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Loverbar

Coordinates: 18°23′58″N 66°03′08″W / 18.399355555914°N 66.052160715376°W / 18.399355555914; -66.052160715376
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Loverbar
Map
Restaurant information
EstablishedAugust 20, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-08-20)
ClosedDecember 8, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-12-08)
Owner(s)Jhoni Jackson
Street address1063 Ave. Juan Ponce de León
CitySan Juan, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°23′58″N 66°03′08″W / 18.399355555914°N 66.052160715376°W / 18.399355555914; -66.052160715376
WebsiteOfficial website

Loverbar was a queer bar, restaurant and nightclub located in Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico.[1] As a queer club it was the first of its kind in Puerto Rico,[2][3] with Refinery29 calling it "the queer destination for everything exciting, progressive, and radical about the Puerto Rican queer scene."[2] It opened in 2020 and announced its closure at the end of 2021.

History

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Loverbar was founded by journalist Jhoni Jackson, who previously had co-owned Club 77, a discotheque, where she organized an LGBT group of artists called House of De Show. In 2017, Jackson resigned as Club 77's owner and,[1][4][5][6] after setting up an unsuccessful Indiegogo campaign,[3] raised and saved money for three years. Loverbar was idealized as a safe space, since Puerto Rico has a high rate of crimes and murders against transgender people, to showcase queer artists, due in part to the lack of venues for LGBT artists, including drag performers.[1][2][4][5][6][7][8]

Loverbar opened on Paseo José de Diego on 20 August 2020, however, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson and her team converted the bar and nightclub into a restaurant, opening earlier in the day and offering coffee and a vegan menu. In addition, it counted with a community closet, permitting people to donate as well as take pieces of clothing. Jackson had clarified that making a profit is not the goal, as she viewed Loverbar as a space to provide employment to queer individuals and allegedly paid them above minimum wage,[1][2][4][5] at $9.00 an hour.[9]

External videos
video icon Municipio de San Juan investigará exceso de fuerza en intervención en Loverbar (in Spanish) [Municipality of San Juan Will Investigate Excess Force in Intervention in Loverbar] (25 July 2021) on WAPA-TV

Intervention by the Puerto Rico Police had been frequent, since they had dispersed crowds that tended to gather outside the club, or entered armed to the venue. A notable police raid was carried out on the night of 22 July 2021, when, half an hour before closing, ten armed police officers blocked the bar entrance, while another ten raided it. This was allegedly due to a complaint filed by a neighbor, alleging a lack of COVID-19 regulation enforcement as well as use of public space for private purposes. While there was no substance to the complaint, permit enforcers did fine Jackson for lacking a permit to operate a bar with a closed kitchen. (The kitchen had closed only about an hour prior.) This was decried on social media,[2][9][10][11][12] including Pedro Julio Serrano[13][14] and Manuel Natal Albelo,[13] citing harassment and discrimination, as the San Juan mayor, Miguel Romero Lugo, said that other establishments had been inspected as well, however, he and his office refused to detail which were those.[2][9][10][11] subsequently, Romero Lugo made a press release confirming his stance against discrimination.[11] Nonetheless, the only other venue to be reviewed in a similar manner was Club 77.[2][14] Other neighboring establishments, such as Paseo Bar, Iluminati and El Ensayo, were also visited that night by the Police operatives. The raids had been an alleged part of an attempt to gentrify the area.[13]

Without prior warning, Loverbar announced its closure on its social media profiles on 8 December 2021, with that night being its last and directing its patrons to donate directly to the venue's employees.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Alfaro Pérez, Luis D. (16 November 2020). "Comunidad LGBTQIA+ encuentra en Loverbar un refugio contra el discrimen" [LGBTQIA + Community Finds in Loverbar a Refuge Against Discrimination]. Pulso Estudiantil (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Viera, Mercedes (15 September 2021). "Loverbar Was A Safe Space For Queer Puerto Ricans; That's Exactly Why It Got Raided". Refinery29. Vice Media. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b Richner, Alfredo (24 June 2017). "LOVERBAR: Ayuda a crear el primer "queer club" de Río Piedras" [LOVERBAR: Help Create the First “Queer Club” in Río Piedras]. Puerto Rico Indie (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Díaz Torres, Rafael (30 March 2021). "Loverbar y las posibilidades de revitalizar un paseo desde la inclusión y la solidaridad" [Loverbar and the Possibilities of Revitalizing a Walk from Inclusion and Solidarity]. TodasPR (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Loverbar: una promesa de comunidad e inclusión" [Loverbar: A Promise of Community and Inclusion]. Trasegio Magazine (in Spanish). 15 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  6. ^ a b Martínez, Gabriela (11 August 2017). "'Dark Kings,' 'Meta Queens': Puerto Rico's Drag Scene Gets a Makeover". NBCNews. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Queer Q&A: Ien Grave, DJ and Promoter". Discover Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  8. ^ Méndez González, Enrique Y. (24 June 2021). "10 empresas LGBTQI+ en Puerto Rico que puedes apoyar" [10 LGBTQI + Companies in Puerto Rico that you can Support]. Colmena66 (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Ávila-Claudio, Ronald (23 July 2021). "Denuncian uso excesivo de fuerza en intervención de la Policía de San Juan en negocio frecuentado por la comunidad LGBTTQI+" [Excessive Use of Force in the Intervention of the San Juan Police in a Business Frequented by the LGBTTQI + Community Denounced]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b Figueroa Roqué, Jan (23 July 2021). "Denuncian intervención violenta de la Policía de San Juan en barra frecuentada por la comunidad LGBTQIA+" [Violent Intervention by the San Juan Police in a Bar Frequented by the LGBTQIA + Community Denounced]. El Vocero (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Raza-Sheikh, Zoya (24 July 2021). "Police aggressively raid LGBTQ-friendly bar in Puerto Rico". Gay Times. ISSN 0950-6101. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  12. ^ Lavers, Michael K. (23 July 2021). "Puerto Rico activists condemn police raid on LGBTQ-friendly bar". Washington Blade. ISSN 0278-9892. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Denuncian "discrimen" e intención del MSJ "de desplazar" a comerciantes en Río Piedras" ["Discrimination" and the Municipality of San Juan's Intention "to Displace" Merchants Denounced in Río Piedras]. El Calce (in Spanish). 23 July 2021. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Activista DD.HH Julio Serrano pide información uso fuerza bar en Río Piedras" [Human Rights Activist Julio Serrano Asks for Information on the Use of Force in a Bar in Río Piedras]. EFE (in Spanish). 23 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Luego nos explicamos mejor" [We'll explain ourselves better later.]. Facebook (in Spanish). 8 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  16. ^ "Luego nos explicamos mejor" [We'll explain ourselves better later.]. Instagram (in Spanish). 8 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
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18°23′58″N 66°03′08″W / 18.399355555914°N 66.052160715376°W / 18.399355555914; -66.052160715376

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