Austin Loses Sidekicks

Dear Editor,
    I am still in disbelief over the sudden shutdown of Austin's only real lesbian bar, Sidekicks, this past Saturday. What a slap in the face after all of the Pride Week festivities, huh? I don't want to chock it up to the smoking ban, as it hasn't even gone into effect, but had the owners been able to hold on I'm sure it would have put them under. I know that this is just the beginning of the end for many bars in this town that cater to specific subcultures, as visible and active as they may be. My friends and I are now "homeless," in a place that claims to be super liberal and gay-friendly. All we have left is a Ladies Night here and there, and I don't anticipate that those will last long, either. Austin's youngest lesbian club DJ told me the other night, after she found out that Saturday's shift would be her last, "Well, I was a DJ." What else will we have to lose before we realize that keeping Austin "weird" is more than just a slogan?