Cruising | Queer History and Culture

Rikki Streicher opened Maud's in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in 1966. The bar would be a fixture of the lesbian community there until it closed its doors in 1989. It's memorialized in the 1993 documentary Last Call At Maud's and in the hearts and minds of all those who called Maud's a home over the years! Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode. Thi...

Our full interview with Ray, bartender at Doc Marie's. Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast! -Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you! -Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! -For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpo...

In the summer of 2022, the city of Portland excitedly awaited the opening of a new lesbian bar: Doc Marie's. It didn't go as planned. Join us as we uncover the full Doc Marie's story, exploring the dark side of the internet, the nuances of queer culture, and the unexpected challenges of opening a business. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode. This episode featur...

Our full interview with Anjali Kumaran, regular patron at The Sports Bra.  Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast! -Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you! -Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! -For more Cruising adventures, f...

In April of 2022, Jenny Nguyen opened the first women's sports bar in the entire world: The Sports Bra, in Portland, Oregon. From college basketball to the Women's World Cup to the Olympics, it's all playing at The Sports Bra! But you won't catch any men's sports on their TVs. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode! This episode features interviews with: Jenny Nguy...

This is our full interview with Teryl Lynn Foxx! Teryl is a renowned New Orleans entertainer, who has been winning titles across the country for decades. Her accolades include: Miss Gay Louisiana 1992, Miss Gay Mississippi 1994, Miss Tennessee Continental 1996, Miss Essence International Classic 2014, Miss Daytona Beach Continental Elite 2016, and Miss Continental Elite 2016.  Thank you for listen...

Juanita Pierre and Leslie Martinez opened New Orlean’s first Black-owned lesbian bar, Les Pierres, on the corner of Pauger St and N. Rampart St. No one can quite remember the exact date Les Pierres opened, but based on some other stories and dates, we can guess it would have been around 1980 and by 1990, they had closed.  This episode features interviews with Teryl Lynn Foxx, Juanita Pierre, Mike...

In December of 1977, Charlene’s opened on the corner of Elysian Fields and North Rampart Street in New Orleans. It was open for 22 years, until it closed in 1999. This is the story of the woman behind the bar: Charlene Schneider, lesbian activist and pioneer.  Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode. This episode features interviews with Robert "Bobby" Fieseler, Lin...

When we launched Cruising Podcast back in 2021, we had only twenty-one lesbian bars on our list. Little did we know, we were on the cusp of a lesbian bar resurgence. In the past two years, at least EIGHT new lesbian bars have opened across the country. And as Femme Bar co-owner Danielle Spring will tell you, Cruising is to blame for at least one of them! Thank you to everyone who shared their stor...

Did you know 8 new lesbian bars have opened in the U.S. since we launched Cruising back in 2021?! In Season 2, we’re taking you to each of these new bars. And we’re also heading back in time to explore lesbian bars of decades past. From 1930s San Francisco to 1990s New Orleans, and everything in between! Tune in to hear the stories of the humans that call these spaces home. Premiering November 7th...

This is our full interview tape Ruthie Boirie. We usually only release full interviews on our Patreon page, but we feel like everyone deserves to hear the extended Ruthie story! Ruthie is a regular customer at Ginger's and the owner of Ruthie's Neighborhood Barbershop, a Park Slope staple for 26 years. She's also kind of a local celebrity. You can hear some of her stories in person AND get a great...

Our Webby-honored season 1 finale! When we left on our road trip to visit every lesbian bar in the U.S. last fall, our own neighborhood lesbian bar, Ginger's, sat shuttered. Like all bars and restaurants in New York, Ginger's closed due to the pandemic in March of 2020. In September of 2021, we still had no idea if or when it would ever re-open. But a few weeks after we returned home from our trip...

Hi Listeners! A quick update for you all: we know we are overdue for another episode of Cruising and that is because we are working hard on our season 1 finale!! Our season finale will feature our very own 'home' bar, Ginger's, located in Brooklyn. Keep an eye out for this episode to drop sometime in August. And yes, this means we will be coming back for a season 2!! Subscribe and follow along on...

Babes of Carytown, or Babe's for short, has been around since 1979. These are the stories of the humans that run it and the humans that call it a home. Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast! -Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you! -Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, pl...

The Lipstick Lounge is Tennessee's only lesbian bar. It was established in 2002 in Nashville. These are the stories of the humans that run is and the humans that call it a home. Jonda Valentine founded The Lipstick Lounge in 2002 because she missed the community and fellowship that the church once provided her. A few months later, Christa Suppan became co-owner, and has helped to foster a sense of...

My Sisters Room (MSR) is one of the longest running lesbian bars of the south. These are the stories of the humans that run it and the humans that call it a home. Jen Maguire got her start in the Atlanta queer scene doing drag. And today? She owns My Sister's Room with her wife, Jami Maguire. Jill works security at MSR, and the job has helped her cut down on drinking while still allowing her to be...

Herz was founded in a Mobile, Alabama in October of 2019 and closed in 2023. It was a Black, queer, woman owned space. These are the stories of the humans that ran it and the humans that called it a home. From the outside, Herz might be mistaken for a strip club. And that's intentional, according to co-owner Rachel. Rachel owns Herz with her wife, Sheila, who wanted to open a lesbian bar in her re...

Located in Houston, Pearl Bar is our second stop in Texas. These are the stories of the humans that run it and the humans that call it a home. Julie Mabry has wanted to open a lesbian bar ever since she visited her first one at 16 years old with her sister, Sarah. Sarah, who struggled through much of her adolescence, felt comfortable for the first time walking into that lesbian bar. And Julie noti...

Sue Ellen's is one of two lesbian bars in the state of Texas. It's located in Oaklawn, Dallas's gayborhood. These are the stories of the humans that run it and the humans that call it a home. Kathy Jack, was 18 years old when she started frequenting the Dallas gay bars in the late 1970s. Now the General Manager of Sue Ellen's, Kathy has over 40 years of Dallas's LGBTQ+ history to share. Erica has...

YBR is the third of Oklahoma's three lesbian bars. Its full name is "Yellow Brick Road Pub" but everyone calls it YBR. These are the stories of the humans that run it and the humans that call it a home. Kevie didn't know other gay people existed growing up in Checotah, Oklahoma in the 60s and 70s. But by 2000, she had opened her very own lesbian bar in Tulsa: YBR. Since 2000, YBR has been a home a...

Frankie's is the second of Oklahoma's three lesbian bars welcoming the local queer and trans community. We visited Frankie's on a Tuesday, which happens to be family night at the bar. These are the stories of the humans we met there.   Raven got her start in drag at 16, performing at the Wreck Room, Oklahoma City's now closed all-ages LGBTQ+ club. Nearly 30 years later, you can find Raven performi...

Oklahoma is the state with the highest number of known lesbian bars per capita, and is tied with only New York for the state with the highest number of lesbian bars total. Alibi's is the first of Oklahoma's three lesbian bars. These are the stories of the humans that run Alibi's and the humans that call it a home. Lily discovered Alibi's shortly after moving to Oklahoma to take care of her Grandmo...

 What started as a bi-weekly pop-up party ultimately became a permanent fixture of the Phoenix LGBTQ+ nightlife scene: Boycott Bar. These are the stories of the humans that run Boycott Bar and the humans that call it home. Audrey Corley, the owner of Boycott, can often be found behind the bar with a wireless microphone in hand, amping up the crowd. And Nick, a longtime bartender and Boycott's unof...

Established in 2009, Gossip Grill is located in San Diego's "gayborhood" Hillcrest. These are the stories of the humans that run it and the humans that call it home. Moe Girton opened Gossip Grill after "accidentally" turning another bar where she bartended into a lesbian bar. Elisha was kicked out for being gay at 17, and found a home and a family working at Gossip. Lisa is at Gossip at least a f...

Wild Side West, now located in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood, has been around for nearly 50 years. These are the stories of the humans that run it and the humans that have called it home. Pat Ramseyer opened the bar in 1962 at it's original location in Oakland, CA, and successfully ran the bar until she passed in 2010. Billie Hayes inherited the bar, and despite having never even bar...