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Lesbian nightclub opens in West Hollywood
SweetWater, a lesbian-owned nightclub, has opened on the WeHo Strip to provide one of the area's few dedicated lesbian spaces.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Just in time for Pride Month, a new nightclub is making history in West Hollywood.
SweetWater, a lesbian-owned nightclub, has opened its doors on the WeHo Strip, becoming one of the few dedicated lesbian spaces in the area and filling a void many in the community say has existed for years.
For owner Berni Gambino, the opening represents far more than a new nightlife destination.
"The importance of opening a lesbian bar in West Hollywood is that there's no place for us," Gambino said.
West Hollywood has long been known as a hub for LGBTQ+ culture and nightlife, often earning the nickname "Boystown" because of its concentration of venues catering primarily to gay men. Gambino says SweetWater was created to provide a space centered on women who love women while remaining welcoming to all members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.
"I wanted to create a space that was inclusive of everybody," she said. "Everybody's welcome."
The journey to opening SweetWater was nearly two and a half years in the making. Gambino says she helped demolish the building's interior, took bartending and bar ownership classes, and invested countless hours transforming the former restaurant space into the nightclub she envisioned.
"It's morphed into a labor of love," she said.
Beyond the music, cocktails and entertainment, Gambino hopes SweetWater becomes a place where people can build community and feel comfortable being themselves.
"Women don't have a place. West Hollywood has been Boystown forever," she said.
Gambino believes the nightclub could help pave the way for more lesbian-owned and women-centered spaces in the future.
"If I'm the starting point for that to happen, I think that would be a legacy that I can live with," she said.
As Pride Month celebrations continue across Southern California, Gambino says her hope is simple: that every person who walks through the doors feels a sense of belonging.
"When they come through, I want them to say, 'Oh, my God, I'm finally home.'"
SweetWater is now open in West Hollywood.