Help Tbilisi’s Gay Nightlife! Save Success Bar ♥️

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Success is an iconic, monumental bar for Tbilisi’s culture. It originally opened 20 years ago, in a post-Soviet post-war environment and in a time where any affiliation with LGBTQ was unfathomably risky. After going on hiatus for a few years while the country got on its feet, it was revived in 2017 by local LGBTQ ally Nia Gvatua, who turned Success Bar into an overnight hot spot in Tbilisi nightlife, as well as a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Tbilisi.

The space is eclectic, vibrant and colorful. It is inclusive of all walks of life. Success has given birth to performers and has served as a platform for incredible performances and parties, and has greatly contributed to the progressive movement in the country of Georgia and in the Caucasus region. 

Due to COVID19, Success Bar had to close its doors for an unknown period of time. As businesses are slowly reopening, the landlord demands their rent beginning July 1st, regardless ofthe fact that the country has not yet entered the phase for opening bars and clubs.

While this issue is common worldwide right now, closing Success Bar’s doors would be a devastation to the LGBTQ and to the entire progressive community. Already, conservative, religious, nationalist and often homophobic Georgian residents are assuming responsibility of Success’s possible closure as a victory they’ve accomplished and this isn’t the case! 

Religious and sexual diversity can no longer be tabooed. It’s 2020 and we’ve seen it all. Enough is enough! In the 2014 World Value Survey, Georgia was ranked one of the most homophobic countries in the world – with some 86.6% of those surveyed unhappy with the idea of having a gay or lesbian neighbor. 

Since 2017, with the help of Success Bar, the rising acceptance of LGBTQ folks has become evident simply by strolling in the streets of Tbilisi, as well as by observing the vast diversity of old meets new in Tbilisi nightlife. We must keep going!! We can’t reverse everything the country has worked so hard for. 

Please help keep Success Bar open! Rent is $1,000 per month, so this would cover June, July and August, and the remaining $2K will go towards funding the initial revamping phase ofthe bar.

Your donation means the world. Thank you!