At the core of each Dave's Lesbian Bar event remains a focus on live music and mutual aid, and a communal energy that underlines both of those experiences. Credit: Amanda DiMartino/@amandadimartino

In my neighborhood of Astoria in Queens, N.Y., there's a Dave's for almost everything, from Dave's Shoes to Dave's Cabinets. It's a brand that camouflages itself into any local landscape — reliable but nearly invisible. And for the past few years, there's been a new Dave in town: Dave's Lesbian Bar, a pop-up event series that I've been involved with as a volunteer and a worker.

Kristin Dausch, the founder of Dave’s Lesbian Bar.
Credit: Ali Kate Cherkis for The New York Times

For years, people have mourned the slow death of the lesbian bar. Only three are left in New York City, according to the Lesbian Bar Project, and fewer than two dozen total in the United States. The pandemic’s toll on the service industry has not helped. Many L.G.B.T.Q. institutions closed to patrons in the spring of 2020; some never reopened.

But as full service has resumed at bars and nightlife has made a comeback, new pop-up sites have sought to fill the void and reimagine what lesbian spaces are for.