But the blame often falls on queer women themselves, too, for in-fighting, gender policing, or simply not showing up. GUSH has thrived despite these realities, or perhaps because of them, which have spawned measures like their door policy, which at the very least sparks necessary conversations about safe spaces and economic disparities.
“Honestly, if it upsets you and you feel oppressed by our pricing system because it doesn’t include you, think about all the people that it does include, and how they feel oppressed when there’s oppressive pricing systems that don’t include them,” Dimayuga says. “Which is most places,” she adds.
Dimayuga doesn’t have a background in nightlife, but her experiences as a queer woman of color (she’s Filipino-American), chef, and cultural tastemaker have helped. She famously revolutionized the restaurant Mission Chinese before joining Standard International (which owns and operates the chain of hip, boutique Standard hotels) as its creative director of food and culture in 2018. One of her first projects was to create No Bar, a queer-inclusive lounge that sits streetside at the East Village Standard, one of the first and only gay bars within a major hotel. A small, chic, and colorful cocktail bar, its booths are decked in cow-print to accompany queer artist Dachi Cole’s signature black cowboy work on its mirrored walls.
“[The Standard is] really a boutique hotel brand, but it connects to local communities as well in each neighborhood that we’re in,” Dimayuga says, mentioning her work with local groups such as Performance Space, the birthplace of performance art in New York City down the block, and the Lower East Side Girls Club, a mentorship program for teens where she’s a culinary advisor. Many of the youth involved with the Girls Club identify somewhere along the LGBTQ+ spectrum, she’s noticed, and she wanted to create more space for them to reach their potential. “I thought that was kind of a no brainer,” she says. “[No Bar] was something that felt needed.”
No Bar has regular nightly events — drag shows, karaoke, a Wednesday night lez party called Slather — and during World Pride, they hosted specialized events, including a launch party for PURSUIT, a new deck of cards with portraits of local LGBTQ+ women, many of whom have surely been to a GUSH party or two.
“The idea is that anyone can feel welcome and you might not even know that it’s a queer bar, because ideally you just noticed that it’s super diverse and has really good energy, really good music, high-quality products, a beautiful space, and really great cocktails,” Dimayuga says. She says these kinds of spaces typically exist in deep Bushwick or other parts of Brooklyn and aren’t as accessible or obvious to those who might need them.
