When the COVID-19 shutdown stripped people away from friends and family, filmmakers Erica Rose and Elina Street began to contemplate the crucial role that community plays in our lives. Although their idea for The Lesbian Bar Project (LBP) was born even before the virus hit the United States, it came to fruition during the pandemic. In October 2020, Rose and Street launched a PSA about the disappearance of lesbian bars across the country. LBP then ran a four-week fundraising campaign, raising $177,000 to support the lesbian bars still standing.
The LBP was created to draw attention to the lack of public lesbian+ spaces and celebrate existing ones. As LBP’s website explains,