Menz and Mollyz: The End of an Era
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
The city of Halifax has Canada’s highest number of bars per capita. We have numerous pubs, clubs, and bars of many kinds and one bar well known to Haligonians was Menz and Mollyz. Menz and Mollyz was unique because it was Halifax’s only queer-owned and operated bar. The bar has since changed hands, been renamed, and transformed into a space that LGBTQ+ people no longer see as their own. Now that the province has reopened, some new options for a night out will be The Den and One Love Bar: new bars opening where Menz and Mollyz once stood.
A gathering spot is essential to any community or group of people. Gay bars are critical to the LGBTQ+ community because they allow people of the LGBTQ+ community to gather and feel safe. Likewise, Menz and Mollyz had been a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to attend for the last 15 years. It was a sanctuary where people could genuinely express themselves and be unapologetically queer. Oliver Oldfield, a regular patron and drag performer at Menz and Mollyz, stated that the bar was one of the few places in the city for a queer person to showcase their complete self. While Menz and Mollyz had its issues (namely its inaccessible location on Gottingen St. and the fact that it was isolated from the rest of Halifax’s nightlife), it was a place that allowed for fun, experimentation, and expression without fear of judgement.
If you ask a person in the LGBTQ+ community which bars are gay bars, the only answer was Menz and Mollyz. While Reflections used to be a gay bar, it is now is referred to as an “all labels bar,” and most LGBTQ+ people don’t view it as a safe environment like Menz and Mollyz was. Teo Ferguson, a door person at Menz and Mollyz, stated that the bar was a “fundamentally queer” space, and the other Halifax bars couldn’t compare. The atmosphere at Menz and Mollyz was freeing and safe, and there was a profound sense of community that welcomed everyone free of hate. People could wear whatever they wanted and know they belonged. Menz and Mollyz was authentically queer-friendly rather than looking to fit with the status quo.
Losing this critical safe space was a hard blow to Halifax’s LGBTQ+ community for two reasons. The closure marked the loss of Halifax’s last after-hours LGBTQ+ gathering space, and the announcement was ambiguous, drawn-out, and full of false hope. Menz and Mollyz initially announced a temporary closure along with all other non-essential public places in March 2020. However, shortly after the temporary closure was announced, the owners of Menz and Mollyz revealed that the bar would be changing hands. While this news came as a shock, the LGBTQ+ community was assured that Menz and Mollyz would remain a gay bar and a safe space to be queer. This statement gave people hope and acted as the crucial light at the end of a very long tunnel. The thought that Menz and Mollyz would remain their second home after a long, challenging year was something that the LGBTQ+ community held on to. This false hope is perhaps why the news of Menz and Mollyz being renamed was so painful, particularly since the bar had already survived its fair share of hardships. Menz and Mollyz, known as Menz at the time, burned down in 2008 but was then rebuilt and continued to be a safe space for queer people. The revelation that the place many LGBTQ+ people considered to be their second home would be forever changed was hard to swallow.
Photo by Tatiana Rodriguez on Unsplash
Because Menz and Mollyz was a safe space for every queer person aged 19 and up, many drag performers debuted there. Other venues – such as Reflections – offer drag nights, but they only showcase experienced performers. The closure of Menz and Mollyz put up a tremendous barrier for amateur drag queens trying to establish themselves as performers. The intimate bar feel at Menz and Mollyz projected trust and familiarity that let new performers feel comfortable showcasing their drag. The nightclub feel Reflections is known for does little to provide a safe environment for new drag performers. While some drag performers feel comfortable performing at other venues, many would prefer to perform at a location made for queer people by queer people.
There are other queer spaces in Halifax, such as the Glitter Bean Cafe and the NS Youth Project, but the loss of Menz and Mollyz is devastating. The Glitter Bean Cafe is a daytime venue, and the Youth Project only caters to LGBTQ+ youth. Menz and Mollyz was the sole night-time LGBTQ+ gathering space and hosted most of Halifax’s drag shows. However, M&J’s, a restaurant and catering company located in Bedford, is a queer-friendly space that hosts drag shows. There is no substitute for Menz and Mollyz, but the LGBTQ+ community is resilient and will rally through this loss. While nothing is concrete, there have been talks among the LGBTQ+ community about creating a new, community-funded after-hours venue for the LGBTQ+ community. Though while the LGBTQ+ community mourns the loss of Menz and Mollyz, there is still a need for a queer-safe space, and there is hope that we will find a new one.
Menz and Mollyz was the only queer-owned and operated bar and one of the only places in Halifax that the LGBTQ+ community could gather and be their true selves. It had been a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people since it opened in 2005 and had already persisted through many hardships. While losing Menz and Mollyz marks the end of an era, the LGBTQ+ community will create a new, safe space, and the spirit felt at Menz and Mollyz will be felt again in the post-pandemic world.