Are Gay Bars On the Decline With Gen Z?

Are Gay Bars On the Decline With Gen Z?

Covid was not kind to the nightlife industry as a whole. Without being able to operate, many clubs and bars closed down and barely have scrapped through. The after-effects are still being felt and the murmurs among the gay community is that gay bars and clubs have lost their appeal and are on the decline. There have been many gay spaces that have been part of gay bar history that have closed. Here at our headquarters in West Hollywood, we have lost Rage, Faultline, and Gold Coast - major mainstays that many of us grew up in and had our first gay bar experiences. These institutions were just supposed to always be there. Just this week, we lost Stache, a fresh, lively bar that sprung up after the pandemic that had nightly events that appealed to a wide variety of the queer community. It just couldn't last. Even Lisa Vanderpump's famed Pump didn't last. Happy hours, in particular, seem to be on the decline. Once, the Weho strip would be filled from 5 pm to 8 pm with every bar filled to the brim with happy hour goers. Now, you have to go looking for that one club that happens to have a decent crowd. Even the historical Mickys has started to close on Tuesdays because of a lack patrons. What is happening?

 

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A post shared by Stache West Hollywood (@stacheweho)

Of course, money has a big thing to do with everything. The economy is still reeling from Covid and many are still struggling to catch up. That being said, prices have gone up everywhere. From groceries to gas to rent, just living is expensive. Also, when the bars get empty they have to jack up prices to pay their rent and staff. Once upon a time, you could get a two-for-one in West Hollywood or a well drink for $5. Now, you're lucky to find a $12 drink or glass of wine during happy hour. Going out has just become a high expense that many can't handle. The older generation of gays are barely surviving on social security, and they used to be a big part of happy hour, but with higher prices, they can't afford it anymore. The younger generation is working two jobs or having to Uber/DoorDash to scrape by, they aren't going to spend their hard-earned dollars at an empty bar for happy hour. The nightlife is still thriving in West Hollywood, although we are seeing more and more of the crowds become integrated in terms of the straights. The last three times we've been to the Abbey on a Sunday (in less than a month), there has been a girl who has thrown up all over the place at the climax of brunch. Fun. All of that aside, the elders of the community are blaming the Gen Z gays for the decline of the bar/nightlife. Let's take a look at why maybe there is some truth to that.

 

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A post shared by Gold Coast Bar - Weho (@goldcoastweho)

There was a time when in order to connect with anyone, you would have to go to the bar. We remember our one nightstands, or even finding our new relationships while winking at the hot guy from across the club and buying him a drink. There was a thrill heading out in your best look, wondering who you would happen to meet. In addition, we made many new friends and built a strong circle of people we had met at the club. Hell, we'd even befriend our bartenders and make lifelong friends. Now we are glued to our smartphones. We are gliding through profiles on Grindr, Tinder, and Sniffies, what have you. We have hookup capabilities in our hands and don't need to go to the club. We don't even need to leave the house anymore.

 

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A post shared by Pump Restaurant (@pumprestaurant)

We know that Gen Z has brought new ideas of sexuality and identities. When some of us came out, there were only gay, straight, and bi. To be honest, being bi was just a stepping stone to being gay for a lot of us. Now there is non-binary, fluid, pansexual, asexual, the list goes on and on. Gay bars and clubs just don't speak to everyone in our community anymore. The younger generation is more geared towards inclusivity and feels comfortable in a "straight" place just as much as they do in a gay club. They are not interested in conforming so they may not be as eager to dance the night away to the latest Kesha or Beyonce release. They might be impressed with the gyrating beefcake in underwear on the go-go box. While some clubs are waning in numbers, there are more trivia nights and karaoke nights springing up all over. Literally, every bar in Weho now has a trivia night. Are the gays looking at different ways to congregate rather than getting messy on the dancefloor?

 

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A post shared by GYM Bar WeHo (@wehogymbar)

There has also been more self-care and mental health awareness in the younger generation. In the past, if we were feeling down we'd run to the club, drink our cares away, and shove everything up our nose to have a good time. Gen Zers are taking control of their health. Being sober in the queer community has lost its stigma and there is a growing faction of gays that proudly live a sober life. Also, the legalization of pot in many places has taken over where booze can't. The younger gays are working out, they are hiking, they are doing yoga, they are meditating, and they are more concerned with going to therapy or communicating their feelings rather than waking up with a hangover with their bank account depleted.

Of course, these are all generalizations, but it does make you think. There are glimmers of hope with clubs shifting to attract a wider audience, there are new clubs that are coming in and trying to make a name for themselves, there are new owners stepping in to revitalize. But we do miss the club scene of yesteryear and the carefree ways that were. We miss cheap cocktails and dancing the night away at afterhours. Maybe we are just getting older, maybe we are just too damn broke.

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