The queer bar has long served as a space for hedonism—to escape, even briefly, a society that continues to view many LGBTQIA+ identities as deviant or dangerous. But that reprieve is vanishing: The Lesbian Bar Project reports that in the ’80s there were around 200 queer women-focused establishments in the U.S. The current estimate is 21.
Inspired by the LBP’s research, the rising queer chanteuse FLETCHER spent Pride Month bar-hopping around the country. This “Meet Her At The Bar” series brought the 28-year-old singer to four women-owned watering holes, where the self-described “sensitive-ass Pisces” performed acoustic versions of her songs for die-hard crowds. These intimate spaces were the perfect setting to introduce the Fletch Fam to “Her Body Is Bible,” the first single from the FLETCHER’s debut studio album (slotted to arrive in mid-September). Her pilgrimage ended last Friday at Henrietta Hudson in the West Village, where the singer also announced a $50k donation to GLAAD’s Rapid Response Initiative and Communities of Color Program. Here, FLETCHER shares a few choice moments from her queer bar road trip with us.
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PEARL BAR
HOUSTON
“This was my first time ever singing ‘Her Body Is Bible’ with my fans. Wild they knew the words before it had even been released.”
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AS YOU ARE
D.C.
“Definitely took some shots with fans as part of the raffle experience. Every dollar spent goes straight to the bar so we continue to keep queer spaces open, so we got drunk in the name of gay rights. LOL. “
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GOSSIP GRILL
SAN DIEGO
“It was probably the most rowdy of all of the dates, San Diego knows how to bring the energy. I signed a lot of b00bies, and then someone got it tattooed right after.”
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HENRIETTA HUDSON
NEW YORK
“It was the same day our country learned of some really challenging news, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect environment to lean on in that moment. Ending the trip in the city that will always have my heart was a cherry on top.”
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