Once Essential, Now Irrelevant? The Decline of the Gay Bar

• In Event: 090 - Section on Sociology of Sexualities Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Queer Sexual Communities

Abstract

Up until the 1980s, gay bars served as vital community institutions central in the lives of gay men. Yet, starting in the 80s, the number of gay bars began a precipitous decline. Initially caused by the AIDS epidemic, the decline did not cease as the epidemic abated. This paper argues that the cause of the decline can be linked to the rise of the Internet and cell phone use, the integration of gay people into broader society, changing neighborhoods, and bar owners’ strategic maladaptation to a changing environment. The paper pays particular attention to the role of gay integration into society in the decline, suggesting that social movement scholars can look to this example to better understand the complex dynamics that lead social movements to achieve unintended outcomes.

Author

• Justin Grant Louie, Northwestern University