Browsing by Subject "Gay bars"

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    Gay Bar Culture and Drinking in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Two-Spirited Community
    (2024-04-10) Dolan, Eleanor; Ostrander, Nomi
    Gay bars have long been a staple of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Two-Spirited (LGBTQIA2S+) community. They were often the only spaces for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals to meet others, connect with their community, and engage in activism (Escoffier, 1997). Yet today the LGBTQIA2S+ community engages in disproportionately high levels of drinking (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). This study examines the impact of gay bar culture of drinking in the LGBTQIA2S+ community through a survey of 60 participants from Minnesota who identify as members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The majority of participants reported no change in their drinking behavior between LGBTQIA2S+ and non-LGBTQIA2S+ spaces. Yet many expressed a need for more sober LGBTQIA2S+ spaces. Participants also expressed feeling safe in LGBTQIA2S+ spaces and enjoying their time in them. More research is required on the need for sober LGBTQIA2S+ spaces and the benefits they bring.