Cruising | A Queer Documentary Podcast

Cruising is a documentary podcast about lesbian bars, the humans that run them, and the humans that call them a home.  Not sure where to start? You don’t have to listen in order! Pick your favorite city or your favorite bar and dive in.

Season 1 follows creators Sarah Gabrielli, Rachel Karp, and Jen McGinity on their 2021 cross-country road trip to visit and document every lesbian bar in the U.S. 

Season 2 chronic...

Alice Brady owned and ran various lesbian bars throughout New Orleans between 1952 and 1978. The most notable was called Alice Brady's. 

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with:  Ellen Frayle, Frank Perez, Diane DiMicelli, Randy Elwood, and Cindy 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruis...

When Mara and Emily opened The Ruby Fruit in 2023, Los Angeles hadn't had a lesbian bar since 2017.  It is named after Rita Mae Brown's iconic lesbian novel Rubyfruit Jungle, and self-described as "a strip mall wine bar for the sapphically inclined."

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with: Mara Herbkersman, Emily Bielagus...

Established in 1965, Lost and Found was the longest running lesbian bar in Chicago until it was sold in 2008 and became Lizard's Liquid Lounge. Join us as we celebrate former Lost and Found regular Linda's 80th birthday at Lizard's, and hear the stories of the community members who've found a safe space at this bar over the years.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

This episod...

In February of 2020, Chicago's newest lesbian bar, Dorothy Downstairs first opened its doors. A month later, they were forced to close when the city shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. About 2 years later, they reopened, and they've been a staple of the Chicago queer community ever since!

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with: ...

Mona Sargent (born Mona Nystrom) is widely credited as the owner of the first lesbian bar in San Francisco, and perhaps the first public lesbian bar in United States. Between 1933 and 1950 she  owned a series of bars in clubs in San Francisco: Mona's, Mona's Barrelhouse, Mona's 440 Club, The Paper Doll, and Mona's Candle Light.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

Rikki Streicher opened Maud's in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in 1966. The bar would be a fixture of the lesbian community there until it closed its doors in 1989.  It's memorialized in the 1993 documentary Last Call At Maud's and in the hearts and minds of all those who called Maud's a home over the years!

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

Our full interview with Ray, bartender at Doc Marie's.

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on Instagram, Tik...

In the summer of 2022, the city of Portland excitedly awaited the opening of a new lesbian bar: Doc Marie's. It didn't go as planned. Join us as we uncover the full Doc Marie's story, exploring the dark side of the internet, the nuances of queer culture, and the unexpected challenges of opening a business.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

This episode feature...

Our full interview with Anjali Kumaran, regular patron at The Sports Bra. 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on...

In April of 2022, Jenny Nguyen opened the first women's sports bar in the entire world: The Sports Bra, in Portland, Oregon. From college basketball to the Women's World Cup to the Olympics, it's all playing at The Sports Bra! But you won't catch any men's sports on their TVs.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with: Je...

This is our full interview with Teryl Lynn Foxx! Teryl is a renowned New Orleans entertainer, who has been winning titles across the country for decades. Her accolades include: Miss Gay Louisiana 1992, Miss Gay Mississippi 1994, Miss Tennessee Continental 1996, Miss Essence International Classic 2014, Miss Daytona Beach Continental Elite 2016, and Miss Continental Elite 2016. 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-S...

Juanita Pierre and Leslie Martinez opened New Orlean’s first Black-owned lesbian bar, Les Pierres, on the corner of Pauger St and N. Rampart St. No one can quite remember the exact date Les Pierres opened, but based on some other stories and dates, we can guess it would have been around 1980 and by 1990, they had closed. 

This episode features interviews with Teryl Lynn Foxx, Juanita Pierre, Mike Pierre, and Emelda Sterling.

Thank yo...

When we launched Cruising Podcast back in 2021, we had only twenty-one lesbian bars on our list. Little did we know, we were on the cusp of a lesbian bar resurgence. In the past two years, at least EIGHT new lesbian bars have opened across the country. And as Femme Bar co-owner Danielle Spring will tell you, Cruising is to blame for at least one of them!

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

This ep...

In December of 1977, Charlene’s opened on the corner of Elysian Fields and North Rampart Street in New Orleans. It was open for 22 years, until it closed in 1999. This is the story of the woman behind the bar: Charlene Schneider, lesbian activist and pioneer. 

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

This episode features interviews with Robert "Bobby" Fieseler, Linda Tucker, and Valda Lewis....

Did you know 8 new lesbian bars have opened in the U.S. since we launched Cruising back in 2021?! In Season 2, we’re taking you to each of these new bars. And we’re also heading back in time to explore lesbian bars of decades past. From 1930s San Francisco to 1990s New Orleans, and everything in between! Tune in to hear the stories of the humans that call these spaces home. Premiering November 7th, 2023.

-Support Cruising ...

This is our full interview tape Ruthie Boirie. We usually only release full interviews on our Patreon page, but we feel like everyone deserves to hear the extended Ruthie story! Ruthie is a regular customer at Ginger's and the owner of Ruthie's Neighborhood Barbershop, a Park Slope staple for 26 years. She's also kind of a local celebrity.

You can hear some of her stories in person AND get a great haircut b...

Our Webby-honored season 1 finale! When we left on our road trip to visit every lesbian bar in the U.S. last fall, our own neighborhood lesbian bar, Ginger's, sat shuttered. Like all bars and restaurants in New York, Ginger's closed due to the pandemic in March of 2020. In September of 2021, we still had no idea if or when it would ever re-open. But a few weeks after we returned home from our trip, it was announced on Ins...

Hi Listeners!

A quick update for you all: we know we are overdue for another episode of Cruising and that is because we are working hard on our season 1 finale!! Our season finale will feature our very own 'home' bar, Ginger's, located in Brooklyn. Keep an eye out for this episode to drop sometime in August. And yes, this means we will be coming back for a season 2!! Subscribe and follow along on social medi...