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The Variety Room — Lesbian Bar Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tucked away near Quince and Walnut Streets, the Variety Room was part of Philadelphia’s lesbian nightlife during the 1970s and 1980s, when a handful of bars provided queer women with spaces of their own in Center City.
Its location placed it within what would become known as Philadelphia’s Gayborhood, although the neighborhood had no official name at the time. Gay and lesbian bars, restaurants, bookstores, coffeehouses, and clubs were scattered along the narrow streets around 13th, Quince, Walnut, and Locust, creating a community that was often far less visible during daylight hours.
For lesbian patrons, bars like the Variety Room were particularly important. Women’s spaces were fewer in number than gay male establishments and often operated with smaller budgets and less publicity, yet they served as essential meeting places. They were where women found friends, dates, political connections, softball teammates, and chosen family long before any of those communities could be found online.
The Variety Room belonged to a Philadelphia that was changing rapidly. The women’s liberation movement, gay liberation, and an increasingly organized local LGBTQ+ community were making queer life more visible, while neighborhood bars provided the everyday social spaces where that community actually lived.
