What does it take to make a Black queer space? What happens when the bar isn’t necessarily the "bar"?And what happens when the space you have is temporary, expensive, gentrifying, imperfect—or all four at once? In this episode of Our Dyke Histories, Jack Gieseking brings together two leading scholars of Black queer women’s spaces. Nikki Lane and Kemi Adeyemi research Black queer women and the politics of partying in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Together, they rethink the relationship between queer parties, lesbian bars, race, racism, music, and the city.
From mega clubs and warehouse parties to smaller bar takeovers and itinerant queer parties, Nikki and Kemi unpack gentrification, race, class, sexuality, gender, and the relentless labor required to create a space where people can actually have a good time. They ask why parties can sometimes be more flexible—and more sustainable—than permanent bars, and how the dance floor becomes a place to negotiate a right to the city. Along the way, we talk about homophobia, transphobia, class politics, party organizing, political expectations, and the imperfect realities of queer community. Because sometimes the politics are messy, the venue is terrible, the rent is rising—and we still find a way to party.
Black queer women and trans folks keep finding ways to have a great time. They keep making space. And they keep finding ways to party.
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Credits
Producer, Editor, Host, & Creative Director: Jack Gieseking
Co-Producer: Julie Enszer & Sinister Wisdom
Co-Producer & Co-Editor: Cade Waldo
Assistant Editor: Becca Moses & Sophie McClain
Social Media Manager: Audrey Wilkinson
Consulting Producer: Rachel Fagen
Music: Our theme song: "Like Honey" by Kit Orion https://www.kitorion.com/
CC-BY-NC-ND 2025. Write to us at ourdykehistories@gmail.com for permission to use any of our content.
