CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Until recently, there was not a single bar in the Carolinas recognized as a lesbian bar. Now, there's one.
Arcana in Durham was named one of 32 remaining lesbian bars in the country recognized by the Lesbian Bar Project, which has been documenting the disappearance of lesbian bars across the country since 2020. NBC News has previously reported there were an estimated 200 lesbian bars during the 1980s, and fewer than 20 remained in 2020. That number has ticked up in recent years, and now the Lesbian Bar Project accounts for 32.
On Tuesday, Arcana announced it was added to the list. The Durham bar has been around for over eight years and has long identified as being a "queer and woman-owned business," though the distinction by the Lesbian Bar Project is new for the business.
While Charlotte does not have a lesbian bar of its own, Charlotteans are working to expand spaces where those in the LGBTQ+ community can feel safe and joyful.
One of those Charlotteans is Alexx Baerwald Simard.
"People are well aware that lesbian bars have been closing over decades, and so hearing that there's a space in North Carolina that's open and a place for folks -- especially women and nonbinary people -- in the LGBTQ community to gather is definitely needed," Baerwald Simard said. "I think that we're seeing a desire for those types of spaces."
Baerwald Simard, who uses both she and they pronouns, has been creating those spaces. She came out as bisexual around five years ago, and by that time the last remaining official lesbian-specific bars in the Queen City had closed.
"I've noticed what seems like a dramatic or a marked increase in spaces that are meant for women and nonbinary people in the LGBTQ community in Charlotte, and so even though we don't currently have a bar that's dedicated to that type of crowd, there are a lot of events popping up and there have been over the past few years," Baerwald Simard said.
They noted these events can range from dance parties to Sapphic book clubs and more. Baerwald Simard knew how important it was for people in the LGBTQ+ community to have spaces to come together, and joined the effort to create more spaces like that.
One of those events is happening Thursday night: The Big Gay Picnic. It's a family-friendly event welcome to all in the LGBTQ+ community. It's an event Baerwald Simard hosts monthly in differing locations around Charlotte. This month, it's at the Boiler Yard located at Camp North End.
"My dream is that there's at least one person who walks by and sees us together, and recognizes that there's hope," she said. "There's a future for them, and that there's a community out here in the world to support them and to embrace them when they're ready."
With the absence of an official lesbian bar in Charlotte, Baerwald Simard is also mindful of creating spaces specifically for women and nonbinary people in the LGBTQ+ community.
"There seems to be a really strong desire for those events to continue to grow, and I could see a lesbian or like a Sapphic bar being something that would be really successful, should it open in the coming years," they said.
Baerwald Simard hosts the UltraViolet Sapphic Night every other month at Petra's Bar in Plaza Midwood, and noted attendance has gone up each time. The next Sapphic Night will be on Friday, March 22.
It's certainly not the only event of its kind in Charlotte, and Baerwald Simard doesn't want it to be. She noted it's important people recognize how valued spaces like these are for the LGBTQ+ community in Charlotte.
"There's nothing like walking into a room being surrounded by people who have a shared experience," Baerwald Simard said. "Even though everyone's story is unique, there's a common element of challenges that we face, collectively … I hope that people just, from the outside looking in, see photos or hear about it and really see the joy that that happens within these spaces."