When the dance floor is your church and community is your religion, turning 21 feels less like a milestone and more like a movement. Boycott Bar, Arizona’s last-standing lesbian bar and beacon of queer resilience in Phoenix’s Melrose District (affectionately known as the “Gayborhood”), will mark its 21st anniversary on Tuesday, July 16.

To honor the occasion, Boycott will host a glitter-soaked, memory-stacked celebration on Saturday, July 19, inviting patrons old and new to reflect, reconnect and revel in one of the most enduring queer spaces in the country.

“It’s about visibility, but it’s also about survival,” said Audrey Corley, Founder of Boycott Bar. “Every time someone walks through our door and feels seen, we’re doing the work. The fact that we’re still here—and growing—is proof that spaces like this still matter. And always will.”

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Why 21 Years Matter

In the late 1980s, there were an estimated 200 lesbian bars across the United States. Today, only 34 remain—and one of them has not only survived but thrived on a once-quiet strip of 7th Avenue, where owner Audrey Corley opened Boycott Bar in 2004.

“When we first opened, people said a lesbian bar wouldn’t last a year,” said Corley. “Now we’re 21 years in—and we’ve only gotten louder, prouder and more determined to hold space for our community. This anniversary isn’t just about us—it’s about every person who’s ever danced here, cried here, kissed here and felt safe to be exactly who they are.”

What began as a labor of love has grown into a local institution, a cornerstone of queer nightlife, and a national symbol of what happens when marginalized communities carve out spaces for themselves—and fight to keep them.

21st Anniversary Celebration Details

Saturday, July 19 | 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Boycott Bar — 4301 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ
21+ 

Highlights include:

  • A night of reflection, connection and celebration with the community
  • Honoring 21 years of queer visibility, joy and resistance
  • Open to longtime regulars, newcomers and anyone who believes in safe, affirming space
  • A tribute to the people and stories that built—and continue to sustain—Boycott

No dress code.. Just community. Whether you’ve been with Boycott since day one or just walked through the door, this night is for you.

A Bar with a National Legacy

Boycott Bar was featured in the Emmy and GLAAD Award-winning Lesbian Bar Project docuseries in 2022, helping cement its reputation beyond Phoenix as one of the few remaining lesbian bars in the country. This year, the project returned to film a “Where Are They Now?” episode spotlighting the bar’s growth and evolution since that first feature.

Since 2022, Corley has launched two new ventures: a full-service restaurant and Title 9, a women-focused sports grill that carries the same DNA of inclusion, celebration and community-building that made Boycott a success.

For more information, visit boycottbarphx.com or RSVP at the official Facebook event.