Just because the mainstream bar scene is more welcoming than it used to be doesn’t mean everyone feels welcome there. For some members of the community, havens are still important.
In the documentary, Numbers owner Nick Moede chalks it up to a changing market, where LGBTQ people feel more widely accepted, and having their own space isn’t as important as it used to be. September of 2017 marked the closing of Numbers, a bar on the edge of Hillcrest that had been the home of Pride parties, drag shows and the Club Sabbat goth night. The documentary ends with a long goodbye and a lingering debate.
“It was a difficult time, but it was a time when the community rose to the occasion.” “It was a nonstop 24/7 battle for seven or eight years,” says Susan Jester, founder of the San Diego AIDS Walk.
