Many gay bars had not considered having outdoor spaces or selling food, things that would become requirements for the pandemic. The short notice meant that bars had no time to prepare or to make arrangements. “During that time when you’re not expecting something to happen, everything comes to a halt, no income coming in.” “They only gave us a two-day notice we had to shut down,” said Brian McIntire, owner of Precinct DTLA in a phone interview with L.A.
Many have shut down, and some permanently. A s Los Angeles starts to show signs of normalcy after a long year of pandemic-induced closures, the LGBTQ+ community has difficulty keeping the community together as gathering spaces and gay bars across the USA hold on by a thread.
