The sole lesbian bar in Colorado, Blush & Blu, hosted its final party on Saturday night after announcing it would close its doors.
In a farewell note posted on Sept. 28, owner Jody Bouffard thanked “every promoter, performer, DJ, drag queen, drag king, comedian, poet, and artist” who contributed at Blush & Blu, calling them the “lifeblood” of the establishment.
“You’ve filled this space with color, magic, and joy,” she said.
Michelle Osterday, who goes by her stage name “MadameO,” performed in several burlesque shows at the bar. She said she was saddened by the news of its closure.
“They always provided a great atmosphere and sense of ease whenever I performed there,” she said.
Bouffard also thanked patrons, adding that the bar existed because of them.
“As we close this chapter, I hope you carry Blush & Blu in your hearts, in the memories we’ve shared, and in the community we’ve built together,” she said.
Many supporters flooded the comments section with well wishes and anecdotes, including 38-year-old Denver resident Brittany Bartges.
“I have watched our community grow and change in this sacred place,” she wrote. “Thank you for all the love and work you put into it.”
Bartges served in the military and said she was unable to come out until after she finished her service due to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. She said she is grateful for the bar because it was where she found “her people.”
“In the military, being with a woman was illegal. Blush was an oasis, a place to feel like a valid human,” she told NBC News. “I’m really going to miss knowing this place exists. Even when I could not make time to go, the world felt better because it was there.”
Many important memories exist at Blush & Blu, Bartges said. For herself, she recalled first dates and watching a drag performance with her mom.
“In a lesbian bar, we are at home. We can take up as much space as we want,” she said. “When the bar closes, Denver will just be another city where we only gather in gay bars.”
In 2020, NBC News reported that there were less than 20 lesbian bars operating across the country. A post-pandemic “lesbian bar renaissance” occurred, however, leading to new businesses opening in different states, according to an NBC News analysis.
Most recently, Dani’s Queer Bar opened in Boston last month.
The Lesbian Bar Project documents lesbian bars and maintains a list of open businesses. There are about 30 lesbian bars still operating across the country, with the loss of Blush & Blu, according to its tally.
In recent years, Blush & Blu has attracted negative attention for alleged failure to compensate employees fairly, as well as reports of a hostile work environment.
Three former employees sued Blush & Blu In 2021, alleging “mistreatment and underpayment of queer and transgender workers.” Both the plaintiffs and defendants agreed to dismiss all claims in 2023, however, according to court documents.
Blush & Blu opened on Colfax Avenue in downtown Denver in 2012.
