{"product_id":"book-hltv","title":"Who Needs Gay Bars?","description":"Gay bars have been closing by the hundreds. The story goes that increasing mainstream acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, plus dating apps, have rendered these spaces obsolete. Beyond that, rampant gentrification in big cities has pushed gay bars out of the neighborhoods they helped make hip. \u003ci\u003eWho Needs Gay Bars?\u003c\/i\u003e considers these narratives, accepting that the answer for some might be: maybe nobody. And yet …\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jarred by the closing of his favorite local watering hole in Cleveland, Ohio, Greggor Mattson embarks on a journey across the country to paint a much more complex picture of the cultural significance of these spaces, inside \"big four\" gay cities, but also beyond them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e From the historical archives of Seattle's Garden of Allah, to the outpost bars in Texas, Missouri, or Florida that serve as community hubs for queer youth—these are places of celebration, where the next drag superstar may be discovered. They are also fraught grounds for confronting the racial and gender politics within and without the LGBTQ+ community.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The question that frames this story is not asking \u003ci\u003ewhether\u003c\/i\u003e these spaces are needed, but \u003ci\u003efor whom\u003c\/i\u003e, earnestly exploring the diversity of folks and purposes they serve today.","brand":"Tantor","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49354822811952,"sku":"BDhltv","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49354822877488,"sku":"ZEhltv","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio MP3-CD","offer_id":49354822910256,"sku":"ZMhltv","price":45.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/hltv-Square-cover.jpg?v=1780367561","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-hltv","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}