Grrl Spot held a Halloween party this past weekend that welcomed all members of the LGBTQ+ community. Grrl Spot, is a pop up lesbian bar created by Jenna Ard, a Loyola alumna in 2006 as a way to meet with other queer friends. She says that Grrl Spot is more than a lesbian pop up, it’s a safe space for all LGBTQ+ members to come and be themselves without judgment.
“It’s a community space as it always was. It is now more so than ever a safe space because that’s become something that we need … it’s more than just a safe space; you can be queer and be ok,” Ard said.
Ard says she has used the success of her events to give back to the community, more specifically her alma mater and the LGBTQ+ community. When an event is coming up she tries to higher Loyola students and higher queer individuals to help keep a safe and welcoming environment during events, Ard says.
Ard is not the only one who thinks of Grrl Spot as a safe space. Sarah Naquin, who showed up to the Halloween event this past weekend, also finds it as somewhere she can let loose and have fun.
“We can hang out and it’s safe and it’s comfortable and we can express ourselves how we want to without fear of judgment or not fighting the standard in any sort of way and have fun,” Naquin said.
Avery Theriot, who works for Ard and has been going to Grrl Spot events for five years says, “Grrl Spot dances to the music on Halloween night. Grrl Spot held a Halloween party
that welcomed all LGBTQ+ members.t is community, it’s come and be sexy come and feel safe throw it all out there.”
According to NewOrleans.com, there are 18 gay bars in New Orleans, but no lesbian bars.
Event goers also voiced how there aren’t places where lesbians can go and mingle and Grrl Spot is somewhere where they can just be themselves. Alice Hill, has been to two other Grrl Spot events and stated that she feels like she can be her full authentic self at these events.
“We have a lot of gay bars but we don’t have a lot of lesbian/queer bars, sometimes we just want to vibe out,” Hill said.
