Marsha’s South Street, a Philadelphia sports bar that presented itself as an LGBTQ-friendly venue, announced it would close permanently after service Sunday. Owner Chivonn Anderson shared the decision in an Instagram post on Thursday, according to the supplied report, and invited customers to visit during the bar’s final weekend.
Anderson said the business had valued serving its community and expressed support for the continued presence of businesses owned by women, LGBTQ people and people of color. The post did not give a specific reason for the closure. The report connects the announcement with months of public criticism but does not establish that the complaints caused the business to shut down.
The allegations described in the report surfaced publicly in April. Olivia Rhodes, identified as a Black transgender manager and bartender, said on Instagram that Marsha’s did not provide the safe, welcoming workplace its public identity suggested. Rhodes also accused the bar of a history of misogyny and racism.
Rhodes further alleged that a general manager, identified only as Rylan, described nonbinary people as overly emotional and too sensitive, and said the bar needed to hire more men. These statements are allegations attributed to Rhodes; the material provided does not include a response from Rylan or independent confirmation of the remarks.
Another former employee, described in the report as a biracial bisexual woman, also alleged she had been treated poorly. The report additionally cites a Reddit post from someone claiming to be an employee, who accused the head chef of misgendering staff. The poster characterized the bar as insufficiently supportive of queer patrons and workers. The poster’s identity and claims are not independently verified in the supplied material.
In September, Anderson posted that the bar had trained staff on biased language and microaggressions, maintained a zero-tolerance policy against hate and bias, and worked with community restorative-justice practitioners. She said the business had taken steps to be held accountable and intended to keep improving. The material does not provide details about the training or the practitioners’ work, nor does it include responses from the former employees to Anderson’s statement.
The closure comes as Philadelphia prepares for Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, which the supplied report says was scheduled for Saturday. The bar said it would remain open Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a final weekend of service. The report does not provide financial information, the number of employees affected, or details about what will happen to the premises after closing.
