote about the article from a Lonfon perspective a while back – http://gayasxmas.blogspot.com/2007/09/gay-bubble-shrinks.html

Short version: Yes the scene will change and diversify, especially as younger generations find more acceptance, but gay bars will always have a place, especially for men and women to meet.

By: Daniel Gonzales

Daniel Gonzales — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:52:03 +0000

haha, I had to look that up “skeevy” in Urban Dictionary. Here’s a link:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=skeevy