One of two lesbian bars in Los Angeles has announced it will permanently close due to the impact of the wildfires that devastated the city, and the queer community is rallying in support of the remaining lesbian bars.

Ruby Fruit, a "Tend to Sapphire" bar that opened in February 2023 on Sunset Boulevard in the city's Silver Lake neighborhood, announced on Saturday that it was "no longer possible to open due to the financial impact of the current natural disaster."

"Sadly, on top of the sadness and shock we have experienced over the past few days, there is an undeniable reality: running our small business is no longer sustainable," owners Emily Bielagus and Mara Herbkersman said on social media. " The hospitality industry operates every day, but now, as they say, math is no math at all.”

The Los Angeles community was immediately shocked, with owners of other lesbian bars across the country asking how they could help comment on the post.

The owners of The Ruby Fruit did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they would raise funds to keep the bar open. In an Instagram update Tuesday afternoon, they said they'll be "sharing more soon about any promising future plans and ways you can all help," and in the meantime, they'll be expanding the GoFundMe they've created to fundraise for their employees.

The city's other lesbian bar, Honey's at Star Love, which opened in East Hollywood the same month as The Ruby Fruit, posted on Instagram last week that "out of respect for those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, the bar will be closed throughout the weekend." ". "

Pearl Bar, a lesbian bar in Houston, launched an appeal on Saturday to raise funds for Honey's and its employees. The post was shared by bars in San Francisco, New York and Phoenix.

"We need all lesbians and queer people around the world to unite! @honeys.la has to temporarily close this weekend due to fires and air quality issues," Pearl Bar said in a post on Instagram, which included people concerned Information on how to donate. "An entire weekend off is equivalent to 25% of a service worker's income. This disaster could last a month or more."

Pearl Bar owner Julie Mabry said she reached out to Kate Greenberg, one of the owners of Honey's, but Greenberg was hesitant to accept the help. Mabry said she told Greenberg about her experience with multiple hurricanes over the years and the tornado in Houston in May and how they affected her business.

"I just told her that maybe they could provide some temporary relief to their employees because they decided to close that weekend to help their community, which I also really respect," Marbury said. "They're worried about what's going to happen after that, because it's going to take a long time for that city to recover."

Mabry said the Pearl Bar has been open for 11 years and she has considered closing twice in the past nine months due to natural disasters. In May, the bar lost power for three days after a tornado and had to close for three days over the weekend. Then, in July, the bar lost power for a week due to a hurricane. Mabry said the bar lost $102,000 in revenue and losses as a result, but was able to stay afloat because the city just celebrated Pride Month in June, which brought in higher-than-usual revenue. January and February are the slowest months for bar business, she said.

"I think it's OK to ask people to help Honey's because we don't want to lose our space," Mabry said.

Greenberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those efforts or whether the honey shop is threatened with closure.

Lesbian bars have been declining nationwide for decades, with only about 20 remaining in 2020, according to NBC News. Star Love's Ruby Fruit and Honey's are among more than a dozen Sapphic bars that have opened since then, bringing the total number of lesbian bars nationwide to at least 35, according to another NBC News report last year.

Erica Rose is one of the founders of the Lesbian Bar Project, a fundraiser and documentary about the country's remaining lesbian bars. Before The Ruby Fruit and Honey opened, there had been no dedicated lesbian space in Los Angeles for more than a decade, she said. She added that the two spaces complement each other, with The Ruby Fruit providing an intimate dating experience and Honey's feeling like a cocktail lounge.

Elina Street, another co-founder of the Lesbian Bar Project, said: “When we lose a space, we lose our culture, which is tied to our identity and we all need space to Survive. So this is really devastating news and we really hope that the community can come together in such a wonderful way that they do and we can find more solutions to create more space."