Alissa Gauger and Jen Smith said they both recall the day they saw a Facebook announcement that their beloved traveling Lesbian Pop-Up Bar known as “LPub Madison” was closing. They spun around in their chairs in their home office and both had the same thought: they couldn’t let this happen. As a couple that enjoyed LPub Madison for years, they took action and decided they wanted to inherit it. 

After Smith and Gauger spoke with LPub Madison founder Kat Kosmaule, they, along with former organizer Heather Long, concluded that they all shared the same goal for the LPub. 

“We did have the same mission to bring the community together in a safe environment and foster connection,” Gauger said. 

Since 2022, Gauger and Smith have been organizers of LPub Madison, hosting monthly events at local businesses. Long is no longer an organizer with Smith and Gauger at LPub Madison for personal reasons, Gauger said. 

Since the 1980s, the number of lesbian bars in the U.S. has drastically declined from hundreds to double digits. In Madison there are zero brick and mortar lesbian bars. As anyone deserves to have a space where they can be themselves and find community, LPub Madison seeks to fill that void for the queer community. 

“We want lesbian and queer folks in Madison to feel like they have a space where they can be authentically themselves and connect with people like them and allies,” Gauger said. 

But the LPub events are not only for the lesbian community. Gauger and Smith said they want everyone to feel welcome, whether you identify as lesbian, queer, transgender, an ally or a supporter, there’s a place for you. 

Smith and Gauger said many people that attend the LPub events come up to them or send them messages online sharing that they have met their closest friends, or partners at the events. 

Part of the reason the events are successful is their consistency. Gauger and Smith said they tried other ways to connect queer communities, including drag bingo, events on different days of the week and exploring locations outside Madison. They found that their golden formula — one event a month at 6 p.m. on a Saturday at a local establishment — produced the best results. But, they are always open to suggestions. 

“We always attend the LPub’s on purpose, so that there is a face to the experience, that they have someone to talk to if they have any concerns, ideas, suggestions,” Gauger said. 

But arguably the biggest part of LPub Madison’s success is because they put safety first. Before planning an event, Gauger said she checks the establishment’s vibe, location and clientele. She ensures the owners of the businesses are excited about hosting a queer event and understand the value LPub Madison holds. 

For students, LPub Madison offers a unique opportunity to form friendships of all ages. Gauger said there is a certain joy in forming intergenerational friendships in the queer community. 

“Older queer women will have different experiences. They remember when there were lesbian bars, and you get them talking about that, and what a different experience that was. And oftentimes an LPub is like them re-experiencing the good old days of having a, you know, brick and mortar Lesbian bar,” Gauger said. 

Recent graduate Jane Houseal said one of her favorite parts of LPub Madison is meeting different people in the queer community that aren’t students. She found LPub Madison while exploring lesbian nightlife options and wrote a piece for the Curb Magazine about LPub and other lesbian pop-up bars like Sappho’s Secret. 

“It was just one of the most powerful interview experiences I’ve ever had because I got to talk to so many people from the queer community that I never would have met,” Houseal said.  

Houseal said LPub events are great because seeing older queer women can be eye-opening for younger queer people. Also, the events focus on giving people opportunities to talk and truly get to know people as compared to dancing or drinking. 

There are many reasons why Madison should dedicate spaces to queer and lesbian women, but Houseal said she finds the most joy and security from her queer friendships, and urges other young queer people to seek out these connections. 

“My world revolves around my platonic lesbian friendships. Those are my favorite people in the world and I want everybody who is queer to be able to make other queer friends and I don’t think everybody has that opportunity. So when I see an event like LPub carving out a space to make that possible, it just feels very inspiring and really exciting,” Houseal said. 

It can be difficult to find beautiful friendships like Houseal’s as a student. But, she said if you aren’t of legal drinking age to attend LPub events, there are still ways to build community. Searching on Instagram or talking to people to find events beyond State Street is a good start. Some other places on campus she recommends include Sex Out Loud and the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center. And if you are old enough for LPub events, don’t pass them up.

“I just think [students] should feel empowered to go and strike up conversation and to be themselves. And yeah, I mean, even if they don’t, even if someone doesn’t know for sure if it would be their vibe, I think they should try it out and see because they might be surprised by a connection they make,” Houseal said. 

Catch the next LPub event at the Cardinal Bar Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.