Herz (lesbian bar)

Herz

Address	4070 Government Boulevard, Mobile, Alabama U.S
Coordinates	30°38′13″N 88°8′33″W
Opened	2019 (2019)
Closed	2023

Herz was a lesbian bar in Mobile, Alabama run by Rachel and Sheila Smallman and owned by Rachel Broughton.^[1][2] It opened on October 4, 2019,^[3] and was the only lesbian bar in Alabama and one of only four in the south.^[1] The owners had explored different cities and states and been thrown out of at least one gay bar for being women before selecting Mobile as the ideal location for their bar.^[4]

The bar was featured as part of the Lesbian Bar Project, an initiative to preserve and highlight the remaining lesbian bars in the United States, and Queer to Stay, an LGBTQ+ business preservation project.^[5][6][7]

On April 4, 2023, the bar announced its closure via social media.^[3]

References

1. Mims, Taylor (18 November 2020). "'The Adversity They Face Is Amplified': How LGBTQ Venues Are Faring In the Pandemic". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
2. Specker, Lawrence (2021-06-04). "Mobile venue Herz featured in documentary 'The Lesbian Bar Project'". al. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
3. Specker, Lawrence (2023-04-28). "Mobile's Herz, one of nation's last lesbian bars, has closed". AL.com. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
4. "21 lesbian bars remain in America. Owners share why they must be protected". PBS NewsHour. 2021-06-10. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
5. Gardner, Chris (2021-06-05). "Showtime, Human Rights Campaign Expand Second "Queer to Stay" Initiative". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
6. "Herz". The Lesbian Bar Project. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
7. Compton, Julie (3 June 2021). "'The Lesbian Bar Project' chronicles the decline of women's queer spaces". NBC News. Retrieved 15 June 2021.

External links

• official site