I hope this is the appropriate thread to share this in. At any rate, a gay bar downtown called Gio's is closing down. Here's the link:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...190589761.html
I'm not gay and haven't been to Gio's in years, but I did go there a few times with friends several years ago when I first moved to Manitoba. I recall it being a tad smaller than similar clubs in some other centres, but it always seemed busy the nights I was there. The bar cites a "more accepting society" and "social networking" as contributing to the decline in its profit margin.
I have a couple questions that perhaps some fellas on this forum could help me out with (and I recall a discussion on SSP a while back that suggested 99% of contributors here were gay males anyways, ha!):
1)
how many LGBT venues are left in this city? Don't tell me Gio's was the last one! I guess there are some bath houses, etc. that cater to some wide ranges of sexually oriented clientele, but I can't seem to think of any other actual "bars."
2)
do y'all think you'll miss the place, or has this increased acceptance and prominence of social media really made such venues obsolete? I was always under the impression that every successful major city would have a handful of such establishments by default. I'm surprised Gio's wasn't popular enough to keep the doors open. Are such clubs in other centres gradually closing too? Do you think gay bars are an important part of your social and romantic life, or do you think nothing in your social scene / circles will change once the bar is gone? I guess I'm curious to learn what role such businesses still play in gay circles in 2013 in this country. I'm outta tha loop. Do you frequent or enjoy places like Gio's, did you ever in the past, and do you see these places as necessary to a healthy gay population? Perhaps you're gay but was never really into the bar scene in the first place.
Once again, I hope this is an OK thread to post this article in. I'm really curious about this development, because as our city grows I really expected an INCREASE in the number of LGBT venues. The Winnipeg Free Press article linked above suggests these bars may not hold the relevance within their community they once did. Any insights on this matter would be appreciated.
Is this a step backwards for our city, a step forwards, or something neutral that doesn't have the importance I'm lending to it?
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It reminds me of the BlackNight and several other great Rock Bars turned into Dance Bars..I know change with the times..But I always liked the small, local bars bands type of establishment..playing in bands since I was a wee tot...
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