[johniegrad]

Small place, low prices, no cover charge, and a sense that the place is essential to the community

"We've always taken care of our own."

spent more money to keep it open then she made all day

"It's important to have a place to be when there isn't anywhere else to go."

We are all about altruism.

owner makes money -- an owner who is most likely not a lesbian and cares little about anything other than the bottom line

"We're seeing greed all around us,"

They are all about exploitation.

"There comes a point where enough is enough," which is why Hanson and Thirkield, at least, are doing their part to take back control.

Time to take back the bars!!! Let honest motives rule!!

"Everybody tells me I'm crazy to do this," she said. "I don't believe that."

Believe it.

[DonQ]

It was once very patiently explained to me that gay bars - as distinguished from, say, gay coffee houses or gay gyms - got such a firm footing in the gay world because of fears about child molesters and the desire to avoid such accusations; a bar, by definition, admits only adults of full legal age. However, this aggravated drinking problems among gays.

Keep in mind, this article is about bars in San Francisco, it's my impression that, there, they wouldn't need to set up a deliberately gay or lesbian bar because just about any bar could be "taken over" - and really, it's the hetero bars that are the curiousities.