The National Center for Transgender Equality notes that one in four transgender people have lost a job because of bias while more than three-fourths have experienced workplace discrimination. The trans community lost a haven that offered a momentary escape from a world that often fails to protect them from high rates of discrimination. In the end, Southern Nevada didn’t just lose another small business. “If we would have been able to close down on our own terms we would have thrown one hell of a party. “We’ve survived so much only to be taken down by something unforeseen like this virus,” Hallie said. The Las Vegas Lounge, which catered to trans patrons, was forced to close its doors permanently after being operational more than 20 years. With decades of history and a client base that felt more like family, she felt like it was a sour deal not to be able to say good-bye. ‘At least one place where we feel safe’īetween being located in the Commercial Center District and the fact its patrons were majority trans, critics of the Las Vegas Lounge told staff again and again over the years the business would never survive as long as it did.īut the bar made it through circumstances that have claimed other businesses, including the economic downtown of 2008 and even a shooting in 2018 that caused damage to the interior and resulted in two people being injured.
“You can’t put people over profit,” she said. Hallie understands the reason businesses needed to shut down for the time being. “Fiscally it didn’t make sense to reopen.” “We looked at this from a million different angles,” she said.
Less seats would also mean less revenue.īy mid-April, Hallie reasoned that even if restrictions were lifted by May 1 there was no guarantee the bar could attract enough businesses to pay its obligations - nearly $7,000 in rent along with another few thousand dollars in other bills, plus payroll. To protect against potential spread of the virus, the bar would have to create extra space between gaming machines and bar stools to promote social distancing. Businesses where gambling was a source of revenue were excluded, meaning the Las Vegas Lounge, which had video poker machines, couldn’t get a loan.īy the time the rules were adjusted to allow smaller businesses with gambling to apply, the money for the program had dried up.Įven with April rent being waived by their landlord, there were more obstacles to overcome in order to reopen safely. Hallie said they applied for a small business loan through the Payroll Protection Program fund but were denied. Then April 1 rolled around with no indication when business would resume. When the shutdown first started, she knew the bar had some money in reserve that would carry them a few weeks.
“Then I realized it was the last time I would be doing this. “I was OK until I turned the key one last time,” Hallie said thinking back to April 30, the last time she was at the bar.
The small business, which employed nine people, was another casualty of the economic downturn created by the health crisis. Steve Sisolak declared a state or emergency and instructed all nonessential businesses to shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19.Īfter operating in Southern Nevada since 1999, the Las Vegas Lounge, one of the few bars in the country that specifically caters to transgender patrons, officially shut down for good May 1. It was the last fun night she remembers before Gov. “It was just one of those fantastic nights where you got to see old friends and nothing stupid happened.” “The vibe was great and everyone was drinking, having a great time and spending money,” she recalled.
Hallie, who has worked at the bar for about 15 years but has managed it for five, said everything about the night just felt right. After a rather slow couple months at the Las Vegas Lounge, Jennifer Hallie could sense things were about to turn around after the Valentine’s Day event hosted at the bar.