Filmmaker Erica Rose read research about the closures of LGBTQ bars. She was shocked to learn that there were perhaps only 16 lesbian bars in the entire United States, down from more than 200 in the 1980s. “Only 16 left in the country?” Rose says. “Alert the community! I consider myself pretty entrenched, and I didn’t know it was that bad.” One of those bars was East Nashville’s The Lipstick Lounge, which was hot by the March 2020 tornado. Here’s the story of how the Lesbian Bar Project is trying to change the fortunes of these remaining safe spaces. Read article here