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The Ruby Fruit: A Rare Safe Space for LGBTQ Community
The Ruby Fruit is a small wine bar located in an unassuming strip mall on Sunset Boulevard. However, for members of the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles, it is a rare safe haven where they can enjoy dining, drinking, and socializing with like-minded people. The bar, which opened in February, caters to lesbians, trans people, and nonbinary folks, and the owners describe it as “a strip-mall wine bar for the Sapphically inclined.”
The Ruby Fruit is a well-curated space, with a limited menu and a handful of seats, but its purpose is not to serve as a full-service restaurant. Rather, it is a place where people can gather and feel safe, with an emphasis on inclusivity and comfort. The menu, which includes a carefully selected handful of wines, cocktails, snacks, and sweets, is just a small part of the overall experience.
The atmosphere in the bar is electric, with a vibrant crowd eager to connect and socialize. The lack of reservations means that most evenings, a line forms outside the door before the bar even opens, with people chatting and smoking while waiting for their turn to enjoy the Ruby Fruit.
The West Hollywood gay bar scene is thriving, but it tends to cater mostly to cisgender men. For members of the LGBTQ community who do not feel welcome in those spaces, finding a safe space can be a challenge. The Ruby Fruit, along with the recently opened Honey’s at Star Love, is changing the narrative of what it means to be a lesbian or queer bar, making it more explicitly inclusive.
Honey’s has also made it a point to welcome the trans community, with an emphasis on thoughtful non-alcoholic drink selections. Although it doesn’t have much of a kitchen, it often invites caterers to serve food at events, and recently held its first drag brunch. The bar is open till midnight or 2 a.m., and hosts various events like comedy and karaoke nights, pop-up markets, Oscars watch parties, and movie screenings like But I’m a Cheerleader.
Both the Ruby Fruit and Honey’s are trying to create a space where members of the LGBTQ community can come together and feel safe, without any judgment or animosity. In a world that can sometimes feel isolating and unwelcoming, these bars serve as a reminder that everyone deserves a place at the table.
