Many LGBTQ+ people of a certain age don’t look back fondly at the ’80s, but there was one bright spot then — lesbian bars were ubiquitous among the urban landscape, with well over 200 operating in 1987. Now, only a few dozen remain. Journalist Krista Burton, creator of the blog Effing Dykes, embarked on a post-COVID mission to visit some of these remaining oases of queer community and what she was found, professionally and personally, was profound. Her new book on the experience, Moby Dyke, takes lucky readers on the trip; read an excerpt below.
“It’s ok,” I said aloud, my breath puffing into the icy night air. “It’s going to be fine.”
It was Saturday night, and I was in Bloomington, Indiana, walking to the Back Door, the state’s only lesbian bar, by myself. I was going to a drag show there; be like?
