The Lesbian Bar Chronicles

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AVAILABLE MAY 26, 2026

By: Rachel Karp

A grassroots tour of the nation’s lesbian bars that illuminates their past, present, and hopeful future, from the co-creator of the hit podcastCruising

Lesbian bars are so much more than a place to get a drink. For over a century, theyve acted as community posts, political organizing grounds, and sanctuaries. Yet whereas in the 1980s there were an estimated 200 lesbian bars across the US, the current count sits at a few dozen.

InThe Lesbian Bar Chronicles, author and co-creator of the hit podcastCruisingRachel Karp embarks across the country with her wife and best friend to chronicle the stories of the remaining US lesbian bars. Recent narratives have claimed lesbian bars are dying, but Karps group finds many of the places they visit to be thriving, their communities sustaining themselves over decades of change and challenges.

Weaving together over 100 hours of immersive interviews with bar owners, staff, and regulars, Karp highlights places like

-Chicago spotNobodys Darling, where readers meet the mayor Shirley J, who in the 1970s was instrumental in the birth of house music

–Frankiesin Oklahoma City, where readers attend a family night to learn how a lesbian bar can birth a chosen family

–Redz, a Chicana lesbian bar in East LA involved in the precedent setting court case that followed years of arrests for patrons wearing mens clothing

A heartfelt reclamation of queer history and queer lives, Karps narrative examines how these beacons for community and inclusion can teach us to live openly, cultivate connection, and continue to take up space.