A former Rookie
contributor and creator of the popular blog Effing
Dykes investigates the disappearance of America's lesbian
bars by visiting the last few in existence.
Lesbian bars have
always been treasured safe spaces for their customers, providing not
only a good time but a shelter from societal alienation and outright
persecution. In 1987, there were 206 of them in America. Today, only
a couple dozen remain. How and why did this happen? What has been
lost--or possibly gained--by such a decline? What transpires when
marginalized communities become more accepted and mainstream?
In Moby Dyke,
Krista Burton attempts to answer these questions firsthand, venturing
on an epic cross-country pilgrimage to the last few remaining dyke
bars. Her pilgrimage includes taking in her first drag show since the
onset of the pandemic at The Back Door in Bloomington, Indiana;
competing in dildo races at Houston's Pearl Bar; and, despite her
deep-seated hatred of karaoke, joining a group serenade at
Nashville's Lipstick Lounge and enjoying the dreaded pastime for the
first time in her life. While Burton sets out on the excursion to
assess the current state of lesbian bars, she also winds up examining
her own personal journey, from coming out to her Mormon parents to
recently marrying her husband, a trans man whose presence on the trip
underscores the important conversation about who precisely is welcome
in certain queer spaces--and how they and their occupants continue to
evolve.
Moby Dyke is
an insightful and hilarious travelogue that celebrates the kind of
community that can only be found in windowless rooms soundtracked by
Britney Spears-heavy playlists and illuminated by overhead holiday
lights no matter the time of year.