
Lesbian Bar The Ruby Fruit Closes Amidst LA Wildfires

The Ruby Fruit, one of LA’s two surviving lesbian bars, has closed due to the financial impact of the city’s wildfires.
The bar’s owners, Emily Bielagus and Mara Herbkersman, posted the heartbreaking decision on Instagram yesterday.
“The devastation felt within our small community, as well as the unfathomable destruction that continues day after day, is truly beyond comprehension,” they said. “Sadly, along with all the feelings of grief and shock that we have experienced over the last few days, also came this undeniable reality: that running our small business is no longer sustainable.
“The hospitality industry functions on a day-by-day basis and right now, as they say – the math just isn’t mathing.”
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Patrons and supporters offered financial support for the bar in the comments, with many referencing the crucial space Bielagus and Herbkersman created for lesbians.
The venue was attempting to stay open during the fires to shelter those without access to power and water, and were distributing donations to the wider community.
Although they’ve announced their closure, the The Ruby Fruit is still operating as a donation drop-off and distribution centre for “as long as we are able”.
“Even as we write this, we have folks filling their cars and driving supplies to area shelters and resource centers,” they said.
33 lesbian bars remain in the United States
When The Ruby Fruit opened in February 2023, it was the only dedicated lesbian bar in Los Angeles, and the first to open since the closure of The Palms a decade before.
It was featured in the highly acclaimed docuseries The Lesbian Bar Project, which travelled across America to document every single lesbian bar. Filmmakers also raised money to keep venues afloat.
Its closure represents the ever-shrinking number of spaces for lesbians to socialise and find community.
In 1980, there were 200 lesbian bars in the US. In 2021, there were less than 20. With The Ruby Fruit closing its doors, that number now stands at 33.
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