Lectures on Tap - "The Rise and Fall of the American Lesbian Bar"

Join us for an engaging evening where professors, experts, and storytellers bring their thought-provoking lectures to your favorite bar in the Lower East Side, Manhattan!

Hosted by the Lectures on Tap team.

🗓️ Date: October 14th, 2025

🕡 Time: 6:30 PM

📍 Location: Lower East Side, Manhattan (exact address given in confirmation email)

📚 Lecture: "The Rise and Fall of the American Lesbian Bar"

🎤 Speaker: Viktoria Capek & Whitney Butler, Founders of Hairpins: Events for Lesbians & Queers

This lecture traces the life cycle of lesbian bars in the United States—how they emerged, their importance to the communities they served, and the reasons behind their decline. With only 37 lesbian bars remaining across the country compared to over 800 traditional gay bars, the significance of places like New York City’s iconic Henrietta Hudson cannot be overstated.

Viktoria Capek and Whitney Butler will explore lesbian bars as essential gathering spaces, political hubs, and lifelines for marginalized genders and sexualities. They’ll discuss the challenges they face, including gentrification and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, while also highlighting innovative solutions like pop-up events in under-resourced areas.

Be part of this interactive session and share your experiences with queer spaces and visions for the future of sapphic gathering places.

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Lower East Side, Address found in email confirmation, New York, United States