NIGHTLIFE
Therapy, Hell’s Kitchen Fixture, Likely Closed for Good
COVID restrictions does in bar dating to 2003, often host to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” divas
BY MATT TRACY
There may never be a last call at Therapy.
The popular bar in Hell’s Kitchen,
already closed since the onset of the
coronavirus pandemic, will likely be forced to
shutter for good.
“It’s with tears in our eyes that we have to admit
it is highly unlikely that Therapy will ever
reopen,” Therapy noted in a Facebook post on
July 19. “Every one of YOU who has ever worked
here, performed here, partied here… We love
you. And though we cannot be together today,
always know you are Therapy’s family.”
The bar fi rst closed in mid-March when it
noted in a March 15 Facebook post that the establishment
would be shuttered “until further
notice.”
But now, months into a pandemic that continues
to take a health and economic toll, the
bar appears to have been unable to weather the
storm.
Co-owner Tom Johnson did not immediately
respond to requests for comment on August 3,
but he told Eater in July that the owners failed
to reach an agreement with the landlord at 348
West 52nd Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues
and he ultimately turned in his keys in
April.
Johnson stressed that tourists are necessary
for bars like Therapy to thrive, and he opted
against pursuing the outdoor dining route because
he estimated that the bar would have
only recouped 30 to 40 percent of its usual
business.
The two-story bar has been known for its
➤ TITLE IX, from p.5
tant” policy goal.
The 11th Circuit majority didn’t buy any of
the school district’s arguments, agreeing with
the district court that Adams is a boy entitled
to be treated as one in all respects, as a matter
both of equal protection and of Title IX. The
court actually did not have to rely on Bostock
because of its existing precedent, but cited it
anyway as further support for the transgender
jurisprudence the circuit had already adopted
in its earlier ruling.
Perhaps more signifi cantly — given the
Trump administration’s hostility on this issue
— it should be noted that the phrase “because
of sex” is used in both Title VII and Title IX to
defi ne the grounds of prohibited discrimination.
Bostock now offers a defi nitive Supreme Court
interpretation of what that phrase means. According
FACEBOOK/ THERAPYNYC
After temporarily closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is
“highly unlikely” Therapy will ever open again.
ties to “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” often hosting
contestants, but it was also a space for queer
New Yorkers to simply grab drinks and socialize.
More than 80 comments were posted in response
to the bar’s Facebook post, with many
individuals asking if it is too late to launch a
GoFundMe page to raise rescue money.
Others reminisced about their years visiting
or working at the bar, which fi rst opened
in 2003. Some commenters were former staff
members, while others were everyday New Yorkers
who enjoyed the bar.
In one comment, Jennifer Lameo said she
was the only woman on the “original crew” that
worked at the bar when it fi rst opened.
to Gorsuch’s opinion, it is impossible to
discriminate against somebody because of their
transgender status without discriminating because
of their sex. The 11th Circuit’s application
of this interpretation to Adams’ Title IX claim
stands in stark contrast to the failure of the Department
of Justice to rescind former Attorney
General Jeff Sessions’ October 2017 memorandum,
which instructed all federal agencies that
sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination
claims may not be brought under federal
sex discrimination statutes.
In fact, as noted elsewhere by Gay City News,
Attorney General William Barr has not to date
responded to a July letter from LGBTQ legal
advocates urging him to replace the Sessions
memo with one applying Bostock. Not surprisingly,
other federal agencies continue to contend
that Bostock does not apply to the laws they are
responsible for enforcing. This new 11th Circuit
“I’ve worked with and waited on some of the
amazing people,” Lameo wrote. “We were a
FAMILY and I love each and every person who
walked through those doors. I love you, Therapy.”
International travelers also expressed disappointment
in the wake of the bar’s announcement.
Singapore resident Martin Perez said
he visited the bar whenever he visited the Big
Apple.
“Always had a great time and met a lot of
amazing people,” he wrote. “Sad.”
It was a rocky year for the bar after it was
already forced to close temporarily during Pride
Month in 2019 — when unprecedented numbers
of queer folks descended on the city for
Stonewall 50/ WorldPride — while an unstable
neighboring building was being demolished.
Therapy is among many local queer bars
facing hardship during the pandemic. Alibi
Lounge, a Black-owned gay bar in Harlem, was
just starting to regain its footing with an outdoor
dining option when it was burglarized late
last month. Henrietta Hudson, a lesbian bar
in the West Village, has remained closed after
owner Lisa Cannistraci said she did not want
to reopen until she can do so at 100 percent capacity.
Both of those bars, however, have benefi
tted from generous GoFundMe fundraisers.
Whether Therapy will turn to GoFundMe is
not yet clear, but Johnson seems open to such
an idea.
“It’s great if people want to come together and
invest in Therapy at some point,” Johnson told
Eater. “I want nothing more than for all of this
to go away, but I don’t see that happening anytime
soon.”
ruling may carry great weight with other courts
now dealing with the Trump Administration’s
arguments defending policy decisions such as
its recently announced regulation denying protection
to LGBTQ people under the Affordable
Care Act’asex discrimination ban.
In another noteworthy post-Bostock development,
state courts in Ohio and West Virginia
have recognized that existing precedents relying
on federal court interpretations of Title VII
should be applied to extend protection to LGBTQ
people under those state laws. Since a majority
of states still do not expressly ban sexual
orientation or gender identity discrimination,
but all ban sex discrimination, the Bostock
ruling may lead to nationwide protection for
the large proportion of private sector employees
whose employers do not employ enough people
— at least 15 — to come within the coverage of
Title VII’s federal protections.
August 13 - August 26, 2 20 020 | GayCityNews.com
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