Moby Dyke

An Obsessive Quest To Track Down The Last Remaining Lesbian Bars In America

By: Krista Burton

Narrated by: Sarah Beth Pfeifer

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.

Critic reviews

"With her enthusiastic and expressive tone, Pfeifer paints vibrant portraits of each establishment, including its owners and regulars, as well as its fun-sounding events, such as drag shows, karaoke and "watch parties." Pfeifer channels Burton's curiosity as to why the numbers of lesbian bars have decreased in recent years and what the future of these spaces may be. This is an entertaining yet thought-provoking listen for anyone interested in contemporary culture."

so much fun

so great to hear about all these places in such vivid detail, and i hope they keep the light on for me

Loved it

Well, now I guess I have to visit all of the lesbian bars in the US.

Much needed!

I have been talking about the lack of lesbian bars and wanting to do something similar, so when this book was recommended to me I knew it would be a great fit. I hope to see some of these bars in the future!

Hopeful and Eye Opening

As an older dyke, who has been lamenting the disappearance of Lesbian bars this book let me feel optimistic for the future. I'm hopeful that Grey Lesbian spaces will become more prevalent as the population ages for those of us that can't drink like we used to, but would like a chill drama free space to feel safe at home with others not having to shout over noise to be heard. Thanks to Krista and her partner Davin for supporting her!

Beautifully Prosaic Sapphic Odyssey

A biased fan of the author prior to this book, I enjoyed every stop on the journey-both at the bars and within the author’s own self discovery and experiences shared.