Worcester Business Journal

18 Worcester Business Journal | June 24, 2024 | wbjournal.com As anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment rises, local bar owners see their businesses as places of comfort and safety Providing a SAFE SPACE BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer M arco Guinette took on the role of protector from an early age. ough he and his older brother are both gay, Guinette said his brother presented more feminine and faced harassment and abuse from their peers that Guinette felt an inherent urge to try to shield. at protector part of him made Guinette confident when he bought Worcester's oldest gay bar, the MB Lounge, in 2006, he would keep it a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. "at really set a spark off in my life that made me want to just be who I am and help who I can because of what I went through," said Guinette. Having owned MB for two decades, Guinette sees retirement on the horizon, but there's more work to be done. "I want to make sure that it continues to go on as it's always been: a safe haven for the LGBTQ community. I want to make sure whoever takes it over contin- ues to keep it a safe space," said Guinette. Anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is on the rise nationally, particularly against transgender people, as states across the nation pass laws limiting rights, medical care, bathroom use, and participation in youth sports. Despite being known as a leading state for LGBTQ+ rights, that sentiment has trickled down to Massachusetts. In its 2024 LGBTQ+ safety rankings, the California-based home security company SafeHome.org ranked Mas- sachusetts 28th in the nation for safety of LGBTQ+ people, with an overall "C" grade. In Central Mass., the ACLU of Massachusetts sued the Town of North Brookfield in December aer the local government refused to grant permission for an LGBTQ+ Pride event if it included a drag show, although the Town eventu- ally allowed both to move forward. "We're not as accepting as we should be in this state for being such a progres- sive state," said Guinette. Guinette and a handful of other Worcester bar owners see their business- es as a offering place where members of the LGBTQ+ community can feel completely welcome, finding solace away from places where leering eyes can make them uncomfortable or unsafe. "ere's certain places you go and you know, you shouldn't be there," said Danielle Spring, co-owner with wife Julie Toupin-Spring of Femme, a lesbian bar in Worcester. "When you walk in the building and everyone turns and stares at you, or dismisses you, you probably shouldn't be in that space." PHOTO | EDD COTE Marco Guinette wants to sell his majority share in the MB Lounge, which is Worcester's oldest gay bar, but he is searching for a new owner to keep the business as a safe haven. Julie Toupin-Spring (left) and Danielle Spring co-founded the Worcester lesbian bar Femme in March 2023.

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