A Protest At Phoenix's Lesbian Bar Over Water Highlights Broader Heat Concerns

A small protest outside Arizona’s only lesbian bar Friday night escalated into a heated exchange over an online petition demanding the establishment provide free water to patrons.

Four protesters gathered outside Boycott Bar in Phoenix, challenging its policy of charging $3 per bottled water. The group handed out cups of water and held signs reading “We Keep Us Safe” and “People Over Profit” while asking bargoers to sign their petition.

Lauren Coleman, the protest’s organizer and a local educator, said Boycott should serve as a safe space for all and provide free water, particularly in the nation’s hottest city.

“It’s one of the few places lesbians have to gather regularly, and we just want it to be a safer place for everybody,” Coleman said. “When there’s a business by and for lesbians, a lot of our community is going to end up there, and we want people to feel safe.”

Some bar patrons stopped to ask questions and sign the petition, while others defended the establishment, calling the protest unnecessary. Later in the evening, the bar’s bouncer began questioning people who had signed the petition and warned they might not be allowed inside. Ultimately, no one was denied entry.

The protest reignited a longstanding debate over whether businesses should be required to provide free water, particularly in a state where extreme heat is a deadly issue.

Is it illegal to deny free water in Arizona?

It is a common misconception that businesses must provide free water, but no such law exists in Arizona.

Boycott Bar is not alone in charging for water. However, given the state’s extreme temperatures, online discussions have for years questioned why there is no legal requirement to provide free water to customers.

Efforts to mandate water access have primarily focused on workers. Last year, Phoenix lawmakers passed rules requiring employers to provide outdoor laborers with free drinking water and shade, but no similar laws exist for customers.

Water access also became an issue in Goodyear last year when residents were fined by their homeowners association for handing out free water to passersby.

Ultimately, the decision to provide free water falls on business owners. Advocates argue that in a state where temperatures can reach 120 degrees, water access should be a legal right or, at the very least, a community priority.

Megan Kepler, co-founder of the harm reduction group Urban Front, said Arizona’s government has failed to implement water-access solutions, particularly for unhoused communities. She believes the lack of action is intentional.

“We really don’t have any laws that require cities to provide free water,” Kepler said. “At this point, it’s upon neighbors and members of society to distribute water because there is none. Business owners who choose to do so are great, but there’s nothing compelling them.”

Why target Boycott?

Boycott Bar is considered a community staple, with LGBTQ+ patrons viewing it as one of the few safe spaces in the state. Coleman said they targeted Boycott because it is the only LGBTQ+ bar they frequent that does not provide free water.

While other local LGBTQ+ bars, such as Pat O’s BunkHouse and The Rock, have free water stations, Boycott charges for bottled water.

Following the protest, Coleman received a cease-and-desist letter from a public relations firm representing Boycott, demanding they take down a Change.org petition advocating for free water at the bar. The letter, sent by spokesperson Holly Morgan, warned of a potential defamation lawsuit if the petition remained online. As of publication, the petition had more than 500 signatures.

Morgan told LOOKOUT in a written statement that the protest was an "attempt to target and defame a small, queer, woman-owned business with a Change.org petition over something as minor as the cost of bottled water. This petition has not only spread misinformation but has also opened the door for defamatory and slanderous attacks against our bar and our mission.”

Morgan did not clarify in the statement what claims in the petition were misinformation, only that they were "baseless."

Boycott owner Audrey Corley, who has operated the bar since 2017, also said the petition’s allegations were incorrect and said that if someone needed water, it would be provided. 

She said running an LGBTQ+ business—especially Arizona’s only lesbian bar—is challenging, particularly amid heightened tensions against the community. Boycott has faced threats, and its dumpster was recently set on fire, though it is unclear whether it was a hate-motivated act. Corley said the $3 charge for bottled water helps keep the business afloat.

She said Coleman and the protesters were bullying her online, and that she was planning to have a conversation with Coleman on Monday regarding the issue, but no longer will. 

“In this political climate, we should be coming together and worrying about real issues, not false allegations about what we do with water,” Corley said.