>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
Good evening, everyone.
I think we're ready
to get started.
How's everyone doing?
Yes, yes? It has been a
day here in Washington DC.
I'm sure we can all
attest to that.
Thank you so much,
everyone for coming
to The Lesbian Bar Project
screening and panel discussion,
hosted by the LGBT Congressional
Staff Association, LC-GLOBE
and the Equality Caucus,
a round of applause.
My name is Laura Munoz Lopez,
I am the LGBT Congressional
Staff Association Social
Events Director.
I obviously want to start
by saying thank you to all
of the panelists, the
special guests and everyone
who had a hand in
making this happen.
It has been a labor of love.
I even went to New York for some
research purposes to a couple
of the bars, so I can attest
that they are as great
as they seem in the film,
but we are going to start
with some brief remarks
from Senator Baldwin,
followed by Representative
Sharice Davids,
and then followed by the panel
and a brief Q&A if time allows.
Just as a reminder,
please keep your mask
on if you're not
social distancing,
and no flash photography.
So without further ado, let me
introduce a true trailblazer
in the LGBTQ plus
community, Senator Baldwin
from the great state
of Wisconsin.
Let me say a couple of things
and then the Senator
will come up.
In 1998, Wisconsin's Second
District shattered the state's
glass ceiling and elected her as
the state's first female member
of Congress, and the nation's
first openly gay challenger sent
to Congress.
That's amazing, in 1998.
She was later elected to
the US Senate in 2012,
making her Wisconsin's first
woman to serve in the US Senate,
and the first openly gay
member elected to the body.
Let's give her a
round of applause.
>> Senator Tammy Baldwin:
Well, thank you so much.
It's really an honor to be here.
I'm very excited to be
here for the screening
of this really important
film, and to applaud everyone
who is involved in The Lesbian
Bar Project for fighting
to preserve these
spaces and tell the story
of how they have nurtured
and supported our communities
for decades, and I'm so proud
to see Milwaukee's own Walker
Point represented in the mix
of these establishments.
You know, I often say that
we can't mistake progress
for victory.
While so much has changed
for the LGBTQ community,
Sharice Davids, and I stand here
before you as elected members
of the House and Senate.
We're proof of that, but we also
know that for too many people
in too many places, we still
have a long, long way to go.
We still need places to
feel safe, supported,
and a part of a community,
places where we can
be unequivocally
and unreservedly ourselves,
but a lesbian bar isn't just a
gathering place or a sanctuary.
It's a place where
activism is sparked,
and movements are created.
It's a place where communities
pull together to help someone
who is ill, or in
financial need.
As all of you know, this has
been an incredibly difficult
time for many businesses,
including bars and restaurants,
and places are already
feeling pressure to close,
and were perhaps
the most vulnerable.
Lesbian bars are still so
very important as we continue
to build the world that we all
want, where everyone feels safe
and accepted and valued,
wherever they might be,
but thank you for
recognizing that fact,
and helping to make sure they
survive, and I just wanted
to end with a couple of my
own lesbian bar reflections.
When I was in my 20s, I
used to like annually,
take a cross country trip,
and I didn't have much money
at the time, and
so I would drive
and I would have my pup tent
and sleeping bag in the back,
and I would find places to stop,
and this was before the
digital age, so I had this book
about lesbian establishments
across the country, you know?
It's like a travel guide for
lesbians, and so I would stop,
you know, after I'd driven all
day, and then I'd pick a place
to go, and that was one of the
most interesting anthropological
and just exciting things to
find that no matter where I was
in the USA, that I could find
a safe and affirming place
to start -- to hang out.
This is mostly back in the '80s.
I also had -- my
sport is volleyball.
I don't have time to
play very much anymore,
but back in the day, it
was always our lesbian bar
who sponsored our volleyball
team, so we would end
up going back there and
celebrating our wins,
drowning out our
losses, whatever.
I remember, this is just -- this
is going nowhere, but I'm going
to tell you anyways, because --
so I also would go and
watch our college team play,
the University of
Wisconsin-Madison players,
and knew the whole team because
I was such a big volleyball fan,
and one night, we're there.
I'm there with my volleyball
team, and the middle hitter,
from the UW, you know,
Badgers, she had just graduated,
was there, and I'm like,
that's Kristen Roman,
that's Kristen Roman.
It was like okay, we got to
recruit her for our team.
She's no longer -- you know,
she's graduated, and so we did.
So we had, you know, a
star athlete on our team.
The rest of us were trying to
play as best we can, and anyway,
she is now the Police
Chief at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison,
and after a long career
with the Madison
Police Department.
So just a couple of weeks ago,
I had the UW Badger
women's volleyball team here
at the Capitol.
They were going to play
Maryland, which is now
in the big 10, which is
composed of about 20 teams,
but this is all an
aside, and anyways,
they all knew the whole --
yes, our police chief was a star
middle hitter for the Badgers,
and I was so excited
to tell them
that that was my favorite sport,
but I think you never know
what's going to happen
in a lesbian bar, so thanks.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank
you so much, Senator Baldwin.
Now it's my pleasure
to introduce representative
Sharice Davids.
I don't know how
many of you were
at the softball game last night.
They should have won, but
she crushed it individually,
so round of applause for that.
Let me just give a quick "do you
know" about the Congresswoman
because I found some
stuff out myself.
I was, you know, googling,
so we all know she was sworn
into the 116th Congress and
making her one of two --
one of the first two
Native American women
to serve in Congress.
She is currently a co-chair
of the Equality Caucus,
and you may know that she is
highly trained in martial arts,
and has competed in it
professionally, so do not mess
with her, but did you also
know that she's a member
of the Ho-Chunk nation, which
is a Native American tribe
in Wisconsin?
I didn't know that.
And also, did you know
that she is the chair
of the Small Business
Subcommittee on economic growth,
tax and capital access?
It's a mouthful,
but it's important.
So we learned something
new every day.
Please give a round of
applause for the Congresswoman.
>> Rep. Sharice Davids:
It's bright.
It's real bright.
I'm shorter than the Senator.
Not by much.
Well, good evening, everybody.
I can't really see everybody
because it's so bright.
So a couple of -- I didn't
realize I was going to need
to have some kind of
lesbian bar reflections.
I think the best thing
for me to do with this
to be to say, no comment.
My roommate who lives in --
my roommate in Kansas is here
and probably is like,
yeah, that's the best.
So I'm Sharice Davids.
I represent the Kansas Third
Congressional District.
I'm in the, I don't know,
10th year of my second term,
but seriously, I just thank
you so much for inviting me
to be here for a
little bit tonight.
Unfortunately, I won't be
able to participate in the
like actual getting to watch
the screening this evening,
but I'm very much
looking forward to it.
Just like really quickly,
because when you're a member
of Congress, I think sometimes
you forget that, like,
nobody knows who you are,
and so just I kind of wanted
to like give a little
bit of background
about how I ended up here.
So I was raised by a single
mom who served in the army
for 20 years, which
is how a Ho-Chunk
from Wisconsin ends
up in Kansas.
She retired while she
was stationed in Kansas,
and then we kind of
stuck around that area,
partly because of the great
public schools, and then I ended
up working and going to school.
I started off with
an associate's degree
at Johnson County
Community College,
which is in the district
that I get to represent now,
and that took me four years,
and then another four years
to get my bachelor's degree,
because I was working the whole
time, and just trying to figure
out life, which I think is
not an uncommon experience,
you know, and it's something
unfortunately, that is kind
of uncommon in the like
leadership positions all
across the country in
all different sectors,
including the government.
And I got the chance to do
all kinds of like fun stuff.
I mean, going to law
school, so I don't know
if anybody else thinks
that that would be fun,
but I got the chance to like
have all these opportunities,
and in 2018, when I was kind of
looking at what was going on,
not just in the country, but
from the short time that I got
to spend out here in DC
as a White House fellow,
I realized that we needed to
bring new voices to the table,
and to just have more elected
officials, like the senator,
who can show up and bring
that different perspective,
and for me, that was
looking around and saying
like where are all the
first-generation college
students or former
first-generation
college students.
My mom did get her bachelor's
degree about four years ago,
and I think that, like
this is one of those times
where we saw a bunch
of people do that.
We saw a resetting, I think,
a resetting of expectations
in 2018 for who runs for
office, who we support,
how we support them and who we
elect, and it wasn't the end
of the road, though, right?
It was just one of the steps,
and in 2020, we took a step.
In 2022, I'm excited about
what we're going to see
as we move forward, just kind
of like who's here,
who's showing up?
And I'm not even just
talking about politics.
I'm talking about the just a
general discourse in our society
about what we want to be because
I think this time in history,
people are going to look back
50 years from now and see
that we were doing things like
this, that we were lifting
up people in all the different
spaces, arts, sciences.
I'm getting nervous
about this feedback.
I don't like feedback.
No, I'm kidding.
But here we are, you know?
I get to be one of the first
two native women ever elected
to Congress.
I get to be the first out LGBTQ
Two Spirit community member
to serve from Kansas.
And like, I get to
serve with some --
the most diverse Congress ever,
and I think the most amazing
part and the beautiful thing
about what we bring is not
just our own lived experiences,
although like they're
pretty cool.
Again, no comment on
the younger years,
but what we bring is not just
our own lived experiences.
It's recognizing what it's like
to be the only person like you
in the room, and I think that
is something that so many
of us have experienced, not
us, the members of Congress,
like us, the people
in this room.
I'm sure that every single
one of us at one time
or another has been the
only person like ourselves
in the room for one reason
or another, and has thought,
do I say something or not?
And like, sometimes you
have the energy of support,
and sometimes you don't, and
every single time, we get more
and more people into the room,
we get to bring those
experiences, but we also get
to look around and say
well, who hasn't been here?
And how do we bring
more voices in?
Like, what can we
do to make sure
that there are more people
coming into the fold,
coming into the conversation,
coming into the space,
whatever the space is?
Oh, no, I do have
some funny stories
about lesbian bars in here.
No, I'm kidding.
I don't, I don't.
But I do think -- I mean,
that is one of the things that's
really special, though, right?
-- about having that space,
having like a queer space
where you can go and just
feel like you're safe,
because sometimes, I mean,
because safety isn't just
about physical safety.
It's about emotional safety.
It's about our social
safety, and sometimes,
that's the only place
where you feel like you get
to be yourself, and I think
that that is a really,
really important thing, because
too many people spend too much
of their lives feeling unsafe,
particularly when we're talking
about our young LGBTQ
Two Spirit youth,
who might never have anybody
until they until they're able
to go to a dedicated queer
space, and so I think
like this project
is so important,
because it helps
highlight why we need
to be creating safe spaces
for folks, and you know,
in my role in the Small
Business Committee,
I also get to help make
sure that businesses,
whether it's restaurants
or bars, or nightclubs,
or whatever queer spaces
we're talking about,
have access to capital, and
I'm also on the TNI committee,
so like the roads and transit to
get to get to those safe spaces
to have stories that you
will later say no comment to.
Thank you all so much.
I'm so glad you're
-- we're all here.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Okay,
so I mean, I think I just want
to get started with
everyone kind
of just introducing their
themselves and name the bar
that they own, manage, and
then we will get right into it.
So well, and the director, so
let's start here with Elina.
>> Elina Street: Hi,
I'm Elina Street.
I'm the co-director
and co-creator
of The Lesbian Bar Project.
Thank you all for being here.
>> Erica Rose: I'm Erica Rose,
co-director and co-creator
of The Lesbian Bar Project.
Also just want to give a shout
out to our Jagermeister family.
Thank you so much for supporting
the Lesbian Bar Project,
and thank you all so much for
being here, family and friends
and coworkers, frenemies,
whoever you are.
>> Elina Street:
Old acquaintances --
>> Erica Rose: Yeah,
old acquaintances.
>> Elina Street: -- lovers.
>> Erica Rose: And I just want
to note that a year ago today,
we launched The Lesbian Bar
Project, so it just feels
so serendipitous,
amazing that a year --
like exactly a year
later, we're here, so Elina
and I are just so thankful.
Thank you.
>> Elina Street: Yeah,
and we also wanted to add
that we did raise over
$250,000 for the bars
since it started a year ago.
>> Ally Spaulding:
I'm Ally Spalding.
I am the general
manager of a league
of her own here in
Washington DC.
>> Lisa Cannistraci: Hey,
I'm Lisa Cannistraci,
the owner of Henrietta Hudson.
>> Sheila Smallman Hi,
I'm Sheila Smallman,
owner of Hers Bar,
Mobile, Alabama.
>> Rachel Smallman: Hi,
I'm Rachel Smallman,
co-owner of Hers Bar
in Mobile, Alabama.
>> Rach Pike: Hi, I'm Rach Pike,
co-founder of As You Are Bar,
soon to be open in
Washington, DC.
>> Jo McDaniel: And I'm Joe
McDaniel, the other co-founder
of As You Are Bar,
forthcoming to Washington, DC.
>> Yeah.
>> Lisa Meninchino: And I'm Lisa
Meninchino, the owner Cubbyhole
in the West Village
in New York City.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: And I
don't want to go without saying
that there was someone's
birthday yesterday,
so just make sure that we
say happy birthday to Lisa
down there, the owner
of Henrietta Hudson.
The film directors
made me do it.
Just kidding, they didn't.
You know, something that I
think, you know, just to kind
of level set to start
off, one of the things
that was really unsettling
to me,
being part of the queer
community is the fact
that in the '80s, there
were over 200, lesbian bars,
and today, there
are literally 21.
Like, every time I've told
someone about this event,
and with that fact,
they're like, how many?
21? Like, are you sure?
I'm like, I'm sure.
So I mean, this is a question
really, for anyone that would
like to answer, but
how did we get here?
How did this happen?
Please don't make
me call on people.
>> Yeah. One of the
Lisa's has to answer that.
>> Lisa Meninchino: I think
as -- like I said in the film,
it used to be the only place
that lesbians, gay people,
could go in which
to meet people,
in which to meet people
socially, romantically,
what have you, and as we
progressed, and as we were more
and more accepted in broader
society, I think it became okay
to come out at work, or to go
to straight bars and be out
and to meet people that way, and
so there was a less of a need
for the lesbian bar, for the
gay bar, and so it was kind
of an unintended consequence
of our progress, in a sense.
There's also with the advent
of technology, it became easier
to meet people online.
And, so again, you didn't
need the actual space to go
and meet a friend or, you know,
a romantic partner, whoever.
So that those are two factors
that I think, you know,
contributed a great
deal to its decline.
Also, I think a lot of times
the lesbians sort of looked
at a gay bar as or a
lesbian bar as sort
of like an old friend, you know?
You didn't -- you may not have
spoken to him or her for years,
but they're always going to
be there when you need it,
and it's sort of like a
dissonance between well, no,
that's not the way it works.
Like you have to support it.
You have to come, and otherwise
they're going to disappear,
so that's, in my opinion,
what I think happened.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank you.
Does anyone else
want to add to that?
>> Lisa Cannistraci: Sure.
I'd like to add to it.
I definitely echo
everything Lisa said.
I was a big part of the
marriage equality movement.
I was the vice President
of Marriage Equality USA
when DOMA was struck down,
and I knew the entire time I was
fighting for marriage equality,
that it would adversely
affect my business,
because lesbians can assimilate
into mainstream society
much more easily
and seamlessly than gay men.
They wouldn't have a
need to come to the --
they started making
out at Applebee's.
You know? I'm serious.
And, you know, for them to
come to the West Village,
I had to give them
a real reason,
and it really did force
me to make my bar better,
like 10 years ago, right?
-- to reboot it again
and reboot it again.
But it's 100% true, like, you
have to give them a real reason
to come, and I guess
it keeps you on top
of your game, if nothing else.
Yeah.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
That's a great answer.
>> Rach Pike: I want to --
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
Yeah [inaudible].
>> Rach Pike: I just want to
add some perspective as a --
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Yeah.
>> Rach Pike: --
parent of queer humans.
I think that that is totally
accurate, and we're starting
to see a shift where we kind
of what the congresswoman
said like,
you can't mistake
victory for progress.
I think we had a lot of
victories and people hung
on to those as progress,
and as time went on,
we realized that we hadn't made
quite the progress we thought
with that victory, and our
youth is really in tune to that
and we're -- we have vocabulary
and conversations revolving
around different identities
outside of just your sexuality.
And these humans need safe
spaces more now than they did
when after right
after those victories,
and they're demanding
it, and now we have
to step up and provide it.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
Amen, right?
That's a great answer.
Thank you.
> Lisa Meninchino: And it's --
they're an enclave of just
intergenerational, lesbian,
LBGTQ plus experience in history
and they have to survive,
and I think this, The Lesbian
Bar Project has really brought
it to the community's attention.
So, thank you.
>> Lisa Cannistraci: I
want to just add something.
The former -- the
President who was
in the White House before this
particular President, I --
when he -- when that happened,
I knew my business was going
to be thriving, and for the
-- not for the right reasons.
People were fearful again, so
the previous administration,
eight years of Barack,
people felt safe, you know?
They were -- it was a
completely different experience,
and then when the last
President was elected,
they came running back to the
queer spaces, like running
for their lives terrified,
and they were right, you know?
Gay bashings went up, transfem
murders went through the roof,
you know, normalizing hate
in all the communities.
I kind of felt guilty about it,
but I guess my friends
were like, no, Lisa,
that's what you -- you
know, you provide the space.
They need it.
They're going to come back.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Right.
That's what the space is for,
and to Lisa, on that end,
the point that you made
about, you know, the history,
I think that's why it's
so important, and why Meg
and Metcab [phonetic],
I'm going to give a shout
out to wherever they
are with the exhibit
that they did beforehand,
to just show the history
of lesbian bars and
queer spaces in general,
so that we don't lose sight
of that is really important,
but Lisa, on the other side,
just reference something
that being from South
Carolina, is really important,
you know, to have those spaces.
And, you know, I grew
up in a not very --
not necessarily sheltered, but
those spaces weren't obvious
and evident, and there
wasn't anywhere where people
that were part of the
community could go, you know?
Especially being in high school,
and so that's why I was so happy
to see Sheila and Rachel, the
owners of Hers in the film,
because it's just so important
that people like you exist,
and that what you're doing
exists, and so I just would
like to hear a little bit more
about who comes to your bar,
and how this has helped shape
the perceptions of queer people
in Alabama, and you can
start wherever you want.
>> Rachel Smallman:
Everyone comes to our bar.
When we first started out,
it was just strictly women,
and a lot of times people said
well, we can't come to your bar,
because we're not lesbians.
It's a bar that's owned by
lesbians, and in many places,
we hear gay bars, you know,
and that is kind of a tribute
to gay men, because going into
those spaces in the South,
it is quite evident that you're
just -- you're visiting here.
So I wanted to flip the strip.
I wanted them to visit
when they came to our spot,
and it's so funny
now, because most
of our customers are the gay
guys, are straight people.
We have a big lesbian crowd,
but we are so far outnumbered
by straight people or gay guys.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
And what was the reaction
when you opened the bar?
Was it positive?
Negative? Did you have a hard
time getting people to go there?
Or was it like, we've been
looking for this, thank you?
>> Rachel Smallman:
Oddly enough,
most people thought
it was a strip club,
so everybody was running in,
and so I would always say,
just sit down, the girls
are in the bathroom,
have a beer, you know?
So we were welcomed
in our community,
and we are still
welcomed in our community.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
That's so great.
If -- I've never been
to Alabama, but if I go,
that's where I'm going first.
>> Erica Rose: Oh,
yeah, it's a wild time.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Yeah.
So one of the things
that, you know,
is really interesting with, you
know, times changing, and Rach,
you kind of mentioned
this with, you know,
raising children nowadays,
and just the fluidity
of the community.
It's like, you almost
have to change, right?
Like, there's something to be
said about honoring the past,
but we also kind of, we have
to evolve, we have to adapt.
If not, then it's not serving
the need of the community,
and so actually, this
question is for Lisa.
For Henrietta Hudson, I want
to talk about the reaction
to changing of your
logo, how that started.
You know, why did you
think that was important?
And you know, how
was it perceived?
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Sure.
Okay. Yeah, so like I said in
the in the film, inadvertently,
without being prompted or
trying to think about it,
every seven years,
Henrietta Hudson went
through a transformation.
It just occurred to me
and I kind of listened
and I knew what I had to do,
so about, I'd say, about seven
or eight years ago,
I do a lot of --
I do a ton of activism and I
go to so many events and I was
at an event and there was a
cluster of young, queer kids,
maybe seven or eight years ago.
And I kind of shimmied over
to them, and they didn't know
who I was, so some crazy old
dyke, and I was like, hey,
what do you guy -- hey, hi.
You know? They're like, hi.
And I was like, can I
ask you guys a question?
Would you guys go -- would you
ever go to Henrietta Hudson?
And they were like, no
way that place is so old,
which was just exactly
what I needed to hear.
It was fine, and
they were right.
The place was so old, and it was
still open, and who were they
to -- no, I'm just kidding.
So anyway, I left and I
literally woke up the next day,
and I started this whole
new marketing campaign,
and that's when I came up with
-- it was a lesbian-centric,
queer human bar, but what I did
was I did change the staff over.
We had a more contemporized
logo,
the last one, not this one.
This is leading up to this
one, and then when co --
and then what I noticed
was I was getting the young
queer kids.
They were leaving
Brooklyn again,
and coming to the West Village,
because you could not get them
out of Brooklyn, and I managed
to do that little by little,
different little
factions and groups,
and then they would come
once and keep coming,
and so it's been happening
for the past 10 years,
but nobody noticed, so
when I did the new logo,
I had it commissioned,
and I did it,
and there's a whole background
to it, a backstory to it.
I did get some pushback on
Instagram, like some trolling
from turfs and some angry
people, and basically,
I only answered one
of the hateful things,
and there weren't many,
and I just was like,
it's been like this
for the past 10 years.
They've -- those people
have been in the space,
and you just got -- just
didn't even notice, you know?
So but 98.5% of the reactions
have been so positive,
and I am having so much fun
with the newest iteration.
And the people that are
coming in, it's a kinder,
gentler, queer community.
I don't even know how to say it.
Everybody's smiling,
light, happy, fluffy.
I'm not used to that.
I like it, though.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
I've never heard
of something being
described as fluffy,
but I want to ask
more about that later.
You know, and like I said,
I actually went to New York,
kind of to do research, but it
was already a pre-planned trip,
and while I was there, I went
to Henrietta Hudson,
I went to Cubbyhole.
The line was so long,
which was great,
but while I was standing there,
I was like are you kidding me?
Like this is good.
They were both such great
spaces, and just to say
that you're doing a great job,
and it's just so appreciated
that even when you're traveling,
you can find those spaces.
It was a lot of fun.
And so I kind of want to
switch gears and, you know,
talk about the impact
of the pandemic.
You know, Congresswoman Sharice
Davids talk about how hard it is
for small businesses, that
obviously includes bars,
and so I'm just wondering if
we can go around and just share
like how hard it has
been, how you've adapted
and how you're planning
for, you know, the future.
We can start with Lisa
and work our way down.
>> Lisa Meninchino:
Well, it was devastating.
I mean, to understand
how emotional,
what an emotional hit it was,
the Cubbyhole bar had never,
ever closed in its almost
28 years of existence.
Through 9/11, through Sandy,
through blizzards,
through blackouts.
Even if it was just
a couple hours a day,
we opened our doors, you know,
for the community
feeling environmentally --
environmental anxiety,
whatever the reason,
just so that they would have
a place to come even if it was
for a little while, so when I
had to close on March 16th 2020,
it was the first time and it
just -- it -- I was, you know,
I was devastated, and for the
first two weeks I just kind
of brooded around in my pajamas
with a bourbon in one hand,
an icicle and I was
dipping, sucking,
feeling sorry for myself.
>> I was on a panel with
you once in that outfit.
>> Lisa Meninchino: Just feeling
sorry for myself and I --
and then I started to get
messages from my staff
about how our customers were
constantly leaving messages
and I came to -- I always
knew Cubby was special,
but I came to realize just how
special it was to the people
who would come and, you
know, I'd get these messages
like this is where
I met my wife,
that's where I met my husband,
that's where I had my first
kiss, that's where I came out,
that's the last place
that I went before my partner
passed away, we were in Cubby.
I'd go to check on
the bar occasionally,
and we had security gates and I
would get little written notes
in between the -- you know,
what can I do for you?
How can -- you have
to open again.
If there's anything I can do,
call me like -- or
confessionals.
Hi, do you remember that giraffe
lamp on your table, you had?
I stole it, and I'm
really sorry.
You know? I just -- I
did it for my girlfriend.
I shouldn't have done
it, and I'm really sorry.
Please open again.
I'll give it back.
>> I'm sure you said you
were the reason we closed.
>> Lisa Meninchino: It was you.
I loved that lamp, and --
but I started to
realize, you know what?
This space, it just
-- it was trans --
transcends this edifice.
It's physical, and it's just
a living, breathing thing
for this community, and
I decided I would have
to do whatever I could to get
it open again, and with the help
of an amazing staff
and the community
and The Lesbian Bar
Project, we did.
We came back, so.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Great.
Thank you.
>> Lisa Meninchino:
That was the story.
>> Jo McDaniel: So we had a
bit of a different experience.
Because of COVID, we took
full stock and decided
to pitch our hat in the ring
and open our own bar our way,
and that was probably one of the
more courageous things I've done
in my life, because for
all intents and purposes,
I had already established
something
and could just have
continued with it,
and something we've talked
about a lot here is the
flexibility of safe spaces.
You have to be willing to
be flexible, which is part
of the reason Rach named
our bar As You Are Bar,
because customers at bars,
if any of you have ever
worked service industry,
aren't always awesome
humans to hang out with,
and then you pour booze on them,
and it somehow makes it
interesting, so it was a real
like reflective moment for
us in COVID, in the quiet,
like I said in the film, sitting
with our family and being like,
in 20 years, will I be
proud of what I'm doing?
How do I get to a place where I
can look back, like the Lisas,
who I'm so grateful to have as
sort of mentors in this field,
will I look back and be
grateful for what I did?
I look at Stacy Lentz who owns
Stonewall and I don't know
if any of you saw
that she's here today.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Yeah.
Stacy's here.
Right there.
>> Jo McDaniel: Yeah,
another icon,
and she's still enthusiastic
about what she does,
and it's not always awesome,
and then you pour booze on it,
so my point in all that is that
in COVID, I had the opportunity
to sit with myself and Rach
and I had really
serious conversations
and then got really great
feedback from our community
and decided like, all
right, 21 is not enough.
Let's be number 22, so
now we're [inaudible].
>> Sheila Smallman
So for Rachel and I,
we opened Hers October of 2019.
Rachel comes from a background
of a elementary school teacher,
massage therapist,
director and manager.
I come from a 35-plus year
law enforcement career, also,
US Marshals, also
massage therapy.
So when I decided to
retire from law enforcement,
I mentioned to Rachel one day
out of the blue, I'm like,
how would you like
to open a bar?
Now mind you, she
has the directorship
and the managerial
experience, me, law enforcement.
So yes, we'll do this
because I wanted to give back
to the LGBT community
in a different form,
other than law enforcement.
So we opened up,
again, October of 2019,
and here comes the pandemic,
March 2020, so Rachel calls me.
She says, have you
seen the news?
I'm like, no.
Mind you, I'm still
working full time as well,
so she called me at work.
I'm like, no.
She said well, you might
need to look at this.
So I call her back.
I'm like, don't worry about it.
We got this.
I'm like, what are
we going to do?
What are we going to do?
But thank God, I had one
retirement under my belt,
and thank God for The
Lesbian Bar Project,
because I don't know where
we'd be today without you all.
>> Thank you.
>> Lisa Cannistraci: So I'm been
pretty much a political news
junkie and I'm sure you can
guess which channel I watch.
So, you know, I was watching
the whole COVID experience,
and I actually closed
Henrietta's before the mandate
came down from the Governor,
because we are a
packed dance club,
and my conscience couldn't
allow me to stay open,
and a couple people were like,
what are you do --
why are you closing?
I was like, the country
of Italy is closed,
like the whole country,
the most social place
on the planet really, and so
I just closed and just kind
of like held my breath a little
bit, and then we did a GoFundMe,
which was really well received.
I negotiated a greatly
reduced rent with my landlord,
and I didn't do like
the kind of open,
partial opening,
drinks out the door.
I didn't do any of that stuff.
I took the opportunity and
spent that time with my parents,
which was an incredible
experience, and then,
so I was the first to close
and the last to reopen.
I reopened this May of this
year, May 15th, took the time,
did a really beautiful
renovation, and honestly,
the last -- the American
Rescue Act changed my life,
because they had the restaurant
revitalization program,
which they had $28.6 billion
for women-owned businesses,
black-owned businesses,
veteran-owned,
and socially disadvantaged
LGBTQ,
and that was a game
changer for me.
That completely set me up
for success in the reopening,
super grateful for that.
It changed my life.
Thanks.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Lisa, the
people in the room right now,
like pay closer attention when
you said American Rescue Plan
from congressional staffers, so
thank you for bringing that up.
Yeah, I'd love to --
>> Lisa Meninchino: Oh, yeah.
Changed my life.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: I am going
to ask a follow up question
to that, but I would
love to hear from --
oh, no, no, I'd love to hear
from ALOHO and just a little bit
about if you can
just also expand
on what do you think small
businesses need today,
in addition to PPE.
>> Ally Spaulding: Absolutely.
So I was with Jo and Rach
through part of the pandemic,
and then took over this
February, and when we reopened
at the end of March, like
early April, it was hard,
it was very difficult, just
because, you know, we had --
we did have like a GoFundMe, our
-- you know, all of these people
in our community were
reaching out to us and in
such touching ways offering
money and food and, you know,
job interviews and just anything
that we could give our staff,
which was amazing, and I
think that's why we were able
to make it through.
We were able to receive
two PPE loans as well,
but at the same time, they
weren't originally approved,
and we really had
to fight for them,
and so that was a really
long process with our owner,
and our owner chose to
pay our staff instead
of paying our taxes, which
I really applaud him for,
to make sure that especially our
staff, like our kitchen staff
and our cleaning crews and
people who are the backbone
of these establishments,
you know, not the faces,
but the people who
really put in the work,
were able to stay afloat,
and so that for us
was really phenomenal.
Granted, we are still
paying those taxes back,
so if any of you
have a connection,
see me at the after party.
But additionally, you
know, like I said,
it really was our community.
They came out and supported us
when we had the street eatery.
We had five tables in ALOHO.
I was on a Zoom call with the
owners of My Sister's Room,
which is in Atlanta, and you
know, I tell people this,
that they -- they're like oh,
we just took our, you know,
we took our employee
parking lot and we changed it
into outdoor seating and I was
like DC doesn't have
employee parking lots.
We don't have that.
There's a single small
space in the very back
for our owner's Vespa, so
you know, all of these places
that aren't city -- like major
city-bound, it was crazy.
They were like oh,
we've switched.
We've done this, we've
done that, and you know,
we had eight tables
outside, five tables inside,
and I think one of our
biggest struggles actually was
the reopening.
We found out that we were going
to 100% capacity with a week
and a half notice, so I hired
and trained 14 new people
in a week and a half, and was
like okay guys, like, let's go
and that was maybe a month
and a half before Pride,
and by the time Pride hit,
we had a line out the door
and around the corner.
It made like Overheard
on Washington DC's,
you know, Instagram.
If you know, you know.
But -- I know all of you know --
but so our community
really helped us through.
They were the ones that
allowed us to fill five tables,
fill eight tables, you know,
celebrate Aquarius season
with everybody in a mask
and a shot, you know,
and it was definitely difficult,
but it was absolutely worth it
to see how many new
people are coming in now,
especially because of
The Lesbian Bar Project
and how much they have
really shone a light on this.
I mean, you allowed us to
have all of these new faces
in our bars that either
went through the pandemic
and weren't sure if
they were queer or LGBT
or what their gender was,
or maybe they weren't
who they thought they were, and
then we all had a lot of time
by ourselves in our homes,
and we're like, maybe I'm not
who I thought I was, and those
people are coming out because
of the work that you
all have done to say no,
we're here we exist,
we are here for you,
and it's just so amazing.
I mean, it's not
over by any means.
Like I said, if you know
anything about taxes,
please do [inaudible].
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: That's a
great segue into the questions
that I want to ask about --
>> Ally Spaulding: Oh, yes.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: -- why
did the film directors start The
Lesbian Bar Project, and I have
like several follow ups, so.
>> Elina Street: Okay.
I just want to say first
off, off of everything
that you were saying, this past
year, it has been so inspiring
to see how you've adapted
your business models
to the current circumstances,
and just so inspiring
to see how you were able
to change, you know,
open up those outdoor spaces,
do the virtual conversations
and panels and bringing
the community in that way.
You are superheroes
and you're warriors,
and from the beginning, it has
been an incredible experience,
so thank you so much, and thank
you for sharing all your --
just everything that's been
happening this past year.
It wasn't easy.
Along with that, too, it's
a great honor as well to see
that these bars are -- have
always been more than bars,
and I think that by doing
what you did, as well,
you are welcoming not
just patrons who are going
to the bars to drink but also
patrons who are going there
to be with themselves,
with their friends,
the sober community, and it's
-- and, you know, now you're --
some places are also
serving food,
and it's just amazing to see.
>> Erica Rose: Charcuterie
boards.
>> Elina Street:
Charcuterie boards
at Henrietta Hudson Cafe Lounge.
No, it's really been so cool to
see how the spaces have changed.
When we started, we had our idea
of what our lesbian bars meant
to us, and now they're
meaning so much more,
so you've done this, and we
have been handing you the mic,
and thank you for
letting us do that.
>> Erica Rose: And
-- this is better?
Too loud? Okay.
We started, the origin
story goes, basically,
as we all remember, the pandemic
hit New York City in March 2020,
and as filmmakers -- too close
-- our industry shut down,
so and we had nothing but time
and lots of time to reflect
on the importance of our
safe spaces, so Elina
and I are really good
friends, and I would --
I wasn't comfortable taking the
subway or public transportation
in the early days of the
pandemic, so I was walking
from my apartment to my
girlfriend's apartment.
It would take like an
hour and 15 minutes,
so I would call Elina, and we
would just like chat, chat,
chat, and like kind of,
you know, try to make sense
of what was the unprecedented
events that are happening.
And, you know, I had seen
an article that was saying
that there were only 15 lesbian
bars left in the country,
and we immediately
started talking about it
and we conceptualized, you know,
using our tools as filmmakers
to tell the stories of our
bars, and we launched last year,
and with the help of our
Jagermeister friends,
and our executive producer, Lea
DeLaria, who she says hello.
She's so sorry that she
couldn't be here today.
She's starring in a musical.
Good for her.
She has a great voice.
And also Charles
Hayes IV, who is here.
Just want to give him a
[inaudible] shout out.
And Lily Ali-Oshatz, who's
not here, but we teamed up
and created The Lesbian
Bar Project, so we launched
as a PSA, and we were able to
raise over $117,000 in 2020.
And then we said to Jager,
hey, we have more ideas,
and we wanted to really humanize
this staggering statistic
and tell this story from the bar
owners' perspective and patrons
and community activists,
so we were able
to make our 20-minute film that
you just watched, and we raised
over $150,000 for the bars this
year, and one thing that Elina
and I always say is that
even though we did tie
in this philanthropic
effort, our goal was
to always amplify the stories,
and really transcend
this vicious narrative,
that queer spaces are
often seen in a way of loss
and disappearance, and
trauma, and we wanted
to really celebrate our
spaces, and tell the struggles
in a really, you know, intimate
lens, and we were so thrilled
that you all agreed to
be filmed, and thank you,
so and we have plans for more,
so just keep supporting us,
and thank you for being here.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
To follow up on
that point, so why filmmaking?
There's so many different
mediums of how we, you know,
and just different information,
reading, social media, you know,
documentaries, movies,
and so I'm just wondering,
why filmmaking?
What is the impact?
And really, how does it
amplify what is often called a
marginalized community?
>> Erica Rose: Well, off of
what I was saying, in the sense
that it's so when you don't --
when your community is
monolithic, or everyone looks
like you, you often don't get
the experience to meet someone
who presents differently,
identifies differently,
comes from a different
background,
and I think that filmmaking
is the most beautiful tool
to tell the stories of people
you don't know, to educate you,
and I think that's why
I chose filmmaking.
I know, I mean, I know
Elina chose filmmaking
for similar reasons, because
it was the most effective way
to understand the world around
me, and I'm just so thrilled
that I got to team up with
Elina, to tell the stories
of these bars, and I think
that, you know, we have seen
such a wonderful reaction from
not just the queer community,
not just queer women,
but from all people.
And, you know, to be here
today to talk about our film,
it's just kind of surreal, and
to see people come up to us,
being like -- or, you
know, people hearing
about The Lesbian Bar Project,
you know, we did our jobs.
It's not like about
chasing fame.
It's about -- because
there's no fame --
but it's about, you know,
I like, I just always feel
like the goal of filmmaking
and the job of a director is
to make someone feel
something, so I don't care
if you hate the project.
It would be a bummer, but as
long as you felt something,
and you were, you know, got to
reflect or do self-reflection,
then I think we did our job.
Yeah, it's very well said.
I think like a lot of things
be -- when COVID happened,
we realized we took a lot
of things for granted,
and sort of having an
ability to take a step back
and our industry shut down.
It was very frightening,
but then,
it was an interesting moment to
say, you know, what can we do
as filmmakers to help?
And as Erica was explaining,
with the PSA at first,
we couldn't film in
person, so filmmaking,
you have the opportunity
to really --
you have so much flexibility.
You don't just have to make a
documentary filming someone,
you can actually use
archival footage,
and we went into this deep dive
of this historical research,
and it's just amazing how
there's a wide range that goes
into that, and then you
put it all together,
and it's a film is
made to be watched,
and that's really
the key component
and just the most
meaningful one,
especially when it's something
you're passionate about,
and this is what The Lesbian
Bar Project was to us.
It was that experience is what
can we bring to the community?
And it's a form of activism that
is incredible, too, because,
you know, if we can't reunite
in person, let's figure out how
to do it another way, and
there's so many tools now.
We just have to use them wisely,
and I think that filmmaking
gave us that opportunity,
so I'm very grateful for it,
and I love working with Erica.
It's amazing to be able
to work with your friends.
>> Erica Rose: Yeah.
>> Elina Street: It's the best.
>> Erica Rose: Aw.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: I
think we all have that.
I think we all just have that
internal aww, I love that.
You said a word that
is a perfect segue
into my next question.
You said activism,
and so actually,
this question is for everyone.
Let's try to keep it
brief so that we can get
to other questions, but I
think everyone has probably a
different perspective to this.
So, many people in the audience
right now work in member offices
or congressional staffers or
work in DC in a lot of political
or policy spaces, and so
I'm just wondering, well,
and part of being a
congressional staffer is
that you work for members of
Congress that have the ability
to shape these policies, right?
-- that have direct impact,
whether it's marriage equality,
DOMA, small business loans, you
know, it runs the whole gamut,
and so I'm just wondering, what
message do you want to share
with the staffers that are
in in the audience today,
just for us to keep in
mind, as we're, you know,
working on these policies?
We all know that staffers run
the hill, like let's not lie
about that, but really, we do --
we exist to be able to help the
Senator and the Congresswoman
to be able to do their jobs
effectively, and so you --
Jo has something to say, so
we'll start with As You Are Bar,
and then if everyone would
like to go, that'd be great.
>> Jo McDaniel: Yeah, leave
it to somebody who's been
in DC 16 years to be like, yes,
I've got your ear, allow me.
I've got two things.
First of all, I'm super grateful
to people like Lisa who worked
on getting DOMA repealed.
My kid and I were on the
steps those three days
at the Supreme Court.
It was mind boggling.
Knowing how much anti-trans
legislature has come out,
since DOMA was repealed tells
me something about the activism
in the queer community.
Too many people are like,
all right, we got marriage,
capitalism wins, we're cool.
So just keep that in mind.
The victims are voiceless,
and so the people
who aren't getting their
agendas put out are the ones
who don't have as big a voice.
Part of As You Are's mission is
to change that and to, for me,
to use my nice, white lady
voice and come out and do that,
so that's the first one
and then availability
to small businesses,
knowing who you're supposed
to go to, to ask questions.
We're really fortunate to have
these New York connections.
We're also really fortunate to
have some awesome bar owners
in DC who have mentored us
and told us who to go to,
but like availability,
knowing as a small business how
to navigate, make
things accessible,
that would be real helpful,
and sort of like, yeah,
what legislature affects us.
DC is weird this way,
because we're not a state,
so for some of you that
doesn't -- you know, you're --
and I appreciate
what you're doing,
but I think the accessibility
for small businesses
and then keeping eyes
on and voices loud
for anti-trans legislation,
I think that is something
we have let slip past us
as we fight for equality,
and we can't let that happen.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank you.
Lisa, would you like
to go, Cubbyhole?
>> Lisa Meninchino: I would
just as a small business owner,
I agree with what Jo is saying,
a liaison to help you get
through all the bureaucracy
because there is
so much bureaucracy, especially
owning a business in a city.
That would be a big help,
and I think sometimes
legislators make laws thinking,
as far as business communities,
thinking of larger businesses,
but the people who are
negatively affected are the
smaller businesses.
So if there was a
way -- I don't know,
even know if this is possible,
in terms of regulating
and things like that, to put
the onerous on larger businesses
who can absorb it, and
like leave the smaller
and microbusinesses alone,
somewhat because I know
they have good intentions
when they pass these laws
and these regulations,
but I don't think they
realize that well,
the people that they're
trying to, you know,
pay their fair share,
so to speak,
is they have ways around it.
They so many people to --
they can hire to deal with it.
It falls on the smaller
business that really suffers,
so I just would like
them to be aware
of when they're writing these
bills and making these laws
that that's what's
happening sometimes.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
Thank you, Lisa.
Sheila, Rachel.
>> Sheila Smallman So for hers.
You know, there's an old saying
behind every good man is a
good woman.
Well, for me, behind
every strong woman,
no -- scratch that.
Beside every strong woman, there
is a strong woman, and I can say
that I have a strong
woman by my side,
and without her I don't know
what I would have done thus far,
and again, it goes back to us
just opening October of 2019
and not knowing how we're
going to survive this thing,
and of course, we need
the continued support
and legislative support,
but we also need some type
of financial backing
just to stay afloat.
How's that going to be done?
I don't know.
Mind you, we're first
time business owners,
so we're just starting out.
And, of course, we did not
expect this, so here we are.
We're continuing to do it
day by day, if you will,
and we're going to continue
to pay it forward
as long as we can.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank you.
Lisa?
>> Lisa Cannistraci: Hi.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Since you
said you're a political junkie,
so I'm very interested in
what you're going to say.
>> Lisa Cannistraci:
Yeah, I mean, you know,
I kind of stopped
watching political news
for four years right
around that time.
It was too depressing.
I actually watched the West
Wing for the first time
to make believe that I was
living in an alternate universe.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Did
it take you four years
to watch The West Wing?
>> Lisa Cannistraci: No, but
it was a little consolation.
So yeah, yeah so the
pandemic hit, PPP1, PPP2,
the SBA loans at 3.75.
PPP1 came down.
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and
Shake Shack got 10 million each.
Shake Shack gave it back,
but yeah, there was a lot
of problems, until the
American Rescue Act came,
and for the first three weeks,
only women-owned, black-owned,
veteran-owned, socially
disadvantaged
and socially financially.
Yeah, so we actually
the entire thing went
to those groups,
which was incredible.
I felt like somebody was
finally listening, you know?
Yeah, but what I say to
the staffers, you guys,
you do the heavy
lifting, you know?
You're the first to get to work.
You're the last to leave.
You would do very
well in nightlife,
if you ever wanted to,
you know, switch vocations
and probably make more money.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: You got us
at making more money,
am I right?
My gosh. Ally.
>> Ally Spaulding: I would
say that equal pay is not
about white sis women.
Equal pay is about making
sure that our communities
that are marginalized
are also bringing --
are brought to that table,
so many of our community
are marginalized
within the marginalization
of being LGBT,
and that's the money that's
supposed to be going back
into our businesses, right?
So if you are not focusing
on paying everyone equally,
then we cannot guarantee that
that money is going to come back
into our spaces and help us
help that same community,
and it really is
something that people --
they're like, Lily Ledbetter,
whatever, we're good.
It's not, and it's something
that we see especially in a city
as diverse as ours
where some of my staff,
even though they make
great money, you know,
three or four days a week, they
have other jobs, and they have
to have other jobs because of
this pay issue, and so for me,
it's definitely equal pay.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank you.
[inaudible].
>> Erica Rose: We need
to pass the Equality Act.
We need to de-emphasize -- yeah.
We need to de-emphasize
our reliance
on these large corporations kind
of, you know, lifting everyone
up because that's a fallacy.
I think everyone in this room
agrees the fact that Jeff Bezos
and Elon Musk pay
nothing in corporate taxes
where our bar owners are
fighting for survival,
when they have to get multiple
PPE loans and, you know,
get our like, $7,000 check
like to stay afloat is
absolutely unacceptable,
and these are, you know,
not just small businesses.
These are like vital, safe
spaces for our community,
and you know, when we were
prepping this project,
we kind of did some, a
lot of research and kind
of we were like, how many queer
women and, you know, non-cis,
queer cis gay men are around in
the United States and it's more
than 8.5 million and the fact
that we have only 21 bars
to serve our community
is completely ridiculous,
and so we need to
pass legislation
that supports marginalized
businesses
and marginalized business owners
and we need to stay strong
and we need to not accept
anything other than that.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Elina, do
you want to [inaudible] that?
So I kind of want to, you
know, shift gears a little bit
and for Jo and Rach, you know,
I loved the segment of the film
for you all, especially --
well, I live in Maryland.
I'm not going to say I live
in DC like those people do,
but it's just so, you know,
it's just so interesting
to see the development of
nightlife in a bar, right?
And you're making it what
you want it to be, you know,
to catering to so many different
folks, and it was so great
to see DJ Mim [phonetic] in
it and how important you said,
you know, for the
environment, for the nightlife,
and so I'm just wondering, if
you can just speak a little bit
about what it's been like to
like, really create this space
from the ground up
and talk a little bit
about what does full
inclusivity look like today?
And you talked a little
bit about, you know,
with banning the box and those
different types of things,
so if you can just elaborate
a little bit on that.
>> Jo McDaniel: Well, one thing
Rachel and I really agree on is
that we're not building
this bar.
While we are fantastic and
have a lot of lived experience,
we don't know what our community
needs, so nothing we put
out on social media, nothing we
say, is just ours, so crediting
and when it's possible,
paying people
for their emotional labor.
The whole conversation about
banning in the box was taught
to me by the incredible
Whit Washington,
who's the lawyer who's
shown in the film.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
Is Whit here?
>> Rach Pike: Whit!
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
Whit and Liz are here.
They're amazing.
>> Jo McDaniel: So Whit is a
attorney who immediately went
into incarcerated
people's activism
and uses their immense
knowledge.
Two of the stills of
them arguing something,
I don't even know what
they're doing or talking
about when they're on a panel,
and when they're in an audience,
are two of my favorite
photos in the film.
Just I cry every time
because you're so powerful.
I also knew them before,
like while they were still
in law school, so it's like that
balloon shot of Whit in the bar,
I pinned a balloon to
the back of their pants,
because they had passed the
bar, and I made them walk
around all night with like a
balloon bobbing over their head,
so all that to say,
credit where it's due.
This is also what leads into
the flexibility part of bars.
Anais Nin says we
don't see the world
as it is; we see it as we are.
So I can't build a bar for me.
First of all, I have
way too much privilege.
Most bars are built for me,
based on what I look like,
and even in my queerness
I've moved through the world
with a lot of privilege,
so inclusivity to me,
means handing a mic
over to someone else
or asking our community
which we consistently do,
what do you want?
What does this look
like for you?
How do we build this
bar for you?
How can we like provide it,
and you tell us what to do?
And I think that's what
inclusivity looks like.
That's the way you
build inclusivity
as you get really curious,
and you set your ego aside
and just ask, you know,
how can we do this for you?
And let them come as they are
and then also take that on
and be like, yes, that's an
obnoxious thing you're doing
there, and I love you
as you are as long
as everyone is consenting
and safe,
and so that's what inclusivity
looks like from my sort of side
of the business in
terms of like logistics
and community outreach,
but then I really want
to like let Rach talk a
little bit about inclusivity
and safety management.
>> Rach Pike: I think that
our mission kind of kind
of says it all, and
I'll summarize,
but mainly from a safety
management side, we're trying
to prioritize the most
marginalized of the marginalized
in our bar, because
if that's true,
then everybody that's a little
less marginalized will also
be safe.
A huge piece of that is consent,
so you know, I've been working
in safety management prior
to working on this project,
and we've had plenty of people
try to reach over the bar
and ask for a drink and they
put their shoulder on some --
their hand on someone's
shoulder,
and before I'd serve
them, I'm like so you need
to take your hand off their
shoulder because you didn't ask
to touch them, and that
person would be like,
it's just their shoulder,
and I'd be like, yeah,
I don't really care if
it's their shoelace.
It's theirs, and you
shouldn't touch it,
and they'd be like
they don't care.
And this is to what Jo had
said, the victims are voiceless.
They do care.
They just aren't sure how
to say they care or how
to say safely don't do
that, I don't want that.
And especially as
marginalized people,
the more marginalized you are,
we are culturally programmed
to be quiet and deal with things
as they come and not speak
up because it's more dangerous
to speak up in that moment then
to allow this thing that might
be traumatizing to happen
to you, so in terms
of inclusivity it's --
that's really the
concept across the board.
Your voice is yours.
We want to hear it.
We want choice.
We want to hear from our
community, so we know what
to put in this box to make
it a safe space for you,
because otherwise, it's
just a box with a bar.
And that's what we're
really dedicated to in there
in creating As You Are Bar.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank you.
That is so great.
I mean, I can't speak
for everyone in here,
but I speak for myself when
I say, I'm just so excited
for when you all open and you
all have been great partners
of the CSA, so thank
you so much for that.
>> Erica Rose: Oh, I just want
to add, it was really important
to us to tell Jo and Rach's
story, because, you know,
even though As You Are Bar
is in the process of opening,
we were -- wanted to
highlight two people
who represent the future,
and we're just so stoked
to have them here, and will
-- we -- you all have to --
DC, locals, Maryland,
whatever, you have to go
to As You A -- yeah, yeah.
We're going to come, but you
have to go to As You Are Bar
when it opens, because
it's going
to be an amazing,
amazing, space.
>> Rach Pike: We'll make
sure you get the invite.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank you.
Actually, that's a great segue.
I think we're just going to do
one last question for everyone,
and then we can do some
closing announcements.
What do you hope is the future
for lesbian and queer spaces,
and how can we get there?
Who wants to start?
I'm going to call on someone.
Lisa, do you want to --
>> Lisa Cannistraci: So,
yeah, so I don't, I mean,
realistically, nobody knows
what the future holds.
You know what I -- I mean,
I think, what they're doing,
what they're doing, what
you're doing, what we're do --
what everybody here is doing, is
keeping our ear to the ground,
listening to what the community
needs, and trying to provide
that for the community,
and I think,
you know, there's a big shift.
It's seismic shift in the
LGBTQ community of inclusivity,
and that's not everybody.
I'm going to, I'm going to call
out the predominantly
gay cis white males.
They will always have their
spaces, and it's a little crazy,
because I remember,
in the 1980s,
when the AIDS epidemic hit the
West Village, it pummeled it.
All the lesbians went to St.
Vincent's Hospital and took care
of the boys because the
guys were terrified to go
into hospital, and for about
10 years, they were like,
nice to us, and then they
forgot, but anyway, whatever.
I wouldn't trade
it for anything.
Evidently, that's when they --
it used to be GLBT
community, and they changed it.
They put the L in front
after we helped them
through the AIDS epidemic.
Yeah, that was nice,
so but anyway,
I came out with the boys.
I'm guilty, guilty as charged.
That's who I came
out and partied with,
but I think the future is
in this room, and the ideas
that everybody here is talking
about, how Lisa's adapted,
how they've just pushed through
it like gangsters, right?
-- and just, you know, letting
these young queer kids --
to me is what I do is
I try to let them --
they kind of tell you what
they need, and it's not a lot.
They don't need a lot,
so just pay attention
and listen to them.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank you.
>> Lisa Cannistraci:
Let the kids decide.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
That's great.
Ally?
>> Ally Spaulding:
I definitely agree
with letting the kids decide.
It's so interesting, we've
seen a drop in our average age,
which has been wildly
refreshing,
but I think also just looking
at our own community internally,
and saying, you know, the
future is, is that we are going
to be breaking down
these barriers
that we are stronger as a whole.
We can't be fighting
against each other
under this marginalized
umbrella, and so I think,
with all of this
information sharing
and how accessible everyone
is these days, and hopefully,
you know, there can be
a young queer person
in a small community that sees
this film, and is inspired
to have those conversations
with others.
I think that's our future
is continuing to share,
continuing to listen to the
young ones of our group and just
to continually have those open
and difficult conversations
in order to better
ourselves both as a community,
as individual people,
but globally.
I think that's really hopefully
where we're headed,
fingers crossed.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Thank you.
I'll have the film directors
go last [inaudible] you can do
closing remarks, but so I'd
love for Sheila and Rachel.
>> Rachel Smallman:
What they said.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Love it.
To the point, what they said.
Sheila, do you want
to add anything?
>> Sheila Smallman Well on, you
know, piggyback off of Lisa,
you have to be open-minded.
You have to pay attention
to what they're asking for
and what they're seeking.
Although we're just
starting out,
we have been asked
to open a Hers 2.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Wow.
Ooh. Birmingham, maybe, or?
>> Sheila Smallman As
far as North Alabama,
even as far as Houston,
Texas, so --
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Wow.
>> Sheila Smallman -- I
don't know at this point
because we don't know
where we're going from day
to day as of right now.
The finances has been
horrific for us, you know?
We have 15 taxes to pay.
We have the overhead.
It -- and the list
just goes on and on.
It's not as easy as it seems.
It's not, but we've enjoyed
it, and we've had a great time.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
That's great.
Well, we'll stay tuned to
wherever Hers 2 ends up.
We'll travel.
>> Sheila Smallman There you go.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
As You Are Bar?
>> Jo McDaniel: I think
the future is we're going
to change the world.
Our little conversations that
we have about safety and consent
and pronouns, and every
conversation that starts
in a bar, I think, probably Lisa
said it knowing her that like,
oh, I actually know it was
Tammy Baldwin said, you know,
activism begins there, right?
So the number of peoples
who begin to organize just
because they met in a bar,
we get to change
the world with that.
We always have.
That's not new.
We've always changed the
world in our own safe spaces.
I think one of the
things that Erica talked
about was the article that
came out about the 15 bars.
It was Curve Magazine.
And I reached out to everyone
here and everybody else
and just sent a bunch of
emails and was like, hey,
we got to stick together.
We're in a pandemic
now, and then of course,
Erica and Elina were like,
we're going to make this thing.
So I think holding
each other up,
holding each other accountable,
I think that's shifting.
Everybody thinks that
we're in competition,
and there's not enough of
us to do that, so it's like,
we hold each other up, and
so like making friends,
learning from each other, being
willing to have, you know,
conversations about
what we want.
I think that's the future,
and I think as proprietors,
we have a responsibility to
be humans that pay attention
and listen, and that I think, is
what's going to change for me.
>> Rach Pike: Yeah, and I would
just really kind of drive home
that accountable piece
because I think --
and DC, if you live here,
been here, or following,
there's some waves in
the queer community
with Nellie Sports Bar, having,
you know, behaved in a question
and being held accountable
in their response,
and I think that that's --
somebody had asked us once.
We were out at the boycott, and
they had asked us, you know,
well, how are you like doing
this to your fellow queer bar?
And I was like, because we have
to hold each other accountable.
If we're not going to be in
this room, calling each other in
and saying like hey,
this isn't okay,
and trying to make a
change, then we, you know,
we can't count on
the rest of the world
to make sure we're
doing it right for more
than just the people
that look like us,
and I think we just have
to continue to do that,
and on the other side of
that, the responsibility
of the proprietor is to be
able to be held accountable
and make a change, and
not just brush people off
because I don't have to cater
to that group of people,
because I'm doing all right
just with these people.
That's not the point.
The point is inclusivity.
The point is making sure that
all people are welcome here,
so long as they're celebrating
and loving our community
appropriately,
you can hang out with us.
We're a better people when we
hang out together that way,
and it's really about that
accountable piece, I think as --
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
I love that.
>> Rach Pike: --
we move forward.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
That's great.
Lisa?
>> Lisa Meninchino: I
am -- I've always had --
I always believed that
there was a connectivity
between the lesbian bar and the
celebration of our identities,
and I feel in the past
few years that that sort
of has gotten disjointed
a little bit,
and I hope for the future to
have that back, especially,
no matter how you identify,
that we can come to these spaces
in friendship and in
acceptance and in respect,
and get that connectivity
back and celebrate all
of our identities and --
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
It sounds like --
>> Lisa Meninchino:
-- [inaudible] hope.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: --
the best plan forward.
>> Lisa Meninchino: Yes.
>> Rach Pike: Where
else would you want
to hang out than a queer bar?
[inaudible]
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: We
are running close on time,
so briefly closing
remarks from you all.
I'll say something
and then we will wrap.
>> Elina Street: Yeah, so
first up, show up to the bars.
On our website, we have a
map highlighting the 21 bars
and it gives you the
opportunity to really see
where they are and go there.
Olivia O'Leary, big shout out.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Yes.
>> Elina Street: And I
want to give a big thanks
to my chosen family
because in our community
that is so important.
Stacy Lentz, I met
you when I moved
to the United States seven years
ago and I walked into Cubbyhole,
and I met Stacy Lentz,
the owner of Stonewall,
and she introduced us to
Jagermeister, and that's how --
this is how the community
is, you know?
We reach out to each
other and we help out,
and this is what we
can create when we do
that together, so
thank you so much.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez:
Thank you for sharing that.
>> Erica Rose: Yeah,
thank you to the staffers.
Thanks to Laura.
Thanks to every -- our
family and friends.
My family's here.
My amazing girlfriend's here,
and you guys have always
supported me, so thank you
so much for being here,
and I know many other people's
families' members and children
and partners are here, so
thank you for supporting us
in this endeavor, and this is
just the beginning of the night.
We are having our afterparty
at A League of Her Own.
Ally, do you want
to say the address?
>> Ally Spaulding:
That's a great question.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: Let's
just google if you want to.
>> Jo McDaniel: 2319,
18th Street Northwest.
>> Erica Rose: Yeah,
thank you, Jo.
>> Laura Munoz Lopez: I just
want to say thank you so much
for coming to all of you,
for the panelists,
for Erica and Elina.
I have never talked to people
I've never met more often
in my life.
I feel like we're closer
now, and a big, big thank you
and round of applause for
the Library of Congress.
They've done such a great job.