To Save Precinct, Downtown LA's Largest Gay Bar, GoFundMe Launched

This article initially appeared on Advocate.com. Read the orginal here.

Precinct — the largest gay bar in downtown Los Angeles — is crowdfunding to avoid closure.

The establishment launched a GoFundMe in order "to stay alive" in the midst of a pandemic that has shuttered all bars in the city since last March for public safety. 

"For almost a year now, the doors have been closed and locked due to the COVID-19 pandemic," the GoFundMe statement read. "While we shelter in place, the rent is due; fees and bills pile up; all while so many of our bar staff family have been out of work and struggling. The crisis will reach the point of no return unless we can get help from the very community we serve and love."

Precinct was opened in 2015 by husbands Brian McIntire and Thor Stephens following the historic Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that established marriage equality nationwide. Since then, the bar has established itself as a symbol of downtown's revival and a watering hole for members of the alternative queer scene.

The venue was the site of weekly drag shows hosted by the Boulet Brothers (of Dragula fame). It was also the location for the finale of EastSiders, the long-running series of LGBTQ+ people and allies living in the greater Silver Lake area.

"Queer performance spaces are so important, and Precinct is especially near and dear to my heart," EastSiders creator and star Kit Williamson wrote in a Facebook post. "Not just because it was the best place to watch a subversive, weird drag show in LA, but also because the fourth season of EastSiders literally wouldn't exist without their generosity. They were so supportive of our little queer show that could and now it's time for all of us to support them."

Precinct had raised over $41,602 of a $250,000 goal. Donors can help #SavePrecinct at GoFundMe.