Negotiating Organizational Identity: The Communicative Resilience of Small-Town Gay Bars

Abstract

Gay bars historically functioned as the only space where LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer) people could escape intolerance and persecution. From drag shows to dancing to counterculture, gay bars are symbols of expression and hope for those misunderstood. In many ways, they are LGBTQ+ institutions that have withstood time. However, the rapid closing of gay bars coupled with Big D discourses of “post-gay,” “mainstream,” and “death of the gay bar” have threatened their existence. Much of these gay culture discourses stem from research on metropolitan cities (New York and San Francisco) with larger gay populations. Yet very few have examined how this experience affects gay bars in smaller cities with fewer LGBTQ+ spaces. Drawing on the communicative theory of resilience, I examined two gay bars in a small Midwestern city to understand how they (a) construct and negotiate their identity, and (b) manage organizational resilience in discursive and material ways. Findings and implications are discussed.