Jagermeister moves to save lesbian bars
Jagermeister will work with the LGBTQ community to save the remaining 15 lesbian bars in the US in the wake of the pandemic lockdown that has affected nightlife spots.
The German liqueur is working with the Lesbian Bar Project on a “Save the Night” (#savethenight) campaign for a four-week fundraising campaign.
Jagermeister and lesbian bars
The collaborative project will have a 90-second PSA narrated by actress Lea DeLaria of Orange Is the New Black that highlights the influence of lesbian venues.
The PSA will also pay homage to noteworthy bars that have already closed. Meanwhile, the campaign website has testimonials, information about the remaining bars, and a donation portal.
Both Jagermeister and the Lesbian Bar Project will develop a documentary series on the history and influence of lesbian bars.
Of the estimated 200 lesbian bars that had operated during the late 1980s in the US, this was down to 16 by early 2020, according to Cliff Rigano, director of culture, lifestyle, and event marketing at Mast-Jägermeister US.
One of the 16 lesbian bars had already closed because of the coronavirus, Rigano reported.
Jagermeister’s funding drive
The initiative of the German alcohol brand, which has a record of supporting the LGBTQ community, is part of their effort to aid bars that have been affected by the pandemic.
They launched this during the year by donating to charities helping the nightlife economy. However, the extension of their “Save the Night” push is the first to focus specifically on lesbian bars.
The donation drive will run for 30 days for most of the month of November. The fundraising proceeds will go towards helping the participating bars survive the present pandemic.
Prior to the pandemic lockdowns and closures, many lesbian bars were already affected by rising urban rents, lack of capital, and cultural shifts.
However, these bars also served as community hubs and safe spaces for queer women, nonbinary women, trans men, and others who aren’t comfortable in gay-male-centric bars.
The goal of the Lesbian Bar Project
Because of the pandemic, the surviving lesbian bars have been supporting each other on social media and sharing strategies.
Through the Lesbian Bar Project, the bars will get a boost with the money raised this November being shared evenly between them.
Meanwhile, the short documentary series being developed will have co-directors Erica Rose and Elina Street behind it.
“When it came to our attention that lesbian bars were disappearing at a staggering rate, we knew we had to act fast and put our filmmaking skills to good use,” Rose and Street said.
Julie Mabry, owner of Pearl Bar in Houston, said: “Lesbian bars are hard to open and hard to maintain. I don’t know when or if another bar will open. I don’t want to see any more bars close.”