Welcome to Eater's Weekend Special, an inside look at what our staff was buzzing about this week
Over the last three years, we've talked a lot about third spaces, even if we didn't know it.
They're the social realms outside of our homes and workplaces, the two locations where we Americans tend to spend most of our time. They're respites from daily stress and soul-nourishing social havens that make it easier to find community after so much time alone. They're the places where we can indulge in our silly little pleasures without measuring their productivity. And for much of the last few years, how we discussed third spaces was largely shaped by their sudden absence during the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns.
Collectively, we mourned the closures of the beloved coffee shops where people had memorized our names and ordering quirks, the bars that were backdrops to our first dates, and the bakeries that enabled our carb-loading while also reminding us it was okay to linger and finish that book we've been wanting to read. When the places were gone, we felt untethered from the landmarks of our daily lives and the moments that brought in flickers of joy even when things were otherwise really tough. Many of us wallowed in grief over their loss.
Now, many LGBTQ businesses in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and other states across the country are facing similar fates due to the proposal of numerous anti-drag bills and increasing political pressure.
In Texas, Senate Bill 12 (SB12 for short) would fine the owners of businesses that host drag shows or drag-focused events with children present — restaurants, bars, and event spaces included. These business owners could also receive misdemeanor charges. In Miami, various businesses are in danger of losing their liquor licenses after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's administration filed complaints against the venues for hosting drag shows, some of which took place during one restaurant's family-friendly drag brunch. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee has passed similar legislation.
To many LGBTQ people (like me, hey gurl) and folks in the restaurant world, the recent crackdown has felt like intentional targeting of queer people themselves. And it's understandable why people feel that way when so many of the places under attack are the quintessential third spaces that have filled us with buoyant joy year-round. The bills, and the discrimination fueling them, are a very real threat to long-established restaurants, bars, and even spaces like public libraries. These third spaces were the sites of drag storytimes where families with LGBTQ parents could take their children to hear fairy tales without the very real fear of physical violence and the setting for drag brunches that slowly eased loved ones into LGBTQ acceptance. And what lewd things could possibly be happening at a librarian-supervised event featuring a dramatic reading of The Princess and the Pea, or whatever?
And even in the face of ongoing political pressure and increasingly turbulent political and economic moments, these spaces are crucial to many queer people's lives. They're the coffee shop-bar hybrids we initially visit for a little break and a lot of caffeine, but where, eventually, and so much more fruitfully, we find our truest selves, as my colleague Brooke Jackson-Glidden shared in her ode to Portland's Either/Or. These businesses will still be homes to messy breakups and celebrations of all of life's big and small moments. But most importantly, these spaces we all share are where we see members of our various communities advocate for each other.
So, whichever way this influx of anti-drag bills and legislation leads, one thing is certain. In the words of my colleague Jaya Saxena, "Many [of these places] will survive. But we could also build a world in which they thrive."
I'd prefer for us all to thrive. Wouldn't you? — Jesse Sparks
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